Social Learning Theory Middle School

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Social Learning Theory suggests that human behavior is learned as individuals interact with their environments. For middle school students, a great deal of their time is spent in school. The goal of middle school is not only to help students do well academically, but also to help them develop social skills. Middle school students learn many of their behaviors from their classmates and teachers. Social Learning Theory can be used to help students to develop appropriate social skills and behaviors.

Researchers who have supported or used Social Learning Theory
Clark Hull examined the work of Pavlov, Watson, Thorndike and others to propose a theory of behavioral learning that ultimately influenced the development of the more formal social …show more content…

How well the observer is able to pay attention depends on how attractive the behavior being viewed is to them (Grusec, 1992). For example, when attempting to acquire the attention of a class of middle school students, it is wise to move around, use supplementary audio and video, and use language they can understand and relate to. These actions will encourage the students to focus on the behavior they are meant to view.
The second component involves the observer being able to retain the observed behavior. A statement of a verbal representation of the observed behavior acknowledges that the behavior was retained (Grusec, 1992). For example, after watching a video about the consequences of bullying, a middle school student might verbalize that they learned that they should not bully other students because the bullied student might cry. This statement shows that they retained the behavior they observed.
The third component involves the observer putting their retained knowledge to action by behaving in a way that is similar to what they observed (Grusec, 1992). In the example in which the middle school class watches a video about bullying, this step might involve a student helping a classmate up when they fall instead of laughing at them. This action shows that the student paid attention and retained the observed

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