Introduction
Albert Bandura undertook an insightful study to examine the influence of violence in television shows on children’s behavior. The Bandura classical experiment was initiated with a notable Bobo Doll, demonstrating that children learn through observation and imitation (Galanaki & Malafantis, 2022). Based on this finding, the social learning theory and its principles, including motivation, retention, and attention, were used to explain how learning occurs. These concepts can be used to promote intentional learning as they demonstrate how teachers can use these principles to enhance learning outcomes (Koutroubas & Galanakis, 2022). The reason is that Bandura’s experiment demonstrates that children can learn behavior through imitation and observation, as learning occurs through social learning principles, including motivation, retention, and attention.
Bandura’s Perspective on the Effects of Violent Television Shows on Children
Bandura’s classic experiment is an integral indicator of social learning through environmental cues. The experiment demonstrated that children exposed to aggressive conduct in televised series and movies exhibited twice as much aggression in response to the observed deed (Galanaki & Malafantis, 2022). Therefore, one impact of aggressive shows is that violent videos stimulate aggressive behavior.
A study by Keikha et al. (2020)illustrates that children who engage in screen time activities, including violent video games, exhibit destructive behaviors. These findings illustrate that aggressive behaviors can be learned, which aligns with Bandura’s perspective. Therefore, one effect of violence in television shows is that it promotes aggressive conduct among children as they learn through observation.
Bandura also elaborated that violence in the media desensitizes children to the cruelty of aggression. Keikha et al. (2020) demonstrate that children imitate behaviors and other things that satisfy their needs at any given time. Bandura’s classical experiment illustrates that violent videos weaken restraint, especially when the action is performed by an influential model (Galanaki & Malafantis, 2022). Adult models kicked the Bobo dolls, reinforcing the behavior as children perceived that the adults were doing the right thing, enabling the replication of the same behavior (Galanaki & Malafantis, 2022). Therefore, the experiment demonstrated that exposure to aggressive videos desensitizes children to unwanted behaviors, including physical aggression.
The experiment also illustrated that it shapes the child’s perception of reality. The children observed and immediately imitated the behavior depicted by the models due to the perception of aggression as a normal reality (Galanaki & Malafantis, 2022). Violence on television can exaggerate the perception of violence in the world, and this may prompt the replication of more violent behaviors. Bandura’s findings illustrated that children exhibited twice as much aggression as the initial models, which indicates that they imitated cruelty beyond what they had observed. Therefore, the videos can distort reality, potentially leading to delinquent behavior among children.
The classical investigation also highlights that video affects children’s cognitive processes. Immediately, the children observed the cruelty of the Bobo dolls, but none took the time to reflect on their actions, as they all pounced on the dolls without hesitation. This occurrence illustrates the negative influence of violent films on cognition, including decision-making and perception (Galanaki & Malafantis, 2022). Therefore, video games can lead to irrational decision-making and impulsivity among children, a negative consequence of their developing brains. The study implies the lifelong consequences of violent screen time activities on the behaviors of children.
Principles of Social Learning Theory Supporting My View
Bandura’s experimentation illustrates that individuals learn through different mechanisms, including observation and imitation. My view is that social learning principles can promote effective discovery by supporting proactive imitation. The reason is that one of the social learning principles is attention, which implies that children must actively observe a particular behavior and become interested in it for the behavior to be replicated (Koutroubas & Galanakis, 2022).
Therefore, the children learn aggression by observing the behavior and perceiving its relevance or value. For instance, the adults kicking the dolls in the experiment seemed to enjoy the action as they joyfully shouted “boom” and “pow”, and this depicted the action as an entertaining behavior(Galanaki & Malafantis, 2022). The children who paid attention to the video perceived aggressive behavior as a stimulating sport, which enhanced their actions. Therefore, the social learning principle of attention supports the rationale that children can learn behaviors by paying attention to social behavior.
Motivation is another crucial element that supports the rationale that learning is based on consequence. This principle supports my rationale that watching violent films can trigger similar behaviors if the social responses are a reinforcement. Therefore, children exhibited violent behavior toward the dolls due to the motivation they received from the models, as they also demonstrated verbal aggression that made the aggression seem like a game in Bandura’s study (Galanaki & Malafantis, 2022). Such conduct escalated the behavior by prompting the children to abuse the toys further.
Retention is a significant philosophical concept in the social learning theory that justifies learning through observation. The concept illustrates that a behavior sequence can be retrieved for future imitation. This principle explains why the children were aggressive towards the Bobo doll, considering that they had observed how the models treated the dolls through verbal and physical abuse.
My perception is that children can imitate actions observed earlier because of their ability to retain and recall information. Therefore, learning through observation and imitation is supported by retention, which assesses the ability to recall information stored in long-term or short-term memory (Galanaki & Malafantis, 2022). Therefore, understanding social learning concepts is crucial to inform effective instructional strategies that help children learn.
Social Learning Theory and Intentional Teaching
Social learning is crucial, as it can inform intentional instructional mechanisms, including enhancing attention and fostering retention and motivation through observation and imitation. Teachers can adopt the concepts of this theory, including modeling (Manik et al., 2022). Teachers can use positive reinforcement to enhance children’s motivation through strategies such as verbal praise to encourage the repetition of the same behavior (Manik et al., 2022). The reason is that intentional teaching focuses on building strengths and encouraging continuous development, which can be achieved through motivational reinforcements.
Educators can also use social learning theory concepts to create environments that promote prosocial actions and reduce aggressive conduct. Providing constructive feedback when certain behaviors occur in class is among the crucial strategies for ensuring children engage in expected behaviors (Manik et al., 2022). Using positive reinforcement to promote good habits and punishment for bad habits is one example of enhancing learning, as it helps the child recall and associate the consequence with the preceding action.
Instructors can use different methods, including multimodal methods, to encourage learning. For instance, they can present content in audio or video formats to help children retain the information (Manik et al., 2022). In addition, teachers can use gamification to promote retention and help children recall positive behaviors plausible within their social context (Manik et al., 2022). Such strategies ensure that children know desirable and undesirable behaviors and their consequences.
Modeling behaviors to reinforce positive conduct is another standard that can promote intentional teaching. Teachers can illustrate how children should behave when interacting with others by showing empathy or courtesy to allow imitation, a crucial learning factor (Manik et al., 2022). Children can recall observed behaviors, enabling constructive imitation and positively impacting their development and learning (Manik et al., 2022). Moreover, educators can incorporate collaborative learning, such as peer-to-peer demonstrations of courtesy, to help students learn the standards of good behavior and encourage them to repeat the behavior.
Conclusion
Bandura’s social learning theory provides valuable insights into the negative effects of exposing children to violent videos. The classical illustration highlights that children learn through observation and imitation, and these demeanors are enhanced by motivation, retention, and attention. Therefore, educators can align social learning principles with specific instructional techniques to foster effective learning and mitigate the negative effects of aggressive environmental cues on children’s behaviors.
Examples of techniques that can support transformative mentorship include positive reinforcement and affirmation of a student’s good conduct. This appraisal helps the student associate good behavior with positive reinforcement, and this memory will help them repeat the expected action. Ultimately, creating a supportive prosocial learning system is crucial for enhancing commendable, healthy behaviors among children, as they are excellent at observing and imitating behaviors.
References
Galanaki, E., & Malafantis, K. D. (2022). Albert Bandura’s experiments on aggression modeling in children: A psychoanalytic critique. Frontiers in Psychology, 13.
Keikha, M., Qorbani, M., Tabaee, M. S. K., Djalalinia, S., & Kelishadi, R. (2020). A systematic review of screen time activities and aggressive behaviors among children and adolescents. International Journal of Preventive Medicine, 11(1), 59.
Koutroubas, V., & Galanakis, M. (2022). Bandura’s social learning theory and its importance in the organizational psychology context. Psychology, 12(6), 315-322.
Manik, S., Sembiring, M., Padang, I., & Manurung, L. (2022). Theory of Bandura’s social learning in the process of teaching at SMA Methodist Berastagi Kabupaten Karo. Journal of Community Service Vision, 3(2), 85-96.