Operant conditioning was developed by a psychologist named B. F. Skinner who was interested by the power of how consequences to actions influence behavior (George & Jones, 2012). This approach shows how learning takes place through consequences. The learner recognizes the connection between a behavior and its consequences. A person learns to employ certain behaviors in order to receive and avoid specific consequences. The name "operant conditioning" is used because people learn to operate in their environment in a specific way to obtain certain consequences.
In organizations, operant conditioning looks at associating work behaviors such as job performance, lateness, and absenteeism with the consequences that will happen in the employee's environment (George & Jones, 2012). There are desired consequences such as praise, pay increases, and promotions, as well as undesired consequences such as reprimands and demotions. In addition to the factors of behaviors and their consequences, antecedents play an important role as well in operant conditioning. Antecedents are the rules, goals, instructions, and advice from other members of an organization, and anything else that assists employees recognize what behaviors they should and should not exhibit and what the consequences are for specific behaviors. Antecedents perform an educational role by letting employees know the organizational consequences for certain behaviors, and thus show what behaviors are encouraged. Operant conditioning shows how organizations can use consequences to fulfill two outcomes (George & Jones, 2012). The first is to increase the probability that workers perform desired behaviors, and the second one is to reduce the probability that workers perform undesired behaviors.
The social learning theory was developed by Albert Bandura, and has become one of the most influential theories on learning and development ("Wikipedia," 2014). This theory integrated cognitive and behavioral theories of learning and provides a comprehensive model that accounts for the wide range of learning experiences which occur in the real world. The main tenets of the social learning theory are comprised of five factors. First, learning is not purely behavioral. It is a cognitive process which takes place in a social context. Second, learning can occur through vicarious reinforcement, which means by observing a behavior and by observing the consequences of the behavior. Third, learning is composed of observation, the extraction of information from those observations, and making decisions about the performance of the behavior. Fourth, reinforcement plays a role in learning, but is not completely responsible for learning. Fifth, the learner is not a passive recipient of information, with environment, cognition, and behavior all mutually influencing each other.
Social learning theory relies heavily on the concept of modeling, which involves learning by observing a behavior ("Wikipedia," 2014). Bandura used three types of modeling stimuli. One was a live model where an actual person demonstrates the desired behavior. Another is a verbal instruction model where a person describes the desired behavior in detail and instructs the participant in how to engage in the behavior. A third is a symbolic model in which modeling happens by means of the media, including television, films, radio, literature, and the internet. Exactly what information is taken from observation is influenced by the type of model, and a series of four cognitive and behavioral processes ("Wikipedia," 2014). The first process is that of "attention". Observers must be cognizant to the modeled behavior in order to learn. Attention is impacted by the characteristics of the observer, such as cognitive and perceptual abilities and past performance, as well as the characteristics of the event or behavior, such as affective valence, functional value, relevance, or novelty. The second process is that of "retention". Observers must be able to remember the features of the behavior in order to reproduce it. This process is again influenced by observer and event characteristics. The third process is "reproduction". The observer must initiate responses in accordance with the model in order to reproduce a behavior. Observer characteristics that affect reproduction encompass cognitive and physical capabilities, and previous performance. The final process is "motivation". The decision to reproduce an observed behavior is dependent on the expectations and motivations of the observer, including anticipated consequences and internal standards.
The concept of reciprocal determinism is an important factor in social learning theory ("Wikipedia," 2014). This concept says that just as a person's behavior is affected by the environment, the environment is also influenced by the person's behavior. Thus, an individual's behavior, environment, and personal qualities all reciprocally influence each other.
In addition to Bandura strongly influencing other psychologists, his social learning theory has had important implications in the field of education (Cherry, 2014). Both parents and teachers today recognize the importance of modeling appropriate behaviors. Other strategies such as encouraging children and building self-efficacy are also rooted in social learning theory.
Sources
Cherry, K. (2014). Social Learning Theory: How People Learn By Observation. About.com. Retrieved 10 July 2014 from http://psychology.D106/od/developmentalpsychology/a/sociallearning.htm
George, J., & Jones, G. (2012). Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia. (2014). Social Learning Theory. Retrieved 15 May 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=612083549
In organizations, operant conditioning looks at associating work behaviors such as job performance, lateness, and absenteeism with the consequences that will happen in the employee's environment (George & Jones, 2012). There are desired consequences such as praise, pay increases, and promotions, as well as undesired consequences such as reprimands and demotions. In addition to the factors of behaviors and their consequences, antecedents play an important role as well in operant conditioning. Antecedents are the rules, goals, instructions, and advice from other members of an organization, and anything else that assists employees recognize what behaviors they should and should not exhibit and what the consequences are for specific behaviors. Antecedents perform an educational role by letting employees know the organizational consequences for certain behaviors, and thus show what behaviors are encouraged. Operant conditioning shows how organizations can use consequences to fulfill two outcomes (George & Jones, 2012). The first is to increase the probability that workers perform desired behaviors, and the second one is to reduce the probability that workers perform undesired behaviors.
The social learning theory was developed by Albert Bandura, and has become one of the most influential theories on learning and development ("Wikipedia," 2014). This theory integrated cognitive and behavioral theories of learning and provides a comprehensive model that accounts for the wide range of learning experiences which occur in the real world. The main tenets of the social learning theory are comprised of five factors. First, learning is not purely behavioral. It is a cognitive process which takes place in a social context. Second, learning can occur through vicarious reinforcement, which means by observing a behavior and by observing the consequences of the behavior. Third, learning is composed of observation, the extraction of information from those observations, and making decisions about the performance of the behavior. Fourth, reinforcement plays a role in learning, but is not completely responsible for learning. Fifth, the learner is not a passive recipient of information, with environment, cognition, and behavior all mutually influencing each other.
Social learning theory relies heavily on the concept of modeling, which involves learning by observing a behavior ("Wikipedia," 2014). Bandura used three types of modeling stimuli. One was a live model where an actual person demonstrates the desired behavior. Another is a verbal instruction model where a person describes the desired behavior in detail and instructs the participant in how to engage in the behavior. A third is a symbolic model in which modeling happens by means of the media, including television, films, radio, literature, and the internet. Exactly what information is taken from observation is influenced by the type of model, and a series of four cognitive and behavioral processes ("Wikipedia," 2014). The first process is that of "attention". Observers must be cognizant to the modeled behavior in order to learn. Attention is impacted by the characteristics of the observer, such as cognitive and perceptual abilities and past performance, as well as the characteristics of the event or behavior, such as affective valence, functional value, relevance, or novelty. The second process is that of "retention". Observers must be able to remember the features of the behavior in order to reproduce it. This process is again influenced by observer and event characteristics. The third process is "reproduction". The observer must initiate responses in accordance with the model in order to reproduce a behavior. Observer characteristics that affect reproduction encompass cognitive and physical capabilities, and previous performance. The final process is "motivation". The decision to reproduce an observed behavior is dependent on the expectations and motivations of the observer, including anticipated consequences and internal standards.
The concept of reciprocal determinism is an important factor in social learning theory ("Wikipedia," 2014). This concept says that just as a person's behavior is affected by the environment, the environment is also influenced by the person's behavior. Thus, an individual's behavior, environment, and personal qualities all reciprocally influence each other.
In addition to Bandura strongly influencing other psychologists, his social learning theory has had important implications in the field of education (Cherry, 2014). Both parents and teachers today recognize the importance of modeling appropriate behaviors. Other strategies such as encouraging children and building self-efficacy are also rooted in social learning theory.
Sources
Cherry, K. (2014). Social Learning Theory: How People Learn By Observation. About.com. Retrieved 10 July 2014 from http://psychology.D106/od/developmentalpsychology/a/sociallearning.htm
George, J., & Jones, G. (2012). Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Wikipedia. The free encyclopedia. (2014). Social Learning Theory. Retrieved 15 May 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=612083549
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