What are some of the major theoretical assumptions of Bandura’s theories that set them apart from other theories of learning? What does this theory explain well about learning, and what does it not explain well?
Review the presentation Learning Theories: Case Studies. Choose one case study to use for this discussion. Using social learning theory and/or social cognitive theory, identify and describe a possible behavior that the individual could have previously learned. What kind of intervention would work for this person if we are using this theoretical framework?
Share ways in which you have seen social learning in action in your own life. What trends or fads have you found yourself engaged in that could have been the result of learning vicariously?
CASE STUDY
Ari describes himself as being an “awkward geeky sort”. His very favorite thing to do is play video games, particularly creative and multiplayer games, and he is quite famous in his online communities and has developed a popular YouTube channel mostly with his Minecraft server.
At 10 years old, Ari is 5’ 7” tall. His physical development is “off the chart” and physical education teachers have tried to coax him into athletic activities for years as they see his height as a true advantage. Ari’s parents say “his body hasn’t caught up with itself yet. He stumbles on stairs and bumps into walls… he just doesn’t have much coordination. Everyone in our family is tall (both of us are over 6’2”), and we all took this same path. Sports don’t tend to work well until about 13 or 14 years old, sadly.”
At school, Ari has begun to notice that all the popular boys are athletes, and has now shared with his parents “I just want to be able to run fast and throw a ball… I’m tired of being picked last all the time in gym class, and I just want to fit in”. They have noticed that Ari’s performance at school seems to be suffering lately; he claims it is a result of being a social outcast. The parents said “well, he’s learning something at this school, but maybe not what we would hope he is learning. Maybe we should look at a different kind of school.”
