Watch, Learn, Do: Social-Cognitive Learning in Action

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Watch, Learn, Do: Social-Cognitive Learning in Action

Educational Psychology · Chapter 6: Motivation, Goals, and the Drive to LearnSection 6.2 · lesson 49 of 1008 min · free with a free account

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Earn 3 college credits for Educational PsychologyRecommended for credit by NCCRS · Psychology 120 · self-paced · one payment, lifetime access
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In this lesson

Observational learning, reciprocal determinism, and what modeling really transmits.

  • Explain observational learning and its four required processes
  • Describe reciprocal determinism and where to intervene
  • Use vicarious reinforcement deliberately in a classroom
  • Name the four sources of self-efficacy

Transcript

Everything said in the video, section by section (1,059 words). Read along, or search it.

Motivation, Goals, and the Drive to Learn

Watch, Learn, Do: Social-Cognitive Learning in Action

A student learns to raise their hand without ever being reinforced for it. They watched someone else do it, and watched what happened next. Direct reinforcement cannot explain most of what happens in a classroom. We will look at observational learning, and its four required processes. Then reciprocal determinism, which describes a three-way system. Then vicarious reinforcement, which is an underused teaching lever. And self-regulation, which social cognitive theory also explains. The central claim is that students are always learning from models. Including the models nobody selected.

Bandura

Learning Without Direct Reinforcement

Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory was originally social learning theory. It is among the most influential frameworks in educational psychology. Human learning cannot be explained by direct reinforcement alone. People also learn by observing others. Watching what others do. Noting the consequences of those actions. And using that vicarious experience to guide their own behavior. This fundamentally expanded the behaviorist account of learning. It did so by introducing cognitive processes into the middle. Attention, memory, and expectation. Those now sit as mediators between stimulus and response.

In A Classroom

Everyone Is Watching Something

In a classroom, observation never stops. Students are constantly watching teachers and peers. From those models they learn three distinct things. Behavioral norms. What is done here, and what is not. Academic strategies. How work gets approached. And motivational orientations. What is worth caring about. None of it appears on the syllabus. None of it is assessed, or written into a lesson plan. All of it is transmitted anyway, continuously. Whether or not the teacher intends to be modeling anything.

Reciprocal Determinism

Three Factors, Influencing Each Other

Reciprocal determinism is a cornerstone of the theory. It says that three things continuously influence one another. Personal factors, meaning cognition, emotion and beliefs. Behavior. And the environment. Follow one loop through a classroom. A student believes in her ability to learn. That is personal. So she engages more actively in class. That is behavior. Which generates teacher praise. That is environment. And the praise reinforces her self-belief, closing the loop. Because the interaction is triadic, interventions can enter anywhere. Modify the environment, target beliefs, or shape behaviors.

Four Processes

What Observational Learning Requires

Bandura identified four processes that observational learning requires. First, attention. The learner must notice the model's behavior. So use vivid demonstrations, and reduce distractions while modeling. Second, retention. The behavior must be encoded and stored. Typically as symbolic representations or mental images. So have students take notes, or sketch, after observing. Third, reproduction. The learner must be capable of performing it. So provide scaffolded practice after the demonstration. Fourth, motivation. The learner must have a reason to perform it. So make the consequences visible. Skip any one of the four, and the modeling was decoration.

Attention First

Which Models Get Noticed

Observational learning fails at attention more often than anywhere else. Four factors do most of the work. The model's perceived competence. Their attractiveness. Their similarity to the learner. And the vividness of the behavior itself. The third of those is the lever teachers most often underuse. A peer who resembles the learner is often a more effective model. More effective than an expert, in some circumstances. Which makes the choice of visible examples an instructional decision. Not a matter of convenience, or of who volunteered.

Vicarious Consequences

Learning From Someone Else's Outcome

Vicarious consequences are how observation becomes motivation. Vicarious reinforcement works like this. You observe a model being rewarded for a behavior. And your own likelihood of performing that behavior increases. Vicarious punishment has the opposite effect. They let children acquire a vast repertoire of behaviors. Without ever directly experiencing the consequences themselves. In schools this is a powerful and underutilized lever. A teacher publicly praises a student for a thoughtful question. Every peer in the room learns that such behavior is valued. One comment, addressed to one student, teaching everyone.

Key Idea

Every Teacher Action Is a Model

Here is the key idea of this section. In social cognitive theory, students are not passive recipients of reinforcement. They actively observe, interpret, and construct meaning. From the whole social environment around them. Which means something uncomfortable for teachers. Every teacher action is a potential model. A model for hundreds of simultaneous learners. Including the actions never intended as instruction. How you handle being wrong. How you speak to a colleague. Teachers mindful of what they model, whom they praise, and which behaviors they make visible, shape the norms of the room.

In Practice

Modeling Uncertainty Out Loud

Here is deliberate modeling in a middle school mathematics class. The teacher demonstrates a problem-solving strategy aloud. And at one point he says something unusual for a teacher. I'm not sure which method to use. Let me try this one and see what happens. Students observe more than the procedure. They observe a willingness to attempt without certainty. From someone who is supposed to already know the answer. Over the semester, the effect shows up in their work. Students become notably more willing to take risks in problem-solving. A direct result of modeling resilient, exploratory thinking.

Self-Regulation

Monitor, Compare, Adjust

Bandura's theory also frames self-regulation. That is the process of monitoring your own behavior. Comparing it to internal standards. And adjusting accordingly. Self-regulated learners do five things. They set goals. They plan strategies. They monitor progress. They evaluate outcomes. And they react emotionally to gaps between current and desired performance. These self-regulatory skills are learnable. They can be taught explicitly, and modeled by teachers. Students who develop them show higher achievement across subjects.

Self-Efficacy

The Belief That Fuels Regulation

A critical element of self-regulation is self-efficacy. It is one's confidence in the ability to execute a specific behavior. Students who believe they can succeed at a task behave differently. They allocate more effort. They persist longer in the face of obstacles. And they recover more quickly from setbacks. Four things build it, and teachers control all four. Mastery experiences. Structured opportunities to actually succeed. Verbal encouragement, which must be credible and tied to evidence. Exposure to similar models who succeeded. And physiological feedback, such as reinterpreting nervousness as excitement.

Applying It

Four Moves From This Theory

So how does a teacher harness social cognitive theory? First, model strategies and attitudes explicitly. Make your thinking visible, and not only your conclusions. Second, provide peer models of similar background who succeed. Similarity drives attention, which is the first process. Third, use public praise strategically. Praise triggers vicarious reinforcement, and the whole room is learning. Fourth, teach self-monitoring and goal-setting directly. Rather than assuming those skills develop on their own. Notice what all four have in common. None requires a resource, a program, or extra lesson time. They are changes in how existing actions are performed.

About Educational Psychology at UPI Study

Educational Psychology (Psychology 120) is a self-paced online course of 100 video lessons in 11 chapters, from memory, conditioning and child development to motivation, individual differences, assessment, instruction and educational technology. It carries a NCCRS credit recommendation for 3 semester credits.

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Why take it here

Why students take Educational Psychology with UPI Study

How people learn, and how to teach themEducational Psychology explains how students learn, develop and stay motivated, and how teachers assess and support them. It is a standard course in education and teaching degrees and a common psychology elective.
Credit at a fraction of the priceThe same 3 credits can cost $750 or more at a US college. Here it is one payment, self-paced, with lifetime access.
Finish your degree soonerTransfer credits reduce the courses you still owe, so you can graduate earlier or lighten a heavy semester.
Strengthen an applicationA completed college-level course on an official transcript shows admissions and scholarship committees you can do the work.
Study on your own scheduleNo start dates, no deadlines. Watch the lessons, practice, and take the final when you are ready.
130,000+students helped with college creditsACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.

Where the credit goes

Universities that work with NCCRS

Educational Psychology carries a NCCRS credit recommendation. These universities work with NCCRS; some are UPI Study's signed partners. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.

Thomas Edison State UniversityThomas Edison State UniversitySigned partnerUniversity of the PeopleUniversity of the PeopleSigned partnerCharter Oak State CollegeCharter Oak State CollegeSigned partnerStrayer UniversityStrayer UniversitySigned partnerColumbia Southern UniversityColumbia Southern UniversitySigned partnerIndiana TechIndiana TechSigned partnerPenn StatePenn StateWorks with NCCRSSouthern New Hampshire UniversitySouthern New Hampshire UniversityWorks with NCCRSSUNYSUNYWorks with NCCRS +many more cooperating universitiesFind my college →

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FAQ

Questions students ask us

About Watch, Learn, Do: Social-Cognitive Learning in Action

What are Bandura's four processes of observational learning?
Albert Bandura identified attention, retention, reproduction and motivation as the four processes observational learning requires. The learner must notice the model's behavior, encode and remember it, be capable of performing it, and have a reason to do so. In class, that means vivid demonstrations with few distractions, note-taking or sketching afterward, scaffolded practice, and making the consequences of the behavior visible.
What is reciprocal determinism?
Reciprocal determinism is Bandura's idea that personal factors (such as beliefs, cognition and emotion), behavior and the environment continuously influence one another. For example, a student who believes she can learn participates more actively, which earns teacher praise, which in turn strengthens her self-belief. Because the system is three-way, teachers can intervene at any point by changing the environment, targeting beliefs or shaping behavior.
What is vicarious reinforcement?
Vicarious reinforcement occurs when watching someone else be rewarded for a behavior makes an observer more likely to perform that behavior, while vicarious punishment makes it less likely. It lets children learn a large repertoire of behaviors without experiencing the consequences directly. In a classroom, publicly praising one student for a thoughtful question teaches everyone watching that such questions are valued.
What makes a model effective in observational learning?
A model is more likely to be learned from when observers notice it, and four factors drive that attention: the model's perceived competence, attractiveness, similarity to the learner, and the vividness of the behavior. Similarity is often underused, since a peer who resembles the learner can be a more effective model than an expert in some circumstances. Choosing which students and examples to make visible is therefore an instructional decision, not a matter of convenience.

About the Educational Psychology course

How many college credits is Educational Psychology?
Educational Psychology (Psychology 120) carries a NCCRS credit recommendation for 3 semester credits. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
How much does Educational Psychology cost and what is included?
$250, paid once, with lifetime access: all 100 video lessons, a practice quiz after each, the graded work and final exam, and an official transcript when you finish. Students who want several courses choose UPI Study PRO instead.
Which universities accept UPI Study credits?
UPI Study has signed partner agreements with universities such as Thomas Edison State University, University of the People and Charter Oak State College, and works with universities such as Penn State, SNHU and SUNY. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities. Use "Find my college" on this page to check yours.
How long does Educational Psychology take?
It is self-paced with no deadlines. The 100 lessons total about 15 hours of video; most students add reading and practice time and finish in a few weeks to a few months, on their own schedule.
How are the exams done?
Quizzes and assignments are online in the course. The final exam is taken online with proctoring; a person on the UPI Study team checks assignments, usually within two days.
How do my credits reach my college?
When the course shows 100% complete, request the official transcript from your dashboard. It is sent to the college you name, and you can send it to more than one. Check your college first with "Find my college" on this page, or ask Athena.

Ready for the full course? Earn 3 credits in Educational Psychology.

100 video lessons, a quiz after each one, and the graded work that earns the credit. Recommended for credit by NCCRS.

Enroll in Educational Psychology →Download the syllabusEvery course with PRO →
Educational Psychology
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