Dylan Nash
BANDURA’S SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY LEARNING ACTIVITY
TRIADIC RECIPROCAL CAUSATION
Describe what triadic reciprocal causation is.
Triadic reciprocal causation is a term by Albert Bandura referring to the influence of three sets of factors:
personal factors, the environment, and behavior.
How is triadic reciprocal causation of social cognitive theory different than earlier behavioral learning
theories?
Skinner and Piaget argued the differences in behavioral learning. Skinner argued that a person’s
environment is the main influence whereas Piaget said it was the person’s choices that were the
influence. (Davidson, 2003.) Triadic reciprocal causation takes these factors and says these are all
influential in behavioral learning.
MODELING AND OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING
Name and describe the 4 processes of observational learning.
The four processes of observational learning are attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. The
attention process is simple, if someone is going to learn, they have to pay attention. A couple things can
influence this such as is the individual is tired or ill, they will have a harder time paying attention. Also
factors of the model matter. Bandura showed that people pay attention more to models that are
attractive or look similar to the person. The second process is retention and it is being able to remember
the behavior that was witnessed. If the person does not remember the behavior, there is a less than
probable chance that they will imitate it. (Stone, 2017.) The third process is reproduction. Reproduction
concerns itself with more the physical ability of a person. Stone uses a young colt observing its mother
jumping over a creek. The colt may attempt this but land in the middle instead of across. At some point
the young colt will be able to jump over after it grows up and it practices. The fourth and final process is
motivation. Motivation is perhaps the most important because if an individual has no reason to perform
an action, then no amount of attention, retention, or reproduction will cover for the lack of motivation.
(Stone, 2017.) Simply put, if a student has no motivation to learn, the likelihood of them learning is slim
to none.
Describe 4 effects of viewing televised aggression according to Bandura.
First off, televised aggression teaches aggressive styles of conduct. Secondly it glamorizes violence so it
is harder to restrain that behavior as when a hero triumphs over the villain using violence, viewers are
even more strongly influenced. Third, it desensitizes our reactions to cruelty, and finally it shapes our
images of reality to that of the aggression. In the famous "Bobo Doll" experiments, Bandura had shown
that children, when exposed to televised violence, exhibited the aggressive behavior they had observed -
hitting, kicking, and using hostile language. Believe it or not, this was considered heretical, particularly by
the television industry. Prior to that time, the prevailing theory was that televised violence drained
aggressive impulses. (VanDeVelde, 1999.)
SELF EFFICACY
Define self-efficacy.
Bandura defines it as a personal judgement of "how well one can execute courses of action required
dealing with prospective situations.
Name and describe the 4 major ways that one can develop a strong sense of self-efficacy as presented in
the video by Bandura.
The four ways to develop strong sense of self-efficacy are performance accomplishments, vicarious
experiences, verbal persuasion, and physiological states. Performance accomplishments can lead to a
greater sense of self-efficacy upon having successful experiences. The experience of success influences
your perspective of your abilities. Vicarious experiences are simply watching someone perform a task or
handle a situation which can help in succeeding the task through imitation. Seeing people who are
similar complete a task increases belief. Verbal persuasion is basically cheering someone on. When
people are encouraging someone to complete a task, that person is more than likely to belief that they
are capable of performing it. Physiological states are the moods or emotions that a person has which
may influence a person’s perception of their abilities. Nervous people tend to doubt themselves and
therefore are less likely to succeed in a task. Confidence can lead to a greater sense of self-efficacy
however.
How does self-efficacy differ from self-esteem?
Self-esteem is the general feelings of self-worth and self-value, whereas self-efficacy is the belief in one’s
abilities to complete a task.
Name and describe 4 effects of efficacy beliefs.
1. Efficacy beliefs can be low and a person who has low self-efficacy does not have much confidence in
their ability to do a certain task, and usually tries to avoid action.
2. Efficacy beliefs can be high and people who possess high self-efficacy have confidence in their ability
to succeed in a certain situation or perform a task. People with high efficacy view tasks as a challenge
rather than a personal attack.
3. A person’s self-efficacy can be influenced their environment and surroundings. People believe what
they hear and see. Where people are and who they associate with can make a huge difference in
someone’s life. A person with a good family, living in a positive environment is going to have better self-
efficacy than someone who has been in the opposite situation. It is important that we try to surround
ourselves in a positive place with encouraging people.
4. Efficacy beliefs can either be strengthened or weakened depending on a person’s mind set and their
beliefs. If someone wants to strengthen their self-efficacy, they can by surrounding themselves around
encouraging and positive people. Likewise, someone can weaken their self-efficacy by merely
surrounding themselves around negative, condescending people.
BIBLICAL INTEGRATION
Share at least 2 verses/passages regarding being a good example and/or role model to others. Share the
verse in quotes, followed by the citation.
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory
to your Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16
“In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness
and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed
because they have nothing bad to say about us.” – Titus 2:7-8
Share an example from Scripture of one who either exhibited a strong sense of self-efficacy or one who
did not exhibit a strong sense of self-efficacy. Support your answer.
The Bible shares the story of Queen Esther. With great courage Esther went before the king to plead to
save her people. After Esther’s uncle Mordecai refused to bow before one of the men who worked for
the king, the man thought that the king should destroy all the Jews. T he king wasn’t aware that Esther
was a Jew. Going before the king without being called risked being killed, even for the queen, along with
her people Esther fasted and prayed for the strength to talk to the king. Esther approached the king, and
the king spared Esther and her people. Esther relied on prayer to give her the strength to do the right
thing. By acting with confidence in God, Esther was able to save her people.
Write 1 solid paragraph of at least 400 words defining self-efficacy, describe the basic principles of social
cognitive theory, and articulate how you can help to develop a stronger sense of self-efficacy in your
students. You must include the importance of your role as an effective role model.
Self-efficacy is a major part in education. Students must have confidence in their abilities to learn if they
are to succeed. Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s abilities and it can pertain to multiple aspects of our
lives. Some people have confidence in areas that others do not. In education, there are a lot of students
that lack the confidence to succeed in school. This lack of confidence can be caused by either a
disability, poor examples for role models, or lack of proper preparation. As educators, we can effectively
help a student’s self-efficacy in all three areas. Teachers can accommodate a lesson or homework to
help with a student’s disability as well as give them more guidance so they can better understand the
material that is being taught. We also can be the people that students can look up to. Not every student
leaves school to a happy and healthy home. So as teachers, we see these students five times a week for
multiple weeks and that can make an impact. Just by simply giving them a smile as they walk into your
classroom can be huge because it may be the only one they see all day. Our expectations in students
must be high so they can see that someone believes in them. If the students achieve our expectations,
they will then have more confidence in themselves and thus improving their self-efficacy. Teachers also
have to take into account that their students observe their actions. Simply being a model for good
behavior can rub off on them as well. Finally, it is our job to properly prepare students. This can apply to
a quiz, a big test, college, or the workforce; the next stage of life. If we can provide our students with the
proper preparation, they should be confident. The next chapters in life are terrifying because they are
simply unknown, and that is scary to people. Educators have a unique opportunity to get to know
students on another level than most people. We know what a student is capable of and we can steer
that student into the right direction based on what we know. We can help guide them through into the
next stage and show them that they can do it. We are important in their development, we are important
in their confidence; we can improve their self-efficacy. In closing, having a career in education is also
having a crucial spot in a student’s life. We can either choose to be a simple name on their schedule, or
we can choose to have an impact on their lives.
References
Stone, S. M. (2017, July 07). Observational learning. Retrieved January 28, 2019, from
https://www.britannica.com/science/observational-learning.
Davidson, F. (Producer). (2003). Bandura’s social cognitive theory. Davidson Films. Retrieved from
http://search.alexanderstreet.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/view/work/1780107
Akhtar, M. (2017, April 08). What is Self-Efficacy? Bandura's 4 Sources of Efficacy Beliefs. Retrieved
January 28, 2019, from http://positivepsychology.org.uk/self-efficacy-definition-bandura-
meaning/.
VanDeVelde, C. (1999). The Power of Social Modeling: The Effects of Television Violence. Retrieved
January 28, 2019, from https://christinevandevelde.com/journalism/1999bing.asp.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: Freeman.
Davidson, F. (Producer). (2003). Bandura’s social cognitive theory. Davidson Films. Retrieved from
http://search.alexanderstreet.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/view/work/1780107
