Social and Cognitive
Learning
Essential Questions
•What are the principles of Observational
Learning and Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment?
Social-Cognitive Learning Theory:
• Albert Bandura
• We imitate the activities
of those around us.
• This type of social learning
is called Observational
Learning or Modeling.
Examples of Modeling
• Patterns of speech or personal
habits
• Toy versions of adult chores
• Sports or music skills
• Smoking or drinking
• Aggression
There are 4 key steps to this process:
•1. ATTENTION—The
person must pay attention
to another person’s
behavior and its
consequences.
2. Retention
The person must
store what they
have seen in their
memory because it
isn’t always used
right away.
3. Reproduction
You have to be able
to take the stored
mental image and
reproduce it. This
is sometimes easier
said than done!!!
4. Motivation
People will only
reproduce the
observed behavior if
they have a
motivation to do so.
Usually only if they
feel like doing so will
pay off in some way.
Bandura’s Bobo
Doll Experiment
Beating the Bobo Doll
What are your take-a-ways?
• What real life implications do you see?
• How is social learning (specifically observational learning)
relevant to you?
• How can you use this information productively?
• Why do you think Bandura is such an influential
psychologist?
Essential Questions
•What are the principles of Observational
Learning and Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment?
Cognitive Learning
Essential Question
•What are the principles of Cognitive
Learning?
Cognitive Learning
means to learn
through thinking.
It is how we learn
abstract and subtle
things.
Example:
--Algebra
Even with animals
conditioning can be
more complex than
just stimuli, response,
and consequences.
How could the
environment affect the
conditioning process?
Latent Learning takes place
under the surface. It isn’t
immediately obvious until the
person/animal is reinforced.
Examples:
--Rat in a maze without food
(Toleman’s research)
--Driving somewhere as a
passenger vs. driver
--Sitting in a class as a student
assistant.
Expectancies and Reinforcement Value
• The Motivation to perform an action is in part
determined by expectancies—our beliefs about our
chances of successfully performing the action
AND of getting the desired reward.
Examples:
• Asking someone out
on a date.
• Studying for a test.
• Your example???
The preference for certain items over others
refers to reinforcement value.
• Examples:
--Dogs (what motivates
them?)
--You getting good grades.
--Other examples?
Cognitive Mapping
• The ability of humans
and animals to form
mental images of where
they are located in the
environment.
•Children see Children do
Essential Question
•What are the principles of Cognitive
Learning?