Editing Social learning theory (section)

==== Modeling and underlying cognitive processes ====
Social Learning Theory draws heavily on the concept of modeling as described above. Bandura outlined three types of modeling stimuli:<ref>{{cite web |title=Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory In Psychology |url=https://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html |access-date=24 October 2023 |date=3 November 2022}}</ref>
# '''Live models''', where a person is demonstrating the desired behavior
# '''Verbal instruction''', in which an individual describes the desired behavior in detail and instructs the participant in how to engage in the behavior
# '''Symbolic''', in which modeling occurs by means of the media, including movies, television, Internet, literature, and radio. Stimuli can be either real or fictional characters.
Exactly what information is gleaned from observation is influenced by the type of model, as well as a series of cognitive and behavioral processes, including:<ref name="B1972">{{cite book |title=Recent trends in Social Learning Theory |publisher=Academic Press |year=1972 |location=New York |chapter=Modeling theory: Some traditions, trends, and disputes |last=Bandura |first=A. |editor-last=Parke |editor-first=R. D. |isbn=0-12-545050-8 }}</ref>
* [[Attention]] – in order to learn, observers must attend to the modeled behavior. Experimental studies<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Postman|first1=Leo|last2=Sassenrath|first2=Julius|date=1961-07-01|title=The Automatic Action of Verbal Rewards and Punishments|journal=The Journal of General Psychology|volume=65|issue=1|pages=109–136|doi=10.1080/00221309.1961.9920464|issn=0022-1309|pmid=13737423}}</ref> have found that awareness of what is being learned and the mechanisms of reinforcement greatly boosts learning outcomes. Attention is impacted by characteristics of the observer (e.g., perceptual abilities, cognitive abilities, arousal, past performance) and characteristics of the behavior or event (e.g., relevance, novelty, affective valence, and functional value). In this way, social factors contribute to attention – the [[Reputation|prestige]] of different models affects the relevance and functional value of observation and therefore modulates  attention.
* [[Recall (memory)|Retention]] – In order to reproduce an observed behavior, observers must be able to remember features of the behavior. Again, this process is influenced by observer characteristics (cognitive capabilities, cognitive rehearsal) and event characteristics (complexity). The cognitive processes underlying retention are described by Bandura as visual and verbal, where verbal descriptions of models are used in more complex scenarios.
* [[Copying|Reproduction]] – By reproduction, Bandura refers not to the propagation of the model but the implementation of it. This requires a degree of cognitive skill, and may in some cases require [[Sensory-motor coupling|sensorimotor]] capabilities.<ref name=":3" /> Reproduction can be difficult because in the case of behaviors that are reinforced through self-observation (he cites improvement in sports), it can be difficult to observe behavior well. This can require the input of others to provide self-correcting feedback. Newer studies on feedback<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Wang|first1=Shu-Ling|last2=Wu|first2=Pei-Yi|date=2008-12-01|title=The role of feedback and self-efficacy on web-based learning: The social cognitive perspective|journal=Computers & Education|volume=51|issue=4|pages=1589–1598|doi=10.1016/j.compedu.2008.03.004}}</ref> support this idea by suggesting effective feedback, which would help with observation and correction improves the performance on participants on tasks.
* [[Motivation]] – The decision to reproduce (or refrain from reproducing) an observed behavior is dependent on the motivations and expectations of the observer, including anticipated consequences and internal standards. Bandura's description of motivation is also fundamentally based on environmental and thus social factors, since motivational factors are driven by the functional value of different behaviors in a given environment.