Social Cognitive Theory

ALBERT BANDURA, PhD (deceased), the most highly cited figure in contemporary psychology, was known internationally for his groundbreaking lines of research on observational learning, behavioral change, moral behavior, and self-efficacy, and for his Social Cognitive Theory of human nature.Daniel Cervone (Editor) is Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He earned his bachelor's degree at Oberlin College, and his Ph.D. at Stanford University, where his graduate advisor was Albert Bandura. In addition to his faculty position at UIC, Dan has been a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and a visiting faculty member at the University of Washington and Sapienza University of Rome. Dan is author of numerous journal and book publications in personality psychology and related fields, including Personality: Theory and Research, 15e (Cervone & Pervin, 2023; Wiley & Sons).

• Author Biography ixForeword xiPreface xxiii1 A Psychology of Human Agency 1On Agency and “Free Will” 2Nonagentic Approaches in Contemporary Psychology 2Agency, Consciousness, and the Brain 3Core Properties of Human Agency 6Forethought 6Self-Reactiveness 6Self-Reflection 7Three Modes of Human Agency 8Causal Processes: Triadic Codetermination 9Triadic Codetermination and Determinism 11The Development of Agency 13Self as Agent 13Construction of Selfhood 14Self Identity 15Agency in Diverse Cultural Settings 16The Growing Primacy of Human Agency in Diverse Spheres of Life 19Growing Primacy of Human Agency in the Process of Coevolution 22Human Agency and the Field of Psychology 252 Social Modeling and Psychological Processes of Observational Learning 27Differentiation of Modeling Phenomena 29“Imitation” and “Identification” 29Modeling 30Prior Explanatory Accounts of Modeling Phenomena 33Social Cognitive Theory of Observational Learning 34Attentional Processes 35Retention Processes 37Motoric Reproduction Processes 40Motivational Processes 41Theoretical Contrasts 43Scope of Modeling Influences 45Language Acquisition 46Moral Judgment 48Gender Development 48Aggression 49Vicarious Affective Learning 513 Perceived Self-Efficacy as a Foundation of Agency 53Exercise of Agency Through Self-Belief of Efficacy 53Concepualizing Self-Efficacy Beliefs 54From Self-Efficacy to Action: A Multiprocess Analysis 55Selection Processes 55Cognitive Processes 57Motivational Processes 58Affective Processes 60Self-Efficacy Causality 64Meta-Analytic Results 64Altering Self-Efficacy Beliefs Directly, Without Enactive Experience 65Relating Self-Efficacy Beliefs to Future Performance While Controlling for Past Performance 69On Self-Efficacy Scales 73Boosting Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Sources of Self-Efficacy Information 76Performance Accomplishments 76Vicarious Experiences 76Verbal Persuasion 77Emotional Arousal and Somatic State 77Organizational Effectiveness 78Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Cognitive Performance Among Older Adults 804 Shaping One’s Future through Self-Regulation 83Three Broad Classes of Motivation 84Goal-Directed Action, Goal Effects, and Goal Theory 86Goal Specificity 86Goal Challenge 87Distal and Proximal Goals 88Self-Referent Processes in Goal Motivation 89Affective Self-Evaluative Reactions 89Perceived Self-Efficacy 89Self-Set Goals 90Documenting the Engagement of Self-Influences in Goal Motivation 91Goal Properties and the Differential Engagement of Self-Processes 95Affective Consequences of Goal Discrepancies 100Self-Regulatory Processes, Education, and Occupational Opportunities 103Self-Efficacy Beliefs, Aspirations, and Career Trajectories 103Aspirational Standards, Achievement Motives, and External Incentives 104Concluding Comment 1065 Morality and the Disengagement of Moral Standards 107Stage Theories of Moral Reasoning 108Hierarchical Moral Superiority 109Evaluating the Claims of Stage Theories 112Social Foundations of Moral Standards 114Multifaceted Nature of Moral Judgment and Action 116Cognitive Conflict as the Automotivator for Change 117Moral Judgment As Application of Multidimensional Rules 121Relation Between Moral Reasoning and Conduct 123Self-Regulatory Mechanisms in Moral Agency 124Psychological Subfunctions in the Self-Regulation of Moral Conduct 124Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Moral Conduct 125Interplay Between Personal and Social Sanctions 126Selective Activation and Disengagement of Moral Standards 128Moral Justification 128Euphemistic Labeling 130Advantageous Comparison 130Displacement and Diffusion of Responsibility 131Disregard or Distortion of Consequences 132Dehumanization 133Assessing the Set of Moral Disengagement Mechanisms 133Power of Humanization 1346 Applying Science for Human Betterment 135Social Cognitive Theory and Health Promotion 135Health Promotion Systems Founded on Self-Regulation Principles 136Health Promotion through Self-Management 137Self-Management of Chronic Diseases 140Internet-Based Health Promotion Systems 141Macrosocial Applications Addressing Urgent Global Problems 142Televised Modeling for Society-Wide Change 143Cultural and Value Analyses 144Elements of Enabling Serials 145Global Applications 146Modification of Consummatory Lifestyles 151Concluding Remarks 152References 153Author Index 193Subject Index 203