ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT PEDAGOGY ASSIGNMENT

Submitted to:Mr.Itefa (MA)

Submitted by: AMARE GETACHEW ID number: RMSC/072/2003

March 2012 Arba Minch Ethiopia

SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY/ SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY

Social Learning and Social Cognitive theories accept and expand on conditioning principles. Social Learning emphasizes the particular power of learning through social rewards and punishments, including vicarious reinforcements and modeling. Social Cognitive theories build on behavioral theories and show that peoples cognitive processes influence and are influenced by behavioral associations. Conditioning theories assume direct connection between behavior and learning whereas Cognitive theories allow for the learning process to be modified by cognitions. Social cognition has its roots in social psychology. It studies the individual within a social or cultural context and focuses on how people perceive and interpret information they generate themselves (intrapersonal) and from others (interpersonal). Social learning theories arose in an attempt to retain behaviorisms empirical rigor and some of its basic principles whilst trying to expand beyond what behaviorism could explain and predict. Three important aspects that behaviorism ignores are motivation, emotion and cognition. In Social Learning Theory, human behavior is explained in terms of a three-way, dynamic, reciprocal theory in which personal factors, environmental influences, and behavior continually interact. Social Learning Theory posits that people learn from one another, via observation, imitation, and modeling. The theory has often been called a bridge between behaviorist and cognitive learning theories because it encompasses attention, memory, and motivation. According to Social Learning theory, models are an important source for learning new behaviors and for achieving behavioral change in institutionalized settings. The social learning theory emphasizes the importance of observing and modeling the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. Thus it focuses on learning by observation and modeling. The theory originally evolved from behaviorism but now includes many of the ideas that cognitivists also hold; as a result it is sometimes called social cognitive learning. There are three core concepts at the heart of social learning theory. First is the idea that people can learn through observation. Next is the idea that internal mental states are an essential part of this process. Finally, this theory recognizes that just because something has been learned, it does not mean that it will result in a change in behavior. People learn through observing others behavior, attitudes, and outcomes of those behaviors. Social learning theory explains human behavior in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive, behavioral, and environmental influences.

Social cognitive theory extends behaviorism and focuses on the influence that observing others has on behavior. It considers, in addition to behavior and the environment, learners' beliefs and expectations. Social cognitive theory suggests that reinforcement and punishment affect learners' motivation, rather than directly cause behavior. Social cognitive theory explains psychosocial functioning in terms of triadic reciprocal causation. The theory he expanded from social learning theory soon became known as social cognitive theory. Basic Assumptions of social cognitive theory 1. People can learn by watching others 2. Learning is an internal process that may or may not change behavior 3. Behavior is directed toward particular goals 4. Behavior eventually becomes self-regulated 5. Reinforcement and punishment have indirect effects as well as direct ones

Modeling lies at the core of social cognitive theory. Modeling can be direct (from live models), symbolic (from books, movies, and television), or synthesized (combining the acts of different models). It can cause new behaviors, facilitate existing behaviors, change inhibitions, and arouse emotions. Necessary conditions for effective modeling: 1. Attention various factors increase or decrease the amount of attention paid. 2. Retention remembering what you paid attention to. 3. Reproduction reproducing the image. 4. Motivation having a good reason to imitate. PRACTICAL EXAMPLE 1:The baby always observes his father reading books and chewing chat simultaneously. One day when the father return from work he found his kid chewing eucalyptus leaf and looking at book as if he can read. Then the father stops chewing chat and continuo reading books. After some time he found his son only exploring books. The kid models his father both in positive and negative way (fathermodel, kid.individual, reading/chewing behavior) PRACTICAL EXAMPLE 2:When I was primary school student I used to model my physics teacher because his approach to us was not traditional, rather very friendly and his problem solving ability was so neat and understandable. So I modeled him for his good habit. Graphically it can be presented as follows.
Cognition( personal/m e)

Behavior (good approach &hard work)

Environment(the school/teacher)