Acquisition of Behavior through Observation

According to Bandura, the behavior is obtained through imitation. Copying another person’s behavior does not occur automatically. An individual has to undergo a mediation process where they will think about the consequences of adopting that particular way of acting before they finally decide whether or not they will embrace the new behavior. Albert further explains how observational learning takes place using the Bobo doll experiment. Being the pillar of the social learning theory, observation and imitation will aid in elaborating how behavior is acquired from various points of view (Bandura, 2018 pg. The point is that in the current word technology is very advanced and there are a lot of interactions on the internet. Virtual peer groups get together through social media and identify themselves with certain specific tastes and speech from which they can develop their own self.

This means that the peers learn from the interactions they have online and consequently, end up associating themselves and even copying the behavior they come in contact with on social media platforms. Frequent interactions amongst virtual peers can easily influence the attitudes they develop because they feel close and more friendly each day that passes when they engage themselves in chatting or video conferencing with their virtual counterparts (Miller & Robert, 2016 p. Furthermore, the study in Colombia that pertains the adolescents abusing alcohol helps shape the understanding of how the learning process occurs in the build-up to the acquisition of another person’s behavior. They acquire behavior faster and do not necessarily need to go through trial and error process to grasp what they are observing.

Educators use the approach of actively engaging the learners into discussions that are aimed at passing the educational information across. Students take in more information when they participate in discussions with their peers rather than when they read for themselves (Williams, 2017 p. During the live interactive sessions, the learners are able to gain something that they will probably use for the many more years to come. This shows how good social interactions can be when handling students. As such, the social learning theory is manifested in the drug abuse habits of criminal offenders. Additionally, it is paramount to note that the processes involved in social learning are also applicable when an individual is copying the behavior of a role model. Naturally, role models are people with great influence on the public.

Hence, when they do or say something they attract the attention of large masses thus prompting some people to follow their footsteps and copy what they do. Horsburgh, and Ippolito (2018, p. Differential association refers to the interaction that results in the acquisition of values that relate to criminal behavior. This clearly indicates that gang members get to learn crime by associating themselves with thugs from whom they adopt the behavior or conducting criminal activities (Gagnon, 2018 p. In addition to the different scenarios, this paper has discussed thus far, doping activities among the Iranian athletes has in the recent become rampant and this situation can be used to illustrate how the social learning theory works. In a study conducted by Kabiri Saeed and company to establish why doping was a recurring behavior in Iran, this theory accounted for an average of 34% of the variance in cases of doping.

This can be explained by the issue of imitation where athletes look to copy what their counterparts have done in the various sports, a scenario Bandura calls motivation. Consequently, the ability to grasp work advances and this means that students will be able to learn faster. Just like televisions send appealing messages that make people want to copy what they see, social media platforms are also appealing and if teachers were to use it in enticing students to observe and imitate the right things then the learning process would have been much easier. Equally important, is the research conducted by Floridia and Hollinger to show how loss prevention officers learn from their training by application of Albert Bandura’s theory. The study involved carrying out interviews two retailers located in America with a view to checking out the elements of the social learning theory that specifically influenced the behavior of these officers.

The results indicated that the trainers of the loss prevention officers have significant influence in the decisions they make during their line of duty. Alternatively, such people can decide to find individuals who have managed to keep their bodies fit and imitate their eating habits and activities that they do to avoid obesity. Through social interactions, victims are able to learn by observing and copying the exact practices that their counterparts with good health engage in thus breaking the cycle of holding on to bad culturally conditioned behaviors (Olišarová, et, al. , 2016 p. Furthermore, there is a study by Stone and Lynn that was carried with aim of establishing the role of social learning theory in adolescents’ behavior regarding pain. This research involved the participation of adolescents together with their parents and the results ascertained that the kids do observe when their parents are in pain.

The same way of acting might be viewed differently by another person. The implication herein is that everyone interprets the situation they see differently and that translates into the distinct judgments people make concerning the favorable and the unfavorable (Askers & Wesley, 2015 p. Conclusion In conclusion, it is crucial to understand that Albert’s theory of social science has been used to explain the effects of media. Observation and imitation are key pillars of Bandura’s argument and they are supported by scenarios he describes as motivation and retention. Motivation is imitating because one feels like they can do it because somebody else already excelled in the mimicking that behavior. "Albert Bandura and Social Learning Theory. " Learning Theories for Early Years Practice (2018): 63.