social learning theory

Examples of social learning theory in the following topics:

• Introduction

  • Various theories on learning have been developed with increasing frequency in the last few decades.
  • In order to understand the relationship between these theories, Curry's onion model (Curry, 1983) was developed with four layers -- personality learning theories, information processing theories, social learning theories, and multidimensional and instructional theories.
  • Social learning theories determine how students interact in the classroom and include Reichmann's and Grasha's types of learners: independent, dependent, collaborative, competitive, participant, and avoidant (http://www.personality-project.org/perproj/others/heineman/grslss.htm).
  • Multidimensional and instructional theories address the student's environmental preference for learning and includes the Learning Style Model of Dunn and Dunn and the multiple intelligences theory of Howard Gardner (http://www.teresadybvig.com/learnsty.htm).
  • This chapter focuses on this type of learning theory by Howard Gardner.

• Criticisms of the Social-Cognitive Pespective on Personality

  • Critics of the social-cognitive theory of personality argue that it is not a unified theory and does not explain development over time.
  • The social-cognitive theory of personality emphasizes both learning and cognition as sources of individual differences in personality.
  • One of the main criticisms of the social-cognitive theory is that it is not a unified theory.
  • Another limitation is that not all social learning can be directly observed.
  • Critics of social-cognitive theory argue that the theory does not provide a full explanation of how social cognition, behavior, environment, and personality are related (known as "reciprocal determinism").

• Gender Messages in the Family

  • Gender role theory posits that boys and girls learn the appropriate behavior and attitudes from the family with which they grow up.
  • Gender role theory posits that boys and girls learn the appropriate behavior and attitudes from the family and overall culture in which they grow up, and that non-physical gender differences are a product of socialization.
  • Social role theory proposes that social structure is the underlying force behind gender differences, and that the division of labor between two sexes within a society motivates the differences in their respective behavior.
  • Socialization theory tells us that primary socialization - the process that occurs when a child learns the attitudes, values and actions expected of individuals within a particular culture - is the most important phase of social development, and lays the groundwork for all future socialization.
  • Children learn continuously from the environment that adults create, including gender norms.

• A Revisionist Theory of Conceptual Change: A Holistic View

  • A major criticism of the original conceptual change theory is that it presents an overly rational approach to student learning--an approach that emphasizes and assumes logical and rational thinking (Pintrich, Marx, & Boyle, 1993).
  • Pintrich et al. refer to this approach as "cold conceptual change," because it ignores the affective (e.g., motivation, values, interests) and social components of learning.
  • Strike and Posner (1992) also recognized similar deficiencies in their original conceptual change theory and suggested that affective and social issues affect conceptual change.
  • Social constructivist and cognitive apprenticeship perspectives have also influenced conceptual change theory (Hewson, Beeth, & Thorley, 1998).
  • Affective, social, and contextual factors also contribute to conceptual change.

• Differential Association Theory

  • Differential association theory is the most talked-about of the learning theories of deviance.
  • This theory focuses on how individuals learn to become criminals, but it does not concern itself with why they become criminals.
  • This tendency will be reinforced if social association provides active people in the person's life.
  • To some extent, both non-criminal and criminal individuals are motivated by the need for money and social gain.
  • Since crime is understood to be learned behavior, the theory is also applicable to white-collar, corporate, and organized crime.

• Learning

  • There are three main categories of learning theory: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism.
  • Cognitive theories look beyond behavior to explain brain-based learning.
  • Merriam and Caffarella (1991) highlight four approaches or orientations to learning: behaviorist, cognitivist, humanist, and social or situational.
  • Kolb styles model is based on the experiential learning theory, which was explained in his book Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and Development (1984).
  • Kolb styles model is based on the experiential learning theory.

• Additional Resources

  • Social Constructivism and the World Wide Web - A Paradigm for Learning: http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/perth97/papers/Mcmahon/Mcmahon.html

• What is Pedagogy?

  • Modern pedagogy has been strongly influenced by the theories of three major heavy-weights in the science of human development: Jean Piaget's cognitive theory of development and Lev Vygotsky and Jerome Bruner's social interaction and cultural theory.
  • The social-interactionist theory stated that pedagogy should be designed around the fact that learners construct the new language through socially mediated interaction.
  • Students learn as they internalize the procedures, organization, and structures encountered in social contexts as their own schemata.
  • Understanding and designing instruction based on a learning style defined by the individual brought about new theories and approaches to teaching.
  • Gagné 's understanding and theories of human learning added significantly to understanding the stages in cognitive processing and instructions.

• Vygotsky's Theories

  • The work of Lev Vygotsky and other developmental psychologists has become the foundation of much research and theory in developmental cognition over the past several decades, particularly of what has become known as social development theory.
  • Vygotsky's theories stress the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition (Vygotsky, 1978; Wertsch, 1985), as he believed strongly that community plays a central role in the process of "making meaning."
  • Unlike Piaget's notion that children's development must necessarily precede their learning, Vygotsky argued, "learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, specifically human psychological function" (1978, p. 90).
  • In other words, social learning tends to precede development.

• For More Information

  • Lev Vygotsky and Vygotsky Resources: Overview of Activity Theory: The Vygotsky Approach http://ei.cs.vt.edu/~cs5724/g5/activity.html
  • The Vygotsky Resources website contains a comprehensive and thorough selection of Internet resources and links pertaining to Vygotsky and his work under the headings of biographical information, theories, information for teachers, Vygotsky's theories in practice, and other resources.
  • Educational computing: Learning with tomorrow's technologies.
  • This website lists and describes the four principles of a Vygotskian classroom, and also contains links to other information on Social Contructivist theories.
  • It may serve as a quick and easy reference for educators who are interested in developing an instructional plan for their classrooms based on Vygotskian theories.