Social learning theory in child psychology - Essay Example

Social learning theory in child psychology Albert Bandura’s social learning theory that laid emphasis on the role of reinforcements and the relation between behavior and one’s environment has immensely contributed to the understanding of child psychology. For Bandura, “personality is an interaction of outside influences (environment), behaviour, and an individuals psychological processes” (Albert Banduras Social Cognitive Theory). His developmental theory is known as social learning theory whereby he propagated that people can learn through observation and that mental states are important to learning.

All these theoretical formulations have facilitated child psychologists and therapists to understand child behavior in terms of the interaction among such factors as one’s environment, behavior and psychological processes where positive and negative reinforcements play a pivotal role in modulating the child’s behavior patterns. Bandura goes on to purport that “children learn and imitate behaviors they have observed in other people” and his social learning theory is rooted on three basic models of observational learning- live, verbal and symbolic model (Cherry).

The modeling process involves four stages-attention, retention, reproduction and motivation. This understanding has been proved to be crucial in child psychology as children internalizes many of their behavior patterns and subsequent behavioral problems through observation and modeling from their immediate life environment. However, Bandura also held that external or environmental reinforcement alone does not modulate behavior; he stressed on “intrinsic reinforcement as a form of internal reward, such as pride, satisfaction, and a sense of accomplishment” through which the behavior of the person is shaped (Cherry).

Thus, it is significant that the child develops a sense of intrinsic reinforcement in his behavior along with the large amount of extrinsic reinforcements that he receives from others. It is also worthwhile to analyze how Beg and Beg regard social learning theory in connection with child psychology. For them, social learning theory, in fact, “combines reinforcement learning theory with psychoanalytic concepts and some of the insights of cultural anthropology and sociology” and as such they hold that the reinforcement aspect of social learning theory has got great relevance in modulating the child’s behavior through appropriate systems of rewards and punishments (Beg &Beg 35).

One should also bear in mind that later the concept of rewards and punishments gave way to positive and negative reinforcements in relation to child psychology. It can thus be concluded that social learning theory has played a significant role in understanding child psychology and in dealing with children with psychological or behavioral problems. Similarly, it was Albert Bandura who emphasized on the cognitive and information processing capacities of children which shape their social behavior.

The social learning theory also put forward the theory of dependency which states that aggressive boys were suffering from dependency anxiety arising from rejection and punishment and that it is this frustration caused by neglect and rejection that leads children towards antisocial behavior (Grusec 780). Thus, Bandura’s theories on dependency, aggression and antisocial behavior have proved to be extremely helpful in child psychology.To conclude, a personal reflection on the various aspects of the social learning theory reveals that it has heavily contributed to the understanding and development of child psychology.

As Bandura purports, it is essential for the child psychologists to delve deep into the environment (outside influences) of the child and to discern how it has affected the child’s behavior or psychological processes. Similarly, it is also essential that the child psychologists, drawing conclusions from the social learning theory, realize that most of the behavior patterns displayed by children stem from imitation and that it is their dependency anxiety that result from rejection, neglect, and punishment that leads them antisocial and aggressive behaviorWorks CitedAlbert Banduras Social Cognitive Theory. (2009). The Kids Development, 2010. Web. 16 December 2010.

< http://www.kidsdevelopment.co.uk/AlbertBandurasSocialCognitiveTheory.html>.Beg, M.A & Beg, S.G. Global Encyclopaedia Of The Theoretical Psychology (4 Vols. Set). Global Vision Publishing Ho, 2006. Print. Cherry, Kendra. Social Learning Theory: An Overview of Banduras Social Learning Theory. About.com: The New York Times Company, 2010. Web. 16 December 2010. < http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/sociallearning.htm> Grusec, Joan E. Social Learning Theory and Developmental Psychology: The Legacies of Robert Sears and Albert Bandura.

Developmental Psychology 28.5 (1992): 776-786. Print.