Albert Bandura may be most well known for his work on social cognitive theory and observational learning.  But it’s important for educators and parents to know about a buried treasure at the heart of social cognitive theory – self-efficacy beliefs.  Self-efficacy is what helps nurture effort, perseverance, resilience, serenity, and optimism in the face of adversity. Bandura defines self-efficacy as “the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations.” (Bandura, 1995, p. 2). In simpler terms, it’s best captured in Henry Ford’s famous quote:  “Whether you think you can or you [...]

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Definition Observational learning, also called social learning theory, occurs when an observer’s behavior changes after viewing the behavior of a model. An observer’s behavior can be affected by the positive or negative consequences–called vicarious reinforcement or vicarious punishment– of a model’s behavior. Discussion There are several guiding principles behind observational learning, or social learning theory: The observer will imitate the model’s behavior if the model possesses characteristics– things such as talent, intelligence, power, good looks, or popularity–that the observer finds attractive or desirable. The observer will react to the way the model is treated and mimic the model’s behavior. When [...]

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