Social Foundations of Thought and Action Albert Bandura

This volume presents a theoretical framework for analyzing human motivation, thought, and action from a social cognitive perspective. One of its organizing themes is the emphasis placed on reciprocal determinism.

Social cognitive theory embraces an interactional model of causation in which environmental events, personal factors, and behavior all operate as interacting determinants of each other. Reciprocal causation provides people with opportunities to exercise some control over their destinies as well as sets limits of self-direction. The conceptualization of personal determinants of psychosocial functioning accords a central role to cognitive, vicarious, selfregulatory, and self-reflective processes.

Human thought is a powerful instrument for comprehending the environment and dealing with it. Hence, the diverse ways in which cognitive causation enters into hu man affect and action are analyzed extensively. However, in keeping with the interactional perspective, much attention is devoted to the social origins of thought.

Widespread growth of interest in issues concerning the structure and operation of thought has led to serious neglect of the mechanisms of performance. This work broadens the scope of inquiry by also addressing itself to mechanisms by which knowledge is transformed into appropriate action.

Many theories have been proposed over the years to explain human behavior. The basic conceptions of human nature that they embrace, and the causal processes that they posit, require careful examination for several reasons. What theorists believe people to be influences which determinants and mechanisms of human functioning they explore most thoroughly and which they leave unexamined. Such beliefs affect not only what theorists study but also the analytic tools they devise to explore the factors they consider to be most relevant. If a guiding conception has some merit, then the results of scientific inquiry will clarify the aspects of human functioning singled out for close scrutiny.

Conceptions of human nature thus focus inquiry on selected processes and are, in turn, strengthened by findings of research paradigms embodying the particular point of view. For example, theorists who exclude the capacity for self-direction from their view of human potentialities confine their research to external influences. If investigatory efforts are restricted to how conduct is affected by reward and punishment, one will find ample evidence that human action is indeed often influenced by the effects it produces. But there is more to human regulatory functions than external feedback. Theorists who view humans as possessing capabilities for self-direction employ research paradigms that shed light on how people can affect their own motivation and actions by exercising self-influence.

Albert Bandura (1925–2021) was a Canadian-American psychologist best known for his contributions to social cognitive theory and his concept of self-efficacy. Born in Mundare, Alberta, Canada, he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of British Columbia and his PhD from the University of Iowa. Bandura spent most of his academic career at Stanford University, where he became one of the most influential psychologists of the twentieth century.

He is widely recognized for the Bobo doll experiments, which demonstrated the importance of observational learning, modeling, and imitation in human behavior. Bandura challenged behaviorist views by emphasizing cognitive processes, personal agency, and reciprocal determinism. His work has had a lasting impact on psychology, education, health, and social sciences.