According to psychologists, human behavior is not innate. Instead, psychologists argue that human behavior is influenced by the interaction by both internal and external environmental factors. One of the theories that explain human behavior is the social-cognitive learning theory that was primarily developed by Albert Bandura. The theory is mainly based on the principles of classical conditioning, especially concerning human learning. One of the major assumptions of the theory is that human being can learn by observing others or the environment or through self-experience. At the same time, the theory is based on the notion that learning is an internal process, which may or may not lead to a change in behavior. Besides, sometimes learning does not take place immediately after observation ( Harinie et al ., 2017) . The social-cognitive learning theory explains and helps in understanding human behavior.
One of the major concepts of the theory is the attention process. Bundara argued that attention is the first step in the cognitive learning process. According to the theory, people are likely to pay attention to behaviors that occur in their environment ( Harinie et al ., 2017) . However, for people to imitate behavior, it must attract his or her attention. People are exposed to a lot of behaviors on a daily basis that are not possible to learn. Therefore, only behaviors that can attract attention can be learned. Attention is very important in learning.
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The second concept of the theory is known as retention. It is possible for a behavior to be noticed but not remembered. Also, is not possible to imitate behavior that cannot be remembered ( Harinie et al ., 2017) . Therefore, retention of the observation in the memory is important for learning to take place. Learning takes place when the memory of the behavior is formed that gives the opportunity for it to be performed in later days. The concept of retention is one of the reasons why learning is not always immediate. Retention of observation is important in learning as explained by Bandura when he formulated the theory.
The third major concept is the reproduction, which is the ability of a person to perform a behavior. The imitation of behavior is always limited by the physical abilities of an individual ( Harinie et al ., 2017) . As a result, sometimes people find it hard to reproduce a behavior due to physical inability. Therefore, learning can only take place when a person has a physical and mental ability to perform an observed behavior. For instance, a 90-year-old person may observe people engaging in a rigorous physical exercise. Nonetheless, he or she may not have the physical capability to imitate physical exercise. Hence, reproduction is mainly limited by the physical ability of an individual.
The last important concept is called motivation, which is the will of a person of a person to perform a behavior. Learning a given behavior is influenced by rewards as well as punishment. People are motivated to learn a behavior when the expected rewards are more than the costs ( Harinie et al ., 2017) . Behaviors that are costly are not likely to be learned by people, especially if they are not perceived to be important. Psychologists mainly use the four concepts to explain how human behavior is learned.
How the Theory Contributes to the Understanding of Human Behavior
Social-cognitive learning theory contributes to human behavior in different ways. The first contribution is based on the assumption that people can only learn when they observe something or through their experience. Traditionally, psychologists were divided on how children learn or develop a behavior. However, with the social-cognitive learning theory, it is apparent that children mainly learn through observation ( Erlich & Russ-Eft, 2011) . As a result, the internal and external environment can influence the behavioral development of children, including adults. The theory contributes towards the understanding of how children learn and develop behaviors.
The theory also contributes to contribute to the extent to which learning can result in a change in behavior. Many people learn many things, but they do not change behavior ( Erlich & Russ-Eft, 2011) . Hence, psychologists now understand that exposing children or adults to a particular environment do not result in behavioral change. The mental state of a person is a critical factor that determines the behavioral change. At the same time, the ability to change a behavior is determining the physical ability of a person. The theory helps explaining circumstances under which human behavior can change, especially after learning.
Critical Analysis of the Theory Based on its Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths
One of the major strength of the theory is that it combines both social and cognitive factors in explaining human factors. Unlike other behavioral theories that only rely on social or cognitive factors to explain the process of human learning, the social-cognitive learning theory incorporates both social and cognitive factors ( Burdick, 2014) . Thus, it provides a holistic and comprehensive explanation of human behaviors, which results from learning. The second strength of the theory is the ability to incorporate the role of reward in learning. Proponents of the theory assert that people assess the benefits and costs before deciding to learn or not. Besides, the conclusions of the theory are based on scientific evidence.
Weaknesses
The first weakness of the theory is that it neglects some important areas that are critical to understanding the learning process. Some of the essential areas that are neglected or ignored in theory include conflict, emotion, and maturation. The second weakness of the theory is that it does not explain behavioral differences ( Burdick, 2014) . It focuses on behaviors in general without differentiating them. Thirdly, the theory does not have a clear explanation of what is a reward and punishment. Others may view some of the things that are perceived to be a punishment are rewards.
Human Diversity in Social-Cognitive Learning Theory
The major criticism of the theory is that is not sensitive to human diversity, as it mainly focuses on children and not adults. The main concepts of the theory primarily explain how children learn various behaviors, especially when they are exposed to the external environment ( Hoffmann et al., 2015). However, the concept of motivation, to some extent, explains how adults may be motivated to learn. It is the adults who can adequately assess the risks and rewards before making the final decision to learn a behavior. Also, the theory is sensitive to physical factors that can hinder people from learning a given behavior, which applies to both children and adults. As a result, the theory describes diverse human behavior.
Economic and Social Justice and the Social Cognitive Learning Theory
The theory is compatible with social justice in some ways. It embraces the view that some people can learn certain behaviors while other cannot. One of the main principles of social justice is the recognition of human diversity, especially regarding ability ( Bandura, 2002) . Consequently, the theory can be used to champion for equality or equity in the society. It also recognizes that external factors can influence human behavior. As a result, the behavior of a person should not only be judged through the use of internal environmental factors alone. Nonetheless, the theory is not directly compatible with economic justice.
Conclusion
Social cognitive learning theory is important to understanding how people learn different behaviors. It explains that human behavior is not innate as internal and external environmental factors influence it. Therefore, the theory should be used by psychologists and educationists to understand and explain human behaviors. Besides, it can be used to justify the need for the society to enhance social justice. Understanding how human beings, especially children learn various behaviors is essential to shape the desired behaviors in the society.
References
Bandura, A. (2002). Social cognitive theory in cultural context. Applied psychology , 51 (2), 269- 290.
Burdick, C. L. (2014). The Merits, Limitations, and Modifications of Applying Bandura's Social Learning Theory to Understanding African American Children's Exposure to Violence. American International Journal of Social Science , 3 (50), 183-190.
Erlich, R. J., & Russ-Eft, D. (2011). Applying social cognitive theory to academic advising to assess student learning outcomes. NACADA Journal , 31 (2), 5-15.
Harinie, L. T., Sudiro, A., Rahayu, M., & Fatchan, A. (2017). Study of the Bandura’s Social Cognitive Learning Theory for the Entrepreneurship Learning Process. Social Sciences , 6 (1).
Hoffmann, C. P., Lutz, C., Meckel, M., & Ranzini, G. (2015). Diversity by choice: Applying a social cognitive perspective to the role of public service media in the digital age. International Journal of Communication , 9 (1), 1360-1381.
