Social-Cognitive Theory Social Cognitive Theory stemmed out of work in the area of social learning theory proposed by Miller and Dollard in Humans are motivated to learn particular behaviors that are learned through clear observations. By imitating these observed actions the individual observer would solidify that learned action and would be rewarded with positive reinforcement. The proposition of social learning was expanded upon and theorized by American psychologist Albert Bandura working in the 1960s. The theorists most commonly associated with social cognitive theory are Albert Bandura and Walter Mischel.

Social cognitive theory A learning theory based on the ideas that people learn by watching what others do and that human thought processes are central to understanding personality. While social cognitists agree that there is a fair amount of influence on development generated by learned behavior displayed in the environment in which one grows up, they believe that the individual person (and therefore cognition) is just as important in determining moral development.

Morality and Personality Social cognitive theory emphasizes a large difference between an individual's ability to be morally competent and morally performing. Moral competence - the ability to perform a moral behavior. Moral performance - indicates actually following one's idea of moral behavior in a specific situation. Moral competencies include: what an individual is capable of what an individual knows what an indivual's skills are an individual's awareness of moral rules and regulations an individual's cognitive ability to construct behaviors

Identification and Self-Efficacy Albert Bandura also stressed that the easiest way to display moral development would be via the consideration of multiple factors, be they social, cognitive, or enviornmental. The relationship between these three factors provides even more insight into the complex concept that is morality. Identification between the observer and the model and if the observer also has a good deal of self-efficacy. Self-efficacy beliefs function as an important set of proximal determinants of human motivation, affect, and action [which] operate on action through motivational, cognitive, and affective intervening processes. Identification allows the observer to feel a one-to-one connection with the individual being imitated and will be more likely to achieve those imitations if the observer feels that they have the ability to follow through with the imitated action.