Explain Social Cognitive Theory with reference to one study.

Question 1

Theory

Answer 1

Social Cognitive Theory explains that people learn behaviors by observing and imitating others, called models. For learning to occur, four cognitive processes are important: attention (focusing on the model’s behavior), retention (remembering what was observed), motivation (wanting to reproduce the behavior), and potential (having the physical and mental ability to perform the behavior). Learning also involves vicarious reinforcement, where people imitate behaviors based on seeing others rewarded or punished. People are more likely to imitate models who stand out, behave consistently, are liked or respected, and share similarities with the observer.

Question 2

Aims

Answer 2

One study that explains SCT is Bandura’s Bobo Doll Study (1961). They aimed to see if children by being passive witnesses to aggressive model would imitate modeled aggression when given opportunity; and if children were more likely to imitate same sex models.

Question 3

Procedure

Answer 3

The study involved 72 children (36 boys and 36 girls) aged between 37 and 69 months. They were divided into groups based on the model’s behavior (aggressive, non-aggressive, or control) and the model’s gender (same-sex or opposite-sex). Before the experiment, children’s initial level of aggressiveness was assessed using observer ratings to ensure groups were matched for natural aggression. In the experimental setting, children watched an adult model either act aggressively toward a Bobo doll (hitting, kicking, verbal aggression) or play quietly without aggression. After viewing, children experienced mild frustration by being denied access to attractive toys, then were placed alone with various toys, including aggressive ones like the Bobo doll. Their behavior was observed for 20 minutes.

Question 4

Results

Answer 4

Results showed that children exposed to aggressive models imitated more physical and verbal aggression compared to children in non-aggressive or control groups. Boys were generally more aggressive than girls. Also, children were more likely to imitate a same-sex model’s aggressive behavior.

Question 5

Link

Answer 5

This study directly supports Social Cognitive Theory by illustrating the key idea of observational learning, where children “learned”/imitated the behaviour of the model that they learned through observing it. It provides empirical evidence that behavior is learned through watching models, not just through direct reinforcement. Bandura’s experiment also highlights the role of cognitive processes, as children needed to pay attention to and remember the model’s behavior before imitating it, confirming the theory’s explanation of how social learning occurs. Therefore this study perfectly outlines the social cognitive theory.