Section Two

1. Section Two Theory and Concepts

2. Chapter 4 Social Cognitive Theory

3. Social Cognitive Theory • Provides a framework that allows us to analyze human cognition and the behavior that it produces • Direct offshoot of the social learning theory

4. Social Cognitive Theory • Triadic reciprocal causation • Thought and behavior are determined by three different factors that interact and influence each other with variable strength: • Behavior • Personal characteristics • Environmental factors or events

5. Distinctly Human Traits • Symbolizing Capacity: the ability to understand and use symbols to store, process, and transform experiences into cognitive models for the future • Self-Regulatory Capacity: the ability to motivate and evaluate oneself during the pursuit of certain goals

6. Distinctly Human Traits (Cont’d) • Self- Reflective Capacity: the ability to perform a self-check to make sure his or her thinking is correct • Enactive Mode • Vicarious Mode • Logical Mode • Vicarious Capacity: the ability to learn from the experience of others

7. Observational Learning • A person learns by observing the actions of others and the consequences of those actions.

8. Modeling • The reenactment of behavior • 4 processes involved: • Attention • Retention • Motor reproduction • Motivation

9. Abstract Modeling • New situations generate new behaviors adapted from rules of behavior learned previously.

10. Effects of Modeling • When a person sees an action or hears information that conflicts with an established pattern of behavior there can be two effects: • Inhibitory effects • Disinhibitory effects

11. Effects of Modeling: Inhibitory Effects • New information or observation inhibits or restrains a person from acting in a previously learned way.

12. Effects of Modeling: Disinhibitory Effects • New information or observation disinhibits, lifting previously learned internal restraints on certain behaviors.

13. Effects of Modeling: Disinhibitory Devices • Disinhibitory devices: • Moral justification • Advantageous comparison • Euphemistic labeling • Displacement of responsibility • Diffusion of responsibility • Distortion of the consequences or action • Dehumanization • Attribution of blame

14. Learning From Media Content and Modeling • After viewing Jaws, people are cautious when entering the water. • Audience members learn to dislike or like whatever screen characters dislike or like.

15. Social Construction of Reality • Heavy television viewing influences viewers’ beliefs and perceptions. • Misconceptions can develop due to stereotypical portrayals on television.

16. Effects of Viewing Televised or Film Violence • May result in copycat crimes • Effects can be: • Cognitive • Affective • Behavioral

17. Learning Good Things From Mass Media • Sesame Street • Barney & Friends • Gullah Gullah Island • Blue’s Clues • Mister Roger’s Neighborhood • Contact

18. Social Prompting or Persuasion • A person is given an incentive to act in a particular way that has already been learned. • Patterns of influence: • Television • Interpersonal communication • A combination of both of the above

19. Diffusion Process Learn about innovation Adopt innovation or perform new behavior Interact with others in a social network and either encourage them to adopt new behavior or confirm your own decision to adopt the behavior

20. Recent Research • Effects from news frames during election campaigns • Priming effects of media violence on aggressive constructs in memory • Children’s acceptance of safety rules after exposure to accidents in television dramas • Infant feeding messages in magazines