Social Cognitive Theory
What is social cognitive theory?
- Social cognitive theory (SCT) was developed by Bandura (1986) as a broader explanation of social learning theory (SLT: learning which takes place in a social context)
- SLT is based on observational learning which can be broken down into its constituent parts of: Attention-Retention
- Reproduction-Motivation i.e. ARRM
- Attention = noticing the behaviour;
- Retention = remembering the behaviour;
- Reproduction = imitating the behaviour;
- Motivation = the desire to repeat the behaviour
- SLT states that observational learning is dependent on the behaviour of key role models in a child’s life, particularly parents but also other significant people such as teachers, older siblings, celebrities
- SCT builds on SLT by including cognition as a key component of behaviour which makes it more sophisticated than SLT as it acknowledges that individuals can exert some control over their actions
- A key component of SCT is self-efficacy which is based on the idea that an individual has autonomy over their actions and that a person’s destiny is not wholly dependent on their environment i.e. I have the power to control what happens to me and how I feel about the world
- A key concept of SCT is reciprocal determinism, which states that interactions between the individual (their natural talents, skills and personality), their social environment and the behaviour itself work together holistically to determine behavioural outcomes
- An example of reciprocal determinism would be that of a keen violinist: the social environment must be in place (access to violin lessons and a skilled teacher) for the desired behavioural outcome (to be a world-renowned violinist) to be realised but this is also only possible with self-efficacy (the belief that, with practice, the outcome can be achieved)
- SCT also involves the role of vicarious reinforcement - i.e. as with the above example, a child watches a talented violinist playing on TV and hears the audience applaud and is motivated to achieve this outcome for themselves
A model of reciprocal determinism.
Which research studies investigate social cognitive theory?
- Bandura, Ross & Ross (1961) – observational learning in children is demonstrated via the imitation of adult role models
- Dijkstra & DeVries (2001) – self-efficacy is a key factor in quitting smoking
Bandura, Ross & Ross (1961) and Dijkstra & DeVries are available as separate Key Studies – just navigate the Individual & the Group section of this topic to find them (Two Key Studies of Social Cognitive Theory)
Examiner Tip
Make sure that you don’t get confused between SOCIAL IDENTITY THEORY and SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY. Students often get 0 marks in an exam by confusing one theory for another – the two theories are completely separate and are NOT interchangeable!
Worked example
EXTENDED RESPONSE QUESTION (ERQ) - 22 marks
To what extent can social cognitive theory explain behaviour? [22]
This question requires you to present arguments that demonstrate the extent to which SCT is a viable and valid explanation for behaviour. Here is an exemplar paragraph:
SCT can only explain individual behaviour to a certain extent, and it may be limited to explaining behaviour in individualistic cultures more than in collectivist cultures. Concepts such as self-efficacy are more important in individualistic societies as personal self-efficacy is essential for success regardless of whether it is achieved individually, or as a member of a group working towards group success. It could be argued that for a group to be successful (in collectivist cultures) then at least some of the group must show self-efficacy simply in order to ensure that tasks are completed, and group goals achieved. This variable is very difficult to measure though so the extent to which SCT operates on a global scale is unclear.
