Major Theorist - Research Paper Example

Major Theorist Major Theorist Introduction Various psychologists have developed theories that attempt to explain phenomenon that relates to human growth and development. Some of the theories explain the stages of human development while others explain crucial aspects regarding growth. This research paper will provide a personal biography of Bandura, as well as background of the theorist. In addition, the theory will include a general overview of the theory and practical implications of the theory. The paper also provides current trends and findings that relate to the theory. Finally, the research paper will give a summary and personal reflections that relate to the theory. Personal Biography Born on 4th December 1925 in Mundare, Albert Bandura was the youngest in a family of six children. The community he came from mostly comprised of inhabitants from Ukraine and Poland. Both parents of Albert Bandura had migrated to Canada when they were adolescents. Bandura’s father was from Krakow while the mother came from Ukraine and the two parents did not have any formal education. However, they were concerned about educational achievement and this is why they wanted their son to succeed academically. During his elementary and high school years, Bandura went to a single school, which was the only school in town. He faced many challenges when studying because of the scarcity of resources in the school. Like other students in his school, Bandura was left to learn on his own because of the inadequate learning materials. Despite the many challenges that Bandura faced, he went ahead to become a successful student and emerged as one of the most influential psychologists (Sigelman & Rider, 2011). Bandura studied at the University of British Columbia, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1949. After graduating from this university, he went ahead to study in the University of Iowa and got a PhD. While in the University, he got a lot of influence from behavioral perspectives. From this perspective, he gained a lot of interest in learning theory, which saw him being involved in research. Since 1953, Bandura has been a professor of psychology at Stanford University where he has taught over the years (Shaffer, 2009). The Social Learning Theory The social learning theory, which was developed by Bandura, comprises of a combination of the aspects of operating conditioning by B.F Skinner and the traditional learning theory. Based on theory, Albert Bandura suggests that learning can be categorized into several types. The various concepts that guide the social learning theory are three and they include observation, mental states, as well as changing learned behavior. The first concept states that the best way in which people can learn is through observation. The other concept in which this theory is based is that internal states can be regarded as crucial in the learning process. In addition, the theory is based on the belief that it does not necessarily mean that something will become behavior just because a person has learnt it. There are some things that might be learnt and fail to become behavior (Oxford University Press, 2003). In order to prove the notion of observational learning, Bandura performed the Bobo doll experiment. From this experiment, Bandura came up with an observation that learning in children is based on the imitation and copying of behaviors learnt from significant others. The children that Bandura used in the experiment observed that adults were violent towards a Bobo doll. When the children got a chance to also play with the Bobo doll, they exhibited the same behavioral patterns just like the adults they had observed. Bandura came to the conclusion that the behavior of children was a result of their interaction with adults. The conduct of adults largely shape children’s behavior. In this experiment, Bandura identified three models, which are a live model, a symbolic model, as well as a verbal instructional model (Sigelman & Rider, 2011). A live model incorporates the demonstration of behavior by an individual whereby a person’s actions can be typified to certain behaviors. In the symbolic model, there are either fictional characters or real persons who portray behaviors in platforms such as films, books, online media, as well as programs in the television. The verbal model identified by Bandura incorporates the explanations, as well as descriptions about certain behaviors. From the verbal model, it is possible to come up with descriptions that tell what a behavior entails (Jarvis, 2003). The other core concept in which this theory is based includes the importance of mental states when it comes to learning. In this regard, Bandura argued that human behavior is largely influenced by not only extrinsic reinforcement, but also intrinsic reinforcement. Thus, both the environment and internal mental states have an impact on behavior. According to Bandura, intrinsic reinforcement includes rewards that are internal such as satisfaction, pride, as well as accomplishment. Bandura noted that there can be either negative or positive reinforcement. Acceptable behavior is positively reinforced while bad behavior is reinforced negatively. Children are motivated to exhibit behavior that is positively reinforced while they shun away from behavior that receives negative reinforcement. There is little impact of positive or negative reinforcement, especially when it does not relate to the needs of the child being reinforced. Whether reinforcement is positive or negative, it will always lead to a change in the behavior of the child (Shaffer, 2009). In the social learning theory, Bandura also identified what he referred as vicarious reinforcement. This form of reinforcement is based on the notion that children consider what happens to other people before they decide to copy or not to copy someone’s behavior. Thus, children are more attached to models whose behavior can be seen as rewarding while there is little attention given to models who are considered as unrewarding. The models whom children identify with include siblings who are older, as well as parents and close relatives. Moreover, children can be attracted to models they watch in the media who have qualities that impress the children. Children envy such models because they wish to copy their behaviors and become like the models (Saracho & Spodek, 2007). The other core concept of the social learning theory is the impact of learning on behavior. Bandura noted that learning does not guarantee a change in behavior. Although a child may learn certain behaviors from adults, it does imply that they will retain the behaviors they have learnt. Some of the behaviors that children observe are not learnt effectively; this emanates from the influence of factors that relate to both the learner and the model from whom the behavior is copied. For learning to occur, children have to be attentive to the behaviors they observe and any distraction is likely to affect the learning process. Children should also have the capacity to store the information they learn in order to retain what they have learnt (Jarvis, 2003). The social learning theory can be applied one wants to understand the learning process in children and what influences learning. The theory is crucial in understand how children learn behaviors and what influences them. In the modern world, the theory relates to the copying of behaviors by children. The current trends related to the theory include the learning processes and how children imitate adults and media personalities who have a huge impact on their lives. Children observe the behavior of celebs and internalize this behavior, which becomes part of their life. There are some trends in the theory in that some behaviors are not necessarily learned from adults, but also from their own experiences. In today’s world, children do not have to imitate the behavior of other people in society; they also learn from fellow children (Saracho & Spodek, 2007). Summary and Personal Reflections The social learning theory developed by Albert Bandura can be regarded as one of the best theories that has explained the process of learning in children. This theory states that children learn behaviors through imitation and internalize what they imitate from adults. In my opinion, this theory has a provided a comprehensive explanation of what learning entails and what is involved in learning. With the use of varying dimensions, the theorist makes the reader gain an understanding of the diverse aspects of learning. References Jarvis, P. (2003). The Theory & Practice of Learning. New York: Psychology Press. Oxford University Press (2003). Social Learning Theory: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide. New York: Oxford University Press. Saracho, O. N., & Spodek, B. (2007). Contemporary perspectives on social learning in early childhood education. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Pub. Shaffer, D. R. (2009). Social and personality development. Australia: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning. Sigelman, C. K., & Rider, E. A. (2011). Life-span human development. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Read More