Download It has been argued that because social cognitive theory places so

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SOCIAL COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE
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Introduction
The social-cognitive theory is a theoretical perspective in which learning by observing
others is the focus of study. Social cognitive theory posits that an individual's behavior is
primarily learned through his or her observation of others as well as through interaction with his
or her environment (Bandura, 2001). Through observing the behavior of others, one is able to
construct models of appropriate behavior in one's mind and to form expectations and judgments
about the likely outcomes of reproducing that behavior oneself. This means that behavior is
largely learned and that one has the ability to reflect upon the behavior of oneself and others to
determine appropriate behavior. It also means that if one's behavior is antisocial, one has the
ability to reflect upon one's own behavior and to take a stand on that behavior, thus changing
one's self-perception and altering one's own behavior. This is called self-efficacy.
Contributions of cognitive Theory
One of the strengths of social cognitive theory is that it has allowed for growth in the
fields of learning and personality. This theory established that operant conditioning is not the
only method of learning. In personality research, this theory has underscored the importance of
the relationship between behavior and environment for the development of personality (Bussey
& Bandura, 1999). Rather than being a product of strictly internal processes, personality is also
subject to influence from an individual's social environment.
Social cognitive theory is also an open theory and is thus able to evolve and change to fit
with the increasingly large amount of research and experimental support it receives. This theory
focuses on a variety of factors, and the relationships between these factors, to explain the
development of personality. Many of these relationships can be observed and applied to real life
situations.
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The work with self-efficacy in social cognitive theory has also led to interventional
methods for helping those with an external locus of control (or the belief that one cannot
effectively control the events around them) become more empowered and more successful in a
competitive environment.
Criticism of the theory
Operational Criticism
Because of the complex structure of social cognitive theory, it is often difficult to
implement in total. Thus, one often finds that only the most easily implemented aspects of the
theory, such as self-efficacy, are actually institutionalized in practice (Lee, 2010).
Environmental Criticism
Because social cognitive theory posits a dynamic interaction between the environment
and the individual, it supposes that one is largely determined by one's situation and that changes
in that situation will thus change behavior. However, it has been argued that for many people,
behavior is much more consistent regardless of situation and that simple changes in environment
do not always lead to changes in behavior (Lee, 2010).
Biological Criticism
It has been argued that because social cognitive theory places so much emphasis on
cognitive abilities such as modeling and forming expectations, it ignores biological or hormonal
determinants. Some psychologists argue that biological or hormonal processes can largely shape
the way people reason and make decisions regardless of past experiences or cognition.
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Innate Criticism
It has been argued that social cognitive theory ignores innate genetic differences and
differences in learning ability. For instance, it has been argued that some people may be innately
better at learning some skills than others (Lee, 2010). Additionally, some people with learning
deficiencies may not be as good at observing and modeling behavior. Social cognitive theory has
been criticized for ignoring these differences.
The Television Debate
Many adherents to social cognitive theory have pointed to the bad influence television
has on children. Because young children model behavior via observation, it has been thought that
watching violent television shows can lead to antisocial behavior replication. Although many
experiments have led to some proof of this, it has remained a largely controversial issue. Many
believe that television shows are harmless or that it is the choice of parents whether or not they
believe that television is harmful to their children's behavioral development.
Other Limitations
One of the main criticisms of social cognitive theory is that it is not a unified theory. This
means that the different aspects of the theory may not be connected. For example, researchers
currently cannot find a connection between observational learning and self-efficacy within the
social cognitive perspective (Lee, 2010). The theory is so broad that not all of its component
parts are fully understood and integrated into a single explanation or learning and personality.
The findings associated with this theory are still, for the most part, preliminary. It does
not provide a full explanation or description of how social cognition, behavior, environment, and
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personality are related, although there are several hypotheses. Another limitation is that not all
social learning can be directly observed. Because of this, it can be difficult to quantify the effect
that social cognition has on development. Similarly, many aspects of personality are subjective
and can be equally hard to measure and quantify.
Finally, this theory tends to ignore maturation throughout the lifespan. Because of this,
the understanding of how a child learns through observation and how an adult might learn in the
same manner are not differentiated and factors of development are not included.
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References
Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual review of
psychology, 52(1), 1-26.
Bussey, K., & Bandura, A. (1999). Social cognitive theory of gender development and
differentiation. Psychological review, 106(4), 676.
Lee F. (2010). Critique of Social Cognitive Theory
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