Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory states that individuals’ behaviors are influenced by their surroundings. The hypothesis suggests that people learn through observation, modeling, and imitation. People learn new behaviors from the people they interact with and situations they find themselves in. They use this information as a guide for their actions. The four principles of Bandura’s Social Learning Theory are attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. Attention entails focusing on the task. In most cases, people pay attention to events that are different from what they are used to. Retention occurs when individuals internalize the information in their memories. Reproduction takes place when the person recalls information from a similar situation in the past and acts according to the learned data (skills, knowledge or behavior). Motivation results from witnessing the reward or punishment of an individual due to a particular course of action. The former results in a repeat of the behavior while the latter leads to avoidance.
Application of the Social Learning Theory
The social learning theory is evident in the workplace. The junior employees of an organization learn their behavior from the management and their supervisors. For this reason, the top management of a company should ensure that they adhere to the code of conduct. For instance, lateness among the senior officials will encourage the same among junior workers. Also, senior workers should finish their duties as scheduled; else junior employees will develop laziness. Every organization has a distinct culture. Therefore, a new employee often adopts the culture of the organization. Otherwise, they will have a hard time performing their tasks and will frequently conflict with their colleagues and supervisors. Additionally, professions do not have the same regulations for their employees regarding dress code. Women in the health sector avoid high heeled shoes and long hair that might contaminate a patient’s injuries. Individuals in engineering sectors often wear overalls, helmets, earmuffs, and goggles. On the other hand, people in the banking sector wear suits. Therefore, anyone who wants in a particular field must adopt the behavior of the people in those sectors.
In addition to this, the social learning theory is used in the classroom. A typical application is the use of peer coaching where students form small discussion groups and learn from one another. The system is more effective than the use of long lectures that most students find tedious. Also, teachers and professors use the social learning theory to impact positive behavior on students. For instance, those who do not finish assignments on time get punishments such as low grades. In extreme cases such as violent behavior, the student goes on suspension. Hence, the teacher/ lecturer reduces the chances of other students adopting negative behavior.
Conclusion
The Social Learning Theory was developed by Albert Bandura and states that individuals act according to their surroundings. The four aspects of the theory are attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. The Social Learning Theory is demonstrated at the workplace since the junior employees adopt the behavior from the top management. Another application is in the classroom where teachers/ lecturers use discussion groups for learning and punishments to discourage negative behavior.
References
Bandura’s 4 Principles Of Social Learning Theory. (2017). Retrieved from Teach Thought: https://www.teachthought.com/learning/principles-of-social-learning-theory/
Happ, A. (2016). How to Incorporate Social Learning into the Classroom. Retrieved from Training Industry: https://trainingindustry.com/articles/workforce-development/how-to-incorporate-social-learning-into-the-classroom/
Schreiner, E. (2017). How to Apply the Social Learning Theory in the Workplace. Retrieved from Small Business: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/apply-social-learning-theory-workplace-12860.html
