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1 SOCIAL COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE Name Reg Number Unit Course Date 2 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. 3 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. 4 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 5 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. 6 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 Read more: http://www.ehow.com/about_5402265_critique-social-cognitive-theory.html