Case Study – Drug Use. The Social Cognitive Theory Says

This learning occurs from observation, imitation or modeling of another person or role model. Modeling is the process of imitating. We can also learn new behavior from individuals we meet or from the media. This is also known as observational learning developed by Albert Bandura. Individuals, groups and culture have an effect on the behavior of people in the society. A feature of a person/model that may influence us to imitate is; gender, similarity to ourselves, social status, fame, competence and prestige.

The Social Cognitive Theory identifies the influences of peers, family members, personal characteristics and societal norms and culture as the main determinants of a person’s opinion (Hastings, 2007, Bandura, 1986). It identifies the reciprocal relationship between personal and environmental factors as an important factor that affect a person’s beliefs, opinions and behaviours toward a certain social issue. The concept of Social Cognitive Theory points out that, to change the perceptions and behaviour of the target

An example of observational learning is Eli, a successful businessman. Eli has an obsession with saving money as he observed it from his father. His parents were poor immigrants that pinched every penny they could. Everytime Eli would try to enjoy the fruits of his labor, he would hear his father’s warnings. His father’s distrust of the future carried through to his thoughts on women. Like success, a woman would inevitably turn on you someday. Eli imitated his father’s beliefs and actions throughout his life as he learned them to be socially appropriate.

“Bandura analyzed the nature of observational learning and found it to be governed by four related mechanisms: attentional processes, retention processes, production processes, and incentive and motivational processes” (Schultz & Schultz, 2013, p. 335). First, there are various changing forces that can effect attentional processes (Schultz & Schultz, 2013). According to Bandura, “observational learning or modeling will not occur unless the subject pays attention to the model” (Schultz & Schultz, 2013). For example, even though Antwone was not raised by his biological parents, he had several influences in his life.

A social issue that has been around for years is drug abuse. Sociologist can apply the three major sociological perspectives to analyze how society influences people to carry out certain acts by setting up a framework for specific reasoning. The different concepts used all together gives sociologists a broader and less biased conclusion of the issue.

Social cognitive theory was developed by Albert Bandura (1986, 2012) and other psychologists. Social cognitive theory traditionally focuses more on learning by observation and on the cognitive processes that underlie personalities (Rathus, 2015). Additionally, social cognitive theorists see people influencing their environment as much as it influences them (Rathus, 2015). They also affirm that “variables” within people are to be considered to understand them. These can include knowledge and skills, ways of interpreting experiences, and systems and plans (Bandura, 2012). This theory focuses mainly on variables and observational learning of human behavior. Furthermore, this theory was placed third on the spectrum because of its relevance to both nature, and nurture perspectives.

Social Cognitive Theory Ricky Smith Liberty University Many people learn by observing others. This kind of learning is the basis of the social cognitive theory. According to Schunk (2016), social cognitive theory expresses that people learn from their social environment by observing others and gaining knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs (p.117). People also learn through modeling within the social cognitive learning theory. Learners are able to learn new behavior through observation of modeling.

To date, there are five large and important areas of research that have been either neglected: (1) the sequence of drugs used and the development of different drug-using patterns; (2) the individual, group, and cultural factors influencing low-risk and high-risk outcomes among equivalent drug users; (3) the changing attitudes of both users and nonusers toward psychoactive drug use; (4) the impact of the media on drug use and drug choice; and (5) the process of socialization as it applies to patterns of drug use (http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/lsd/zinberg7.htm). I feel that we should also focus on studies: how drugs influence individual health and behavior, what use is being made of drug research, and how its findings influence public policy decisions.

Observational learning was form by Albert Bandura during his Bobo Doll experiment. Bobo doll experiment is an experiment where a child seeing his or her parents hitting the bobo doll angrily and follows the actions that was done by their parents. The learning is also known as shaping, modelling and vicarious reinforcement as this can be done in any place at any point in life and is mostly occurs during childhood. The observational learning able to influence one behaviour. As an example, by watching my dad cooks, I’ll able to cooks the dishes that he has just make for lunch. Also by observing others doing something one able to follow and observer others behaviour. However, observational learning can be done by only when others have an authority against

"Observational learning, also called imitation or modeling, is learning that occurs when a person observes and imitates someone 's behavior (Santrock, p.165)." Albert Bandura described four main processes: attention, retention, motor reproduction, and reinforcement. "Before people can reproduce a model 's actions, they must attend to what the model is saying or doing. To reproduce an action, you must retain the information and keep it in memory so that it can be retrieved. People might attend to a model and

A Social Learning Approach to Prescription Drug Misuse Among College Students takes a socio-theoretical approach to prescription drug misuse (PDM) among college students in the US by examining the issue through Aker’s social learning theory (Watkins 2016). Watkins emphasizes the legitimacy of the problem by citing relevant statics that illustrate how prescription drug misuse has shifted from a minor trend to a growing public health issue (ibid). As well, there is evidence that obtaining prescription drugs from peers correlated with a higher frequency of alcohol consumption and substance use (ibid). It is necessary to examine this issue through a socio-theoretical lens, as the paper makes case for how the social relations behind PDM give insight into patterns behind their use (ibid). For example, Watkins notes a study that determined that drugs purchased illicitly (unfamiliar source) are more likely to be misused compared to prescription drugs obtained for free from a relative or peer (ibid).

I agree with the sociocultural view of drug use. According to this view, people are likely to abuse substances when they are living under stressful socioeconomic conditions (Comer, 2013, 305). In my experience teaching in an inner-city school, many of my students would come to school high. I tried to talk to some of them individually about their drug use, and they freely admitted to it and said that it was the only way they could cope with their home lives. They knew I was not from such a dire background, so they knew I could not fully relate to their situation.

The seven contemporary approaches or theories in psychology include Biological, Behavioral Psychodynamic, Humanistic, Cognitive, Evolutionary, Sociocultural. These seven contemporary approaches allow us to interpret the behavior of individuals. Each perspective makes certain assumptions about human behavior. For this analysis we will review the behavioral and sociocultural approaches in psychology and compare how they interpret drug use.

Consequently, how social cognitive theory can help Annie become more confident and successful in her writing skills? Annie may think that she is not confident or competent enough at school; according to the social cognitive theory, “there is evidence that a higher sense of self-efficacy supports motivation, even when the efficacy is an overestimation” (Woolfolk, 2013, p. 408). Therefore, if we increase Annie’s self-efficacy with the following: (a) adopt short-term goals so it is easier to judge

This study discusses if Social Action Theory is appropriate to address gaps in research of illicit drug use among Young Men Who Have Sex with Men (YMSM). Just like the previous study discussed in this paper, this study also uses the structural equation modelling on a sample of 526 men from the Healthy Young Men Study. The Healthy Young Men study is a study on substance use and sexual risk behaviour among YMSM in Los Angeles. The subjects were selected from various venues that were identified as settings in which YMSM spend their time in such as pride festivals, bars, parties etc. They were then interviewed topics such as background, substance use history, sexual behaviour and cognitive and psychological variables. Since SAT proposes that health