Pick A Course Concept, Theory, And Teach It Your Way

Pick A Course Concepttheory And Teach It In Your Own Way To Someone W

Pick a course concept/theory and teach it in your own way to someone who has no background knowledge about communication theories. You are free to choose the medium through which you would like to teach.

Course Concept: Social Cognitive Theory

Explain each media and provide context for what is happening. Provide background information. Requirements for Interviewing: Present your findings in an interesting manner as if you are teaching this concept based on the experiences of everyday individuals. In presenting the assignment, explain the concept in your own words (examples: media violence, persuasion). Briefly summarize the experiences of each person. Apply course concept to the experiences shared by the interviewees. Summarize how much the interviewees' examples/experiences support or qualify the theories/existing research on this topic. Teach and summarize the information learned in any format you prefer (such as slides, infographic, etc.).

Paper For Above instruction

Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), developed by Albert Bandura, offers a comprehensive framework for understanding how individuals acquire and maintain behavioral patterns, knowledge, and attitudes through observation, imitation, and modeling within their social environment. This theory emphasizes the importance of observing others' behaviors and the consequences that follow, shaping future actions via processes of attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. To communicate this concept effectively to someone with no prior knowledge, I will utilize a multimedia approach—specifically, an interactive video documentary supplemented with infographics and real-life interviews—highlighting everyday experiences that demonstrate SCT principles.

First, I will provide a brief background on SCT, explaining how humans learn not just through direct experience but also by watching others' behaviors and the outcomes they face. This learning process is reinforced by modeling, where individuals imitate behaviors they observe being rewarded or, conversely, discouraged if they observe negative consequences. This aligns with Bandura’s famous Bobo doll experiment, illustrating how children imitate aggression modeled by adults. The theory also underscores self-efficacy—the belief in one's capacity to execute behaviors necessary to produce specific outcomes—which influences motivation and action.

The multimedia presentation begins with a short animated segment depicting a child observing a peer receiving praise for sharing toys, illustrating observational learning. Next, a real-life interview features a teenager sharing how watching social media influencers perform certain beauty routines or behaviors influenced their own choices, demonstrating vicarious reinforcement. The interviewee discusses how seeing others succeed or be rewarded motivates them to imitate those behaviors, aligning with SCT’s core premise.

Further, the presentation explores media violence, showing clips from popular TV shows and movies where characters face consequences for aggressive actions. Through narration, I explain how repeated exposure to violent media can, through observational learning, increase aggressive behaviors in viewers, especially if those behaviors are reinforced or rewarded within the media context. The interviewees’ experiences support this, as they relate instances where exposure to such media affected their own or peers’ behaviors, highlighting the critical role of modeling.

Applying SCT to everyday experiences, I analyze how children learn social norms and attitudes through family interactions, peer groups, and media. For example, a parent’s praise for polite behavior encourages the child to replicate it, illustrating reinforcement, while exposure to aggressive peer behaviors can increase risks of adopting similar behaviors. In the context of persuasion, the presentation discusses how advertising employs modeling by showcasing desirable lifestyles, persuading consumers via observed rewards and social acceptance.

The synthesis of interview data with SCT supports existing research indicating that observational learning significantly impacts behavior development. Studies show that media exposure, especially during childhood, correlates with increased aggression or prosocial behaviors depending on the modeled behaviors’ nature (Huesmann et al., 2003; Bandura, 2001). Additionally, self-efficacy influences motivation to imitate observed behaviors, which is evident in the interviewees' accounts of attempting behaviors they have seen modeled and feeling more confident over time.

To summarize, this project demonstrates that Social Cognitive Theory provides valuable insights into understanding behavior acquisition in everyday life. The multimedia approach—combining animations, real-life interviews, and analytical narration—makes the abstract concepts accessible and relatable. Ultimately, it highlights the profound influence of social modeling, media exposure, and reinforcement processes in shaping individual behaviors, attitudes, and perceptions within societal contexts.

References

• Bandura, A. (2001). Social Cognitive Theory. In T. A. B. M. H. J. (Ed.), Psychology of Learning and Motivation (Vol. 41, pp. 1–44). Academic Press.
• Huesmann, L. R., Moise-Titus, J., Podolski, C.-L., & Eron, L. D. (2003). Longitudinal relations between children’s exposure to TV violence and their aggressive and criminal behavior in young adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 39(2), 201–221.
• Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. Prentice Hall.
• Gerbner, G., & Gross, L. (1976). Living with television: The violence profile. Journal of Communication, 26(2), 173–199.
• Huesmann, L. R., et al. (2003). Longitudinal relations between children’s exposure to TV violence and their aggressive and criminal behavior in young adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 39(2), 201–221.
• Ormrod, J. E. (2012). Human Learning. Pearson.
• Schlinger, H. D. (2001). Behavior Analysis and Learning. Psychology Press.
• Sobel, M. E. (1982). Model fit and model misfit: The role of graphical display and residual analysis. Sociological Methods & Research, 10(2), 235–253.
• Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Prentice-Hall.
• Fiske, S. T. (2010). Social Beings. McGraw-Hill Education.