The theory of self-efficacy is fundamental to understanding social cognitive learning, because it implies that the process of using this theory creates greater confidence. Since individuals learn from their cultural environment, it is imperative to construct a positive enforcing messages through the educational process to ensure that individuals feel that they can accomplish any and all given tasks. A contextual example of the social cognitive learning model can be seen in the case of student as in the provided example. As is a student who feels no self-efficacy when it comes to mathematics, despite numerous opportunities to learn from math, he has taken no opportunities to improve himself. When questioned he clearly asserts that he cannot learn math, something that appears counterintuitive from an observer's perspective but is a very real and tangible problem for as. There are two ways that this result could have arisen defined in the context of social cognition. The physical environment that he is in would have been the most profound affect on him. His parents could have been both bad at mathematics, thus failing to teach him at an early age how to perform numbers. As a result, he would have had no self-efficacy at an early age in mathematics and thus this will have a negative modeling affect on both his perception and his behavior. From a perception basis, he automatically perceives all math problems as...

His behavior is also affected because now he has a negative response to the thought of math in general. As a result, he will automatically respond in both an emotional and physical way to not do math or eliminate the problem before it begins. Another explanation for this situation is that as may have failed previous tests at an early age and continued to do so for a long duration.
As a result, his self-efficacy was destroyed through the educational process and he no longer believes in his own abilities. This environmental factor would have profoundly influenced his perception because he now automatically perceives that all math tests are beyond him and he has little confidence in his ability to learn the material. Which means that he automatically shuts off the part of him that will attempt to learn or perceive mathematics or the teaching environment? His behavior is also subsequently influenced so that he appears bored, unfocused and generally reluctant to learn about math.

The theory of social cognition shows that learning must take place within the congruence of three separate factors, our environment, behavior and perception. The implicit impact of any of these factors upon any other will have a profound impact on how individuals learn.