Social Cognitive Theory & Social Learning Theory

Thoughts and behavior determined by three different factors that influence each other:

1. behavior
2. personal characteristics (sex, race, height)
3. environmental factors or events

Vicarious Capacity: the ability to learn without direct experience.

Modeling: the phenomenon of behavior re-enactment includes four component processes:

1. attention - pay attention to behavior and perceive it accurately.
2. retention - behavior must be remembered or retained in order to use again.
3. motor reproduction - natural ability, skill and practice to do the act.
4. motivation - have a compelling reason to re-enact the behavior.

Albert Bandura and the Bobo Doll Experiments - Social Cognitive Theory (1963)

Research Question: Beyond simple reward and punishment techniques (Pavlov's dog), could children learn by imitation?

The Experiment:

Group 1: Saw film of adult violent to doll.
Group 2: Saw carton of adult violent to doll.
Group 3: Saw real life adult violent to doll.
Group 4: Saw nothing.

Problems with Bandura's Research:

1. Text was not like actual television - unlike anything viewers would see.
2. Setting (laboratory) was too contrived, not where people usually watch TV.
3. The object of aggression (the bobo doll) was designed to be hit - what else do you do with it?
4. Ignored intervening variables.

Batman vs. Mister Rogers - Social Learning Theory (1972)

Research Question: Can viewers learn pro-social (non-violent) as well as aggressive behavior from television programming?

The Experiment:

Group 1: Watched Mr. Rogers (30 minutes a day, 3 days a week for 4 weeks = 6 hours)
Group 2: Watched Batman and Superman cartoons
Group 3: Watched "Neutral" Programming

• Observation on playground and in classroom
  

Problems:

• Short-term study - no long term effects charted. Maybe it wears off?
• Not typical TV diet (or media diet) of most children. What might be the intervening effect of a diversity of television programming?