Social Foundations of Thought and Action

Description

 1. Models of Human Nature and Casualty.

 2. Observational Learning.

 3. Enactive Learning.

 4. Social Diffusion and Innovation.

 5. Predictive Knowledge and Forethought.

 6. Incentive Motivators.

 7. Vicarious Motivators.

 8. Self-Regulatory Mechanisms.

 9. Self-Efficacy.

10. Cognitive Regulators.

References.

Index.

• compares the psychodynamic, trait, behavioristic, and social cognitive approaches to the understanding of human behavior.

• presents a conceptualization of social diffusion and innovation combining modeling theory and social network theory.

• analyzes the psychological mechanisms by which vicarious influences affect human through, emotion, and motivation.

• provides a comprehensive treatment of how people’s perceptions of their capabilities to control events in their lives affect their behavior, perseverance in the face of difficulties, stress reactions, and thought patterns.

Presents a comprehensive theory of human motivation and action from a social-cognitive perspective. This insightful text addresses the prominent roles played by cognitive, vicarious, self-regulatory, and self-reflective processes in psychosocial functioning; emphasizes reciprocal causation through the interplay of cognitive, behavioral, and environmental factors; and systematically applies the basic principles of this theory to personal and social change.