Triadic Reciprocal Causation and Social Learning Theory: How Environmental Factors Influence Personal Factors in Behavioral Interactions

Ella is at the grocery store with her 5-year-old daughter, Kirsten. Kirsten sees a colorful box of sugary cereal and asks if they can buy it. When Ella says no, Kirsten begins to whine, repeatedly asking “why not” and saying “but I WANT it.” Ella is afraid that Kirsten will have a full-blown tantrum in the store, and she carefully weighs the benefits of buying the cereal, just this once. From the perspective of triadic reciprocal causality, the best example of how environmental factors influence personal factors in this scenario is:

Ella’s motivation to calm her daughter was affected by the fact they were in the grocery store.

Triadic reciprocal causation refers to the interactions between personal, environmental, and behavioral factors. In this scenario, the environmental factor is Ella’s decision whether to buy the sugary cereal, and the personal factor is Kirsten’s desire to have it. These factors interact with Kirsten’s behavior of whining and Ella’s fear of a tantrum.

One example of how environmental factors influence personal factors in this scenario is through the concept of modeling, which is a central concept in social learning theory. If Ella were to give in to Kirsten’s whining and buy the sugary cereal, Kirsten would learn that this behavior is effective and may be more likely to repeat it in the future. On the other hand, if Ella were to stand firm and not buy the sugary cereal, Kirsten would learn that this behavior is not effective and may be less likely to repeat it in the future.

Therefore, the best example of how environmental factors influence personal factors in this scenario is through modeling. Ella’s decision whether to buy the sugary cereal affects Kirsten’s personal desire for it, and the outcome of this interaction will influence Kirsten’s behavior in the future.

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