SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY

Brianna Veldkamp

Dr. Hawkes

Dakota State University

Educational Psychology
 Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to

rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them on what to do. (Albert Bandura).

There is a song called Watching You by Rodney Atkins that relates to Banduras Social Learning

Theory extremely well. In this song, a son picks up on his fathers actions simply by observing

him without him knowing. By doing so, he learns how to cuss, dress like his father, treat women,

and pray. People learn through observing others behavior, attitudes, and outcomes of those

behaviors. (Davey). Watching You shows that children pick up not only exemplary behavior,

but fowl behavior as well. According to Bandura, both behaviors can be observed, modeled, and

imitated without a person even knowing. This paper will describe how the famous Bobo doll

experiment was laid out, how this theory is applied to a classroom setting, and how teachers can

affect student behavior in their classroom.

In the Bandura Bobo doll experiment, researchers tested 36 boys and 36 girls from the

Stanford University Nursery School aged between 3 to 6 years old. (McLeod). Before this

experiment, the researchers tested these students on how aggressive they were by observing them

in a nursery. The children were shown a video of adults interacting with toys in a room,

specifically the alleged Bobo doll that was also in this room. There were three different groups

of children in this experiment. The first group was not exposed to any model of behavior (the

control group). This group contained 12 boys and 12 girls for a total of 24 children overall.

(McLeod). The second was exposed to non-aggressive behavior in which the adult in the video

would ignore the Bobo doll completely and play with other toys quietly for ten minutes. The

ratio of boys to girls in the second group was the same as the control group. The third and final

group was shown another form of behavior with the toys in the room. They observed an adult

acting aggressively toward the Bobo doll. The adult in the room attacked the doll several times,
they used a hammer in some cases, and in others threw the doll in the air and shouted Pow,

Boom. (McLeod). After the children had observed these behaviors they were placed into a

room with several toys both aggressive and non-aggressive for play. Each child interacted with

the toys for twenty minutes and their behavior was observed through a one-way mirror. Results

of this experiment showed that children who observed the aggressive model were more likely to

initiate aggressive contact with the Bobo doll than those who were not. The girls that were

shown the aggressive model were more likely to show physical responses if their model was a

male, but more verbal responses if the model was a female. Boys were more likely to reveal

imitation of same-sex models than girls. Boys showed more physically aggressive behavior than

girls, but there were few difference between verbal aggression and the two genders. The findings

of this experiment did in fact support Banduras theory. That is, children learn social behavior

such as aggression through the process of observation learning - through watching the behavior

of another person. (McLeod). This experiment also showed that behavior can be affected

positively and negatively by a models behavior. This means that we must not only watch what

we are doing, but watch also what happens when we act. Vicarious learning tells us that we are

more likely to imitate behavior that is rewarded and refrain from behavior that is punished. From

this experiment, educators can now adjust their classroom activities and strategies in able to

achieve expected behavior from students.

An assumption that one can make about the social learning theory is that behavior is

directed toward particular goals. (Oromrod, 2000). Goals tend to drive ones behavior. It is

important that teachers know this because students need to enter a classroom knowing that they

have set goals for the year. This can include expectations for student behavior, reading a certain

number of books each quarter, and adding new words to their vocabulary each week. Clear
expectations allow students to understand what needs to be done and when. In order to allow

students to start a task without being told and turn in homeworkA homework bin should be

placed on an accessible tableand students who turn in their assignments will earn points.

(Johnson). From this expectation, we also leave students with a goal such as: students who earn

the most points at the end of the week will receive a reward similar to, candy or an extra credit

slip. Points can also be rewarded through exemplary conduct and class participation. Another

example of an expectation for students to follow would be an activity to start on as soon as they

walk in the room such as a list of question dealing with the topic for the day. Questions keep the

students busy while the rest of the class arrives. Students are then rewarded with compliments

and/or candy for following the instructions. This reward would then encourage the students to

continue to do well, and encourage the students to continue to do well, and encourage other

students to work harder. (Johnson). Along with these rewards, it is important frequently send

home feedback to keep students positive about their progress and effort within the classroom.

Along with these activities, teachers can also model their own behavior to enhance respectable

behavior from their students.

Children during the elementary school period learn to develop respect for others. They

learn how to work and play with others. They may acquire freedom from prejudice and develop

tolerance. (Yaseen). All of this can be affected by how a teacher behaves and treats their

students. This means providing clear instruction, responding to students needs, and dealing

effectively with their problems. The way in which an educator tends to their students determines

how their students will act around them. Small actions such as smiling and showing

encouragement can affect how students behave both academically and socially. In an experiment

completed by Mucella Ulug, Melis Seray Ozden, and Ahu Eryilmazc: Participants generally
describe teachers positive attitude as compassionate, understanding, helpful Teachers

negative attitude is listed as discrediting, vengeful, being intolerant, not understanding and

being inconsistent. The experiment noted that 91.2% of participant responses believed that a

positive attitude increased student performance. In contrast, they found that 75.4% said the

negative attitude of an instructor lowered student performance. Right next to parents, teachers

have some of the most crucial impact on the development and progress of students. This in turn

clearly shows that especially teachers surpass the boundaries of the classroom in individuals

educational lives and its evident how effective they can be during the whole life of the student.

(Ulug, Ozden, Eryilmazc).

In conclusion, Banduras social learning theory demonstrates that most behavior is

learned through observation, imitation, and modeling. By observing others, one forms an idea of

how new behaviors should be performed. Later, these learned behaviors serve as a guide for

action. The Bobo doll experiment conducted by Albert Bandura studied the aggressive behavior

of children. This study proved that we do, in fact, learn through the observation and modeling of

others. From this, we can expect that this applies to all behavior and is not secluded to

aggression. When students are rewarded for virtuous behavior, they will soon learn to exhibit

that behavior regularly to please not only themselves, but the people around them. Teachers have

an immense influence on their students in several aspects such as behavior, personality, and

academic achievement. From the findings of Albert Bandura, we can learn to exhibit proper

expectations and behavior for our future students. In doing so, we can provide them with the

optimal success and achievement that they deserve.

 Works Cited

"Albert Bandura." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2017. 3 April 2017.

Davey K., "Social Learning Theory (Bandura)," in Learning Theories, June 19, 2015.

Johnson, Victoria. "Social Learning Theory : Practical Classroom Application." Prezi.com. N.p.,

07 June 2011. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.

McLeod, Ulug, Mucella, Melis Seray Ozden, and Ahu Eryilmaz. "The Effects of Teachers'

Attitudes on Students' Personality and Performance." The Effects of Teachers' Attitudes

on Students' Personality and Performance - ScienceDirect. Procedia Social and

Behavioral Sciences, 2011. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.aul. "Saul McLeod." Simply Psychology.

N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.

Yasseen, Bassam M. Bany. "The Effect of Teachers' Behavior on Students' Behavior in the

Classroom." International Forum of Teaching and Studies. American Scholars Press Inc.,

01 Jan. 2010. Web. 03 Apr. 2017.