Vicarious Reinforcement - The Impact of Cognitive Theory on Human and Computer Development - page 12

Bandura (1977) revealed a positive aspect of reinforcement in learning and human be-
havior. The act of reinforcing consequences serves to provide information to individuals
with regard to what they must do to obtain favorable outcomes and avoid punishing ones.
Even if certain responses receive positive enforcement, the responses may not increase in
frequency if individuals believe reward will not come from the same actions based on other
information (Bandura 1977).
Glasser's view on punishment contrasts with Bandura's in that Glasser viewed punish-
ment as ineffective and unethical in any form (1965). Bandura demonstrated vicarious pun-
ishment is indeed effective. He illustrated a point in a study that indicated an inclination in
children to act less aggressively after watching a video in which models received explicit
punishment for violent behaviors (Bandura 1986).
Bandura and Glasser concurred individuals actively participate in their own develop-
ment; progression primarily develops through the actual effects of one's own behavior.
In social learning, the results of one's own actions are not the sole source of knowledge
(Bandura 1997). The behaviorist view of learning by reinforcement has extended into so-
cial cognitive theory to include learning by observing the actions of others and the conse-
quences of their actions. In Bandura's view, individuals frequently extract learning from
vicarious experience as in the aforementioned example of children watching the punishing
of violent behavior. Bandura (1977) acknowledged by deducing consequences from gener-
alizations they have found to be true, people can derive motivation and knowledge about
things that extend beyond their experiences. Observation of the effects produced by anoth-
er's actions results in a check on one's own thoughts (Bandura 1977).
Bandura (1977) proclaimed cognitive capacities of humans enable them to profit more
extensively from experience than if they were unthinking organisms. In the course of learn-
ing, people not only perform responses but also notice the effects they produce. Through
the process of discrepancy reinforcement, individuals eventually choose successful forms
of behavior and discard ineffectual ones (Bandura 1977). Bandura (1977) posited by ob-
serving the different outcomes of their actions, people tend to develop hypotheses about
which responses are most appropriate in which settings; the acquired information then
serves as a guide for future action.