What are the strengths and weaknesses of social-cognitive theory?

Answer 1

The strengths and weaknesses of Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory can be broken down into two categories...

Positive Reinforcement:

The action mimicked by the observer is a positive one, therefore the action may be

reward able

or commended by others.

Punishment:

The action mimicked by the observer is negative and may offend or harm others, thereby leading to a form of punishment.

Basically the main strength AND weakness of Social/Observational learning depends on the model. If the model is producing a behavior that is appropriate, responsible and positive overall, the observer will mimic that positive good behavior. So, as future educators, we need to be constantly aware of how we present ourselves and of our actions. If Bandura's theory is correct, that means the things we do are under constant watch by our students.