The image contains a small graphic, and below it, a diagram showing the relationship between cognition, environment, and behavior. Text under the title reads: “Social-cognitive theorists rejected behaviorists’ exclusive focus on observable behavior. Acknowledging that personality may be shaped through learning, social-cognitive theorists such as Albert Bandura also emphasized the roles of cognition and environmental influences on behavior. Bandura’s theory of reciprocal determinism shows how cognition, behaviors, and the environment all interact to determine our personality.” The graphic is immediately underneath it, and consists of a right-pointing arrow with three labeled points along it. The labels read as follows, left to right:
Text in the graphic, at the right end of the arrow, reads as follows: ‘Behaviorists believe personality is the compilation of behaviors shaped through a lifetime of learning. A child who receives reinforcement for studying and effort in school will repeat this behavior, eventually exhibiting the personality characteristic “studious.”’ Underneath the graphic is the diagram, in which cognition, behavior, and environment are all shown as text boxes, which are connected to each other by arrows. There are two labeled arrows pointing between each of the three boxes, one in each direction. The text box for cognition reads “Thinking about behaviors and what they have led to in the past creates expectancies, predictions about what future outcomes will result from a behavior. When we recognize that past efforts to study usually resulted in good grades, we will expect that studying will lead to good grades in the future. Bandura calls this learned expectation of success self-efficacy.” Inside of the box is a photograph of a college student, who is thinking “I succeed because I am a studious person.” The text box for environment reads as follows: “The environment can include the college you choose, the major you select, the classes you enroll in, and also the culture where you are a student. For example, in Chinese classrooms, struggle is assumed to be part of the learning process. However, in Western classrooms, struggle is often seen as a sign of lower ability (Li, 2005; Schleppenbach, Flevares, Sims, & Perry, 2007). The culture you live in—your environment—can influence how you think about your own skills and behaviors, and how hard you work at something that is difficult for you.” The text box for behavior reads: “Reinforced behaviors become more consistent over time. When an instructor praises our participation in class, that reinforcement will lead us to participate again. We also learn by observing others’ behaviors. If our classmates form a study group that helps them better understand the material, we may learn to adopt that technique.” The arrow running from behavior to cognition reads “Prior experiences create expectancies.” A thought bubble attached to the arrow reads “When I study, I get good grades.” The arrow running from cognition to cognition to behavior reads “Expectancies influence behavior.” A thought bubble attached to the arrow reads “I get good grades when I study, so I will continue to do this.” The arrow running from behavior to environment reads “Behavior influences environment.” Text in an attached thought bubble reads “I study hard and am a successful student, so I’ve chosen to go to college.” The arrow running from environment to behavior reads “Environment influences behavior.” Text in an attached thought bubble reads “I’m a college student now, so I need to spend more time studying.” The arrow running from environment to cognition reads “Environment influences expectancies.” Text in an attached thought bubble reads “I am in college, so I can handle a busy schedule like other college students.” The arrow running from cognition to environment reads “Expectancies influence the environment you seek out.” Text in an attached thought bubble reads “I will apply to college because I can succeed there.”