The social learning theory has developed our understanding of how individuals are socialized to accept the standards and values of the society that they live in. Socialization occurs through people observing the social and cultural norms around them. Observational learning is especially prevalent in sports. Athletes utilize this type of learning through the advancement of skill, strategy, and performance. Observing the behaviors and actions of my many siblings and peers have helped to shape me as a person. Through observational learning, I developed a clear understanding of the sport of baseball. 

Since the day I was born I sat and watched as my brothers played a myriad of baseball games. I spent countless hours of my childhood traveling from field to field to watch them play. It was more beneficial for me to actively watch, as it made the long nine inning ordeal feel as though they were moving faster. I picked up the language and rules of the sport through the constant viewing of games. I was unconsciously preparing myself for my future in sports. By the time I had begun playing, I had a clear understanding of what I had to do. I understood the concept of outs and runs that many of the other children could not fully grasp in the beginning. When watching others play a sport, individuals begin to gain an understanding of the main concepts of the game. For example, observation aids in the understanding of  “motor skills, strategies, game plans and routines” (Hancock). Constant exposure and viewing of the game will help these aspects to be encoded into the athlete’s memory. This is evident in both team and individual sports. Understanding the rules and skills of the game is a vital aspect of being able to successfully play a sport. Therefore, observational learning plays a large role when learning valuable concepts such as specific techniques and developing essential skills. 

Bandura’s four steps of observational learning: attention, retention, behavior reproduction, and motivation can be applied to sports. (Holladay) By watching the game, attention is being paid to players and their actions. If enough attention is paid, the information can be begin being processed into the viewers memory. As an individual gets more exposure to the game, it increases the likelihood of the actions to be encoded into their long term memory. Once the behavior is encoded, the individual begins to replicate it. Through the use of mirror neurons, an individual can mimic behaviors and develop motor and cognitive skills after watching them. (Gog) This can be seen in sports by the viewer imitating the actions of the players, such as swinging a bat or throwing a ball. This is especially used by coaches when giving demonstrations of a drill. The coach will have the players watch them perform a skill, then the athletes will model it. The individual will repeat the behavior until the desired end result is reached. Therefore, motivation plays a large role in learning to master the skills of a sport. 

There are various mental effects of this type of learning on athletes including “the motivation to change or perform a behavior, coping with fear and anxiety, and cognitions such as self-confidence and self-efficacy such that it may affect physical activity patterns” (Wesch). Watching other successful athletes becomes a motivating factor for other athletes, especially beginners. After years of watching my brothers, I hoped to be just as good as they were. I was always the most motivated to perform well when they were watching. This relates back to Albert Bandura’s idea of self efficacy. Self efficacy refers to an individual’s belief in their own ability to successfully replicate an action or complete a desired task. Self-efficacy plays a vital role in the social learning theory “because it affects whether the person will attempt to perform the potentially rewarding behavior, how much effort the person will exert to perform a behavior, and how long the person may persevere in trying to enact the behavior” (Holladay). Self-efficacy plays a large role in the success of athletes, as they must have confidence in their own abilities to perform well. High anxiety and low self esteem caused by individuals comparing their performance to others has a negative effect on their ability to grow as an athlete. If the individual has the motivation to continue practicing, they will in turn start to master the skill. 

I personally believe that self efficacy component of the theory plays the largest role in being a successful athlete. Aside from baseball, I have watched my siblings play various other sports, such as football, soccer, basketball, and volleyball. I never fully grasped the rules and skills of these games as much as I did with baseball. When watching these sports I was not paying close enough attention to the actions of the athletes to be able to understand and retain what I was viewing. I tried a few of these sports out but I never continued to play them in the long run. My self efficacy was evidently lower when playing these particular sports. I had an unclear understanding of the sports and I was constantly comparing my performance to my siblings. If I had more confidence in my abilities, I believe I could have been more successful while playing these sports. Growing up with six other siblings, however, made it difficult to focus on own performance, rather than their successes. 

Athletes, especially in the beginning of the career, look up to another successful and talented athletes. Aside from my brothers, one of my biggest role models as young softball player was a member of team USA, Jennie Finch. After years of watching my brothers play baseball, it was nice to have a female softball player to look up to. I used to travel hours to attend her clinics, as I hope to be just as good as her one day. She showed my teammate and I how to pitch, hit, and throw properly. Demonstrations played the largest role in facilitating learning through observation for me. They allowed for the opportunity to watch another person perform the activity before completing it on your own. I found this method more effective than simply telling the players what to do. Before starting a drill, the coach or captain would provide an example of the movements and actions needed to be done. My teammates and I would then replicate the demonstration. The majority of practices consisted of following and repeating drills. Even little things such as running the bases, swinging the bat, and throwing the ball were learned through observation. The coaches and players that an individual is learning information from  has a large impact on their success as well. Coaches or athletes that are demonstrating skills incorrectly may negatively impact the athlete that is watching.

It is important to clarify that the social learning theory is not the determining factor for all athletes success. Agility, hand-eye coordination, and the ability to process visual information quickly are large components of this sport that can not be learning easily through observation. Some of the basic motor skills needed are innate and can be improved only through practice and repetition. While the social learning theory may not be the sole reason for my success in the sport, it did play a large role. The theory facilitates the learning and replication of important skills and rules through observation. I grew up in an environment surrounded by and focused on this particular sport. It was evident that my dad was extremely passionate about the sport; this being something that he obtained from his own father. Entering my home you would find gloves, bats, and helmets sprawled out around the house. With that, it would not be unlikely to see my siblings and I playing catch or wiffle ball during our free time. My father was my coach for a large majority of my life, so I practiced a lot of my skills with him. He knew a lot about baseball, but was always looking to expand his knowledge to help us reach our full potential as players. He would stay up watching videos of drills and instructions from other coaches and athletes. I learned a lot of my skills from watching them as well. Practicing with my father placed a large role in understanding the specific skills. If he saw something wrong with my swing or they way I through the ball, he would show me how to fix it. Watching him do it correctly aided in a deeper understanding of my errors and in turn, I was able to fix what was incorrect.

For me, learning how to slide was the most difficult component to master. I had watched a multiple of players sliding into bases, making it look so simple. During one of my brothers games, however, a player slid into the base incorrectly, and got injured. My observations that day led me to develop a fear of doing the same. I began to associate sliding with a negative outcome. I was always scared each time we would do sliding drills during practice. My self efficacy was extremely low when it came to sliding, therefore making it even more arduous. As time progressed and I  watched my teammates successfully slide during games, my self confidence in my own ability grew. My siblings, coaches, and teammates encouraged me to continue practicing my sliding. Through repeated practice and effort, I learned how to slide correctly. As my confidence increased, my chances of successfully sliding increased along with it. It felt good to finally achieve something that others around me did with ease. 

The social learning theory can be used to both facilitate and/or hinder success in sports. Self-efficacy, the belief in one’s ability to succeed, plays the largest role in whether or not an athlete will thrive. With that, the environment an athlete is placed in will have an effect what is learned and what actions are being replicated. After watching my siblings hit home runs my home my entire life, it made me want to achieve that goal even more. When I finally hit my first home run, I was overwhelmed will joy. It was a memorable experience that will stick with me throughout the course of my life. 

 

Works Cited 

Gog, Tamara van, et al. “The Mirror Neuron System and Observational Learning: Implications 

for the Effectiveness of Dynamic Visualizations.” SpringerLink, Springer US, 14 Nov. 2008, link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-008-9094-3#citeas.

Hancock, David J, et al. “A Triadic Comparison of the Use of Observational Learning amongst

Team Sport Athletes, Coaches, and Officials.” Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Elsevier, 16 Nov. 2010, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1469029210001433.

Holladay, Sherry J. “Social Learning Theory.” Encyclopedia of Public Relations, edited by  

Robert L. Heath, 2nd ed., vol. 2, SAGE Reference, 2013, pp. 844-845. Gale Ebooks, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3719500464/GVRL?u=newpaltz&sid=GVRL&xid=426f6361. Accessed 30 Sept. 2019.

Wesch, Natascha N., Barbi Law, and Craig R. Hall. “The use of Observational Learning by 

Athletes.” Journal of Sport Behavior 30.2 (2007): 219-31. ProQuest. Web. 4 Oct. 2019.