Download Social Cognitive Theories of Career Development

Social Cognitive Theories of
Career Development
• Albert Bandura
• John Krumboltz
• Lent, Brown, & Hackett
Social Learning Theory
• social learning theory addresses how
specific aspects of our work personalities
are acquired
– Especially Preferences and Interests
• social learning theory also addresses why
we choose what we do, and
• describes the factors that determine what we
choose
Background: Early Learning
Theories
• Classical Conditioning
– US - UR
– US/CS - UR
– CS - CR
• Operant Conditioning / Instrumental
Learning
– S - R (Behavior a function of consequences)
Problems with Behavior Theory
• Too much learned in too short a time
• Apparent spontaneous occurrence of
behavior (learning vs performance issue)
• Improvement in performance without
apparent practice
• Behavior control without direct experience
with the consequences (problems with
vicarious reinforcement idea)
General Principles of Social
Learning Theory
• Learn by observing
• Learn without changing behavior
• Consequences affect learning
• Cognition plays a role
– AKA Modeling, Observational learning
Social Cognitive Theory
• Paradigm
• model -----Observer watches and forms
image ----produces behavior
Types of modeling
• Inhibition/disinhibition
– old behavior that is generally forbidden
– inhibition - everybody is refraining from it so
you do too
– disinhibition - somebody breaks the taboo and
everyone else does too
• Modeling effect or observational learning
– new behavior that is acceptable
– model performs the behavior; learner imitates
Four components of
observational learning
• Attention: The learner must identify the key
parts of the model to copy.
• Retention: The learner must create a
memorable model of the behavior and store
it efficiently in long term memory.
• Production: The learner must be able to
reproduce the model's behavior.
• Motivation: The learner must expect and
receive reinforcement for successful
Four components of
observational learning
• Attention: The learner must identify the key
parts of the model to copy.
• Retention: The learner must create a
memorable model of the behavior and store
it efficiently in long term memory.
• Production: The learner must be able to
reproduce the model's behavior.
• Motivation: The learner must expect and
receive reinforcement for successful
Reinforcement
• serves an information role to tell the learner
he "got it right."
Processes that underlie learning
from models.
• Attention
• Retention
• Production
• Motivation
Attention (Observing the model):
• Characteristics of the behavior being
modeled
• Characteristics of the learner
• Characteristics of the person modeling the
behavior
Characteristics of the behavior
being modeled
• size and exaggeration of movement
• simple, not too many steps at once
• narration - describe the behavior while
performing so that eventually learner can
use that self-talk to guide production of
behavior
• salience - How important to the learner and
obvious
• gender-appropriate
Characteristics of the learner
• prior knowledge of the skill makes learning
easier
• motivational set
• ability to remember and concentrate
Characteristics of the person
modeling the behavior
• attractive and eyecatching
• is successful at the behavior (competent)
(mastery vs coping models)
• is similar to the learner
• warm
• powerful
Retention (remembering the
model):
• Symbolic coding
• Cognitive organization
• Meaningfulness and familiarity
• Cognitive rehearsal
Symbolic coding (mnemonics) or
images
• the use of vivid images ("be quiet like a
mouse")
• mnemonics (like "stop,drop and roll")
Cognitive Organization
• give the mental image an organizational
structure
Cognitive rehearsal
• the learner can improve a physical skill (or
any skill) by mentally rehearsing the steps
Production (performing the
response):
• things that actually help the learner make
the response that is being learned
• Physical Capacity
• Observable Behavior
• Corrective feedback
Physical capacity
• The learner must have the physical capacity
to perform the response.
Observable behavior
• Improvement is increased when the learner
can see what he is actually doing.
• This can also be the case with mental skills,
like problem solving. It's what we do when
we tell students to "show their work" so we
can see what
they did mentally to solve a problem.
Corrective feedback
• Learning will proceed faster when the
learner gets feedback about what is right
and wrong with the attempt.
Motivation (inclined to perform
the response):
• things that make the learner want to try the
behavior
• include:
– Vicarious reinforcement
– Anticipation of reinforcement
– Reinforcement by Teacher or Model
– Reinforcement by Environment
– Progress Observed
Vicarious reinforcement
• If the learner sees someone else get
reinforced, her or his behavior is also
strengthened.
Anticipation of reinforcement
• If the learner sees someone get reinforced,
he or she expects to be reinforced if he
performs the response.
Reinforcement by teacher or
model
• If the teacher praises him when he
performs, he will want to perform.
Reinforcement by the
environment
• If the response is done correctly, the natural
consequences of the environment will
reinforce the response with success.
Progress observed
• It is also reinforcing to see yourself making
progress.
John Krumboltz
• Through heredity, environmental
conditions, and learning experiences we
acquire
• Self-Observational Generalizations
(Preferences - or beliefs about other
attributes)
• Task Approach Skills (i.e., Decision Making
Skills)
• Actions (Entry Behaviors)
John Krumboltz
• concentrated mostly on describing how
learning experiences influence SelfObservational Generalizations, Task
Approach Skills and Actions.
• His theory basically ignores the relative
influences of heredity and environmental
conditions
Self-Observational
Generalizations: 3 positive
influences
• we will prefer occupations in which we
have engaged in occupationally relevant
behaviors and been reinforced for them
• we will prefer occupations in which we
have seen a model being reinforced
• we will prefer occupations which have
positive words and images associated with
them
Self-Observational
Generalizations: 3 negative
influences
• we will avoid occupations when we have
engaged in occupationally relevant
behaviors and been punished for them
• we will avoid occupations when we have
seen models being punished in
occupationally relevant behaviors
• we will avoid occupations that have
negative words or images associated with
them
Task Approach Skills: 3 positive
influences
• we will develop and foster decision making
task approach skills that have been
reinforced
• we will develop and foster decision making
task approach skills that we have seen
models being reinforced for
• we will develop decision making task
approach skills if we are exposed to models
and opportunities
Task Approach Skills: 3 negative
influences
• we will not develop and foster task
approach skills if we have been punished
for using them
• we will not develop and foster task
approach skills if we have seen models
punished for using them
• we will not develop and foster task
approach skills if we have not had the
opportunity to practice and seen models
Entry Behaviors: 3 positive
influences
• we will try and get into a job we prefer
• we will try and get into a job where training
is available and job opportunities are
prevalent
• we will try to match our abilities to the
required abilities of the occupation
Entry Behaviors: 3 negative
influences
• we will avoid occupations that require too
much effort
• we will avoid occupations when training or
jobs are not available
• we will avoid jobs when the ability
requirements do not match our own abilities
DECIDES approach to career
counseling
• Define the problem
• Establish an Action Plan
• Clarify Values
• Identify Alternatives
• Discover Probable Outcomes
• Eliminate Alternatives Systematically
• Start Action
Define the problem
• Problem must be clear to both client and
counselor and
• mutually agreeable
• Emphasis on making the problem
observable
Establish an Action Plan
• Describing the DECIDES process to the
client
• Allow for cycling back through different
steps
Clarify Values
• Can be accomplished through analysis of
previous work experience or through
homework activities
• Examples include interviewing others,
keeping records of time and money spent,
reading
• May require testing of unrealistic
assumptions or inaccurate conclusions
Identify Alternatives
• Begins with evaluating Self-Observation
Generalizations about interests and
capacities
• then compare self-observation
generalizations to worldview
generalizations
• this stage is very time-consuming
Problems from Dysfunctional or
Inaccurate world-view and selfobservation generalizations
• Persons may fail to recognize that a
remedial problem exists
• Persons may fail to exert the effort needed
to make a decision or solve a problem
• Persons may eliminate a potentially
satisfying alternative for inappropriate
reasons Person for choose poor alternatives
for inappropriate reasons
• Persons may suffer anguish and anxiety
over perceived inabilities to achieve goals
Discover Probable Outcomes
• the evaluation of educational and career
alternatives
• fantasy exercises may facilitate the client’s
imagination
Eliminate Alternatives
Systematically
• After learning about possible alternatives
and outcomes, group alternatives that are
most consistent with self-observational
generalizations
Start Action
• Once the plan is begun, it is possible that
new information will result in returning to
previous steps
Hackett and Betz’s Theory
(1981)
• First applied self-efficacy beliefs to career
research
• Stronger self-efficacy beliefs in occupation
----->
• more likely you will initiate activity
• more interested in occupation
• had preference for occupation
• choose occupation
Hackett and Betz (81)
• Self-efficacy beliefs were positively related
to strength of interest in occupation and to
perceived options
• Sex differences: males had higher efficacy
ratings for all occupations; females had high
efficacy ratings only for stereotypic female
occupations; females saw fewer options
available to them
Lent, Larkin, Brown (89)
• Studying Realistic and Investigative Types,
they found a positive relationship between
efficacy and interests
Lent, Brown, Larkin (84)
• studied people with high academic abilities
with question - do their self-efficacy beliefs
contribute to persistence and performance
– of the persons with high self-efficacy beliefs,
all had higher GPA
– and all came back to school the next year
– of the persons with low self-efficacy beliefs,
only 50% came back to school