SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY McKenna Pullen October 30, 2014 H571

Introduction Linda example Continuing the Key Constructs Outcome expectations Goal formation Sociostructural factors Reciprocal Triadic Causation TTI

Meet Linda Linda is 30 years old, and just left an appointment with her doctor where she received the news that she is pre-diabetic. Linda is considered obese (BMI of 31), and her fasting blood glucose levels are very high Her doctor recommended immediately beginning a weight loss strategy, and becoming physically active to avoid a diabetes diagnosis.

Outcome Expectations Before behavior change occurs, there must be a sufficiently strong belief that the health behavior will “pay off” Vicarious learning Positive outcome may be experienced immediately

Outcome expectations Social environment important in shaping perceived outcome expectations Short-term vs. long-term benefits Efforts to create highly observable, short-term outcomes Can also include negative perceptions

Outcome Expectations Highly observable outcomes Outcomes are long-termOutcomes are short-term Outcomes are not observable

Expectancies vs. expectations Expectancies “nices”- expectancies include the personal evaluation of anticipated outcome Reinforcement can be positive or negative Always involves an increase in the behavior Extrinsic or intrinsic Use extrinsic reinforcement only as an initial method Similar to attitude formation in TRA/TPB

Level of motivation Perceived self-efficacy + outcome expectations Answers two questions: “Will adopting the health-protective behavior reliably lead to a valued outcome?” “Can I realistically perform the necessary behaviors?” How is this similar to behavioral intent?

Goal Formation Behavior change is best achieved by breaking goals down into a progressive series of subgoals Diabetes example Daily diet-related subgoals defined by measurable behaviors Success can be measured every day Subgoals serve to enhance perceived self-efficacy and expectancies, motivating continued behavior that will eventually lead to the long-term decline in blood sugar levels

Sociostructural Factors The world people live in enables and limits their ability to effectively engage in goal-directed behavior Similarities with Perceived Behavioral Control in TPB

Reciprocal Triadic Causation The single most important aspect of SCT as applied to health promotion Environment Any social, economic, policy, legal, or physical influence on behavior Collective self-efficacy Person The sum of all cognitive attributes Behavior People’s cognitions will dictate their behavior Reciprocality

Reciprocal Triadic Causation Environment Person Behavior

13 DECISIONS/INTENTIONS SOCIAL S ITUATION BIOLOGY/ P ERSONALITY THE THEORY OF TRIADIC INFLUENCE ATTITUDES TOWARD THE BEHAVIOR SOCIAL NORMATIVE BELIEFS Trial Behavior EXPERIENCES: Expectancies -- Social Reinforcements -- Psychological/Physiological SELF-EFFICACY BEHAVIORAL CONTROL Nurture/CulturalBiological/Nature Intrapersonal StreamSocial/Normative StreamCultural/Attitudinal Stream Distal Influences Proximal Predictors Levels of Causation Ultimate Causes Social/ Personal Nexus Expectancies & Evaluations Affect and Cognitions Decisions Experiences a b c d e f g h i j k m n o p q r s t u v w x Related Behaviors J K C F I B E H A D G CULTURAL E NVIRONMENT

Follow-up with Linda Given what we learned about her, do you think she will be successful in sticking with her goals?