Key Takeaways
- Social learning theory works by showing how people learn through observation, modeling, and imitation.
- Learning through observation depends on key factors such as attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation.
Social learning theory explains how people learn by watching others and noticing the outcomes of their actions. It focuses on how we pick up new behaviors and information through observation, imitation, and social cues, not just through direct experience. This framework can help us understand why rewarded behaviors spread in groups and why people often model behavior on what they see in everyday life and in the media.
Basic Principles of Social Learning Theory
What Is Social Learning Theory?
Social learning theory, introduced by psychologist Albert Bandura, suggests that much learning occurs through observation. Instead of relying only on direct experience or trial-and-error, we watch what other people do, notice the outcomes, and use that information to guide our own actions.
This process accounts for the interactions between environmental influences (what we see) and cognitive factors (what we think, remember, and expect) that affect how people learn.
Bandura emphasized that learning is influenced by key factors, including:
- Attention (noticing the behavior)
- Retention (remembering what we saw)
- Reproduction (being able to imitate it)
- Motivation (wanting to reproduce the behavior due to rewards or consequences)
According to this framework, behaviors that we see being rewarded, either in real life or in the media, become more likely to be learned and repeated. Those that result in negative or undesirable outcomes are less likely to be copied.
This distinguishes social learning theory from behavioral theories, which suggest that all behaviors are learned through conditioning, and cognitive theories, which consider psychological influences such as attention and memory.
How Bandura Developed His Theory
During the first half of the 20th century, the behavioral school of psychology became a dominant force. The behaviorists proposed that all learning was a result of direct experience with the environment through the processes of association and reinforcement. Bandura believed that direct reinforcement could not account for all types of learning.
For example, children and adults often learn things with which they have no direct experience. Even if you have never swung a baseball bat in your life, you would probably know what to do if someone handed you a bat and told you to try to hit a baseball. This is because you have seen others perform this action either in person or on television.
While behavioral theories of learning suggested that all learning results from associations formed through conditioning, reinforcement, and punishment, Bandura’s social learning theory proposed that learning can also occur simply by observing the actions of others.
His theory added a social element, arguing that people can learn new information and behaviors by watching other people. Known as observational learning, this type of learning can be used to explain a wide variety of behaviors, including those that often cannot be accounted for by other learning theories.
Key Components of Social Learning
There are three core concepts at the heart of social learning theory:
- People learn by observing others.
- Internal mental states influence this process.
- Not all learning leads to changes in behavior.
People Can Learn Through Observation
One of the best-known experiments in the history of psychology involved a doll named Bobo. Bandura demonstrated that children learn and imitate behaviors they have observed in other people.
The children in Bandura’s studies observed an adult acting violently toward a Bobo doll. When the children were later allowed to play in a room with the Bobo doll, they began to imitate the aggressive actions they had previously observed.
Bandura identified three basic models of observational learning:
- A live model involves an actual individual demonstrating or acting out a behavior.
- A symbolic model involves real or fictional characters displaying behaviors in books, films, television programs, or online media.
- A verbal instructional model involves descriptions and explanations of a behavior.
As you can see, observational learning does not even necessarily require watching another person to engage in an activity. Hearing verbal instructions, such as listening to a podcast, can lead to learning. We can also learn by reading, hearing, or watching the actions of characters in books and films.
It is this type of observational learning that has become a lightning rod for controversy as parents and psychologists debate the impact that pop culture media has on kids. Many worry that kids can learn bad behaviors such as aggression from violent video games, movies, television programs, and online videos.
Mental States Are Important to Learning
Bandura noted that external reinforcement was not the only factor influencing learning and behavior. He also realized that reinforcement does not always come from outside sources.
One’s own mental state and motivation play an important role in determining whether a behavior is learned or not.
He described intrinsic reinforcement as a form of internal rewards, such as pride, satisfaction, and a sense of accomplishment. This emphasis on internal thoughts and cognitions helps connect learning theories to cognitive developmental theories. While many textbooks place social learning theory with behavioral theories, Bandura himself describes his approach as a ‘social cognitive theory.’
Learning Does Not Necessarily Lead to Change
So, how do we determine when something has been learned? In many cases, learning can be seen immediately when the new behavior is displayed. For example, when you teach a child to ride a bicycle, you can quickly determine if learning has occurred by having the child ride his or her bike unassisted.
But sometimes we can learn things even when that learning might not be immediately obvious. While behaviorists believed that learning led to a permanent change in behavior, observational learning demonstrates that people can learn new information without demonstrating new behaviors.
Verywell / JR Bee
What Makes Social Learning Effective?
It is important to note that not all observed behaviors are effectively learned. Why not? Factors in both the model and the learner can influence whether social learning is successful. Specific requirements and steps must also be followed.
The following steps are involved in the observational learning and modeling process:
- Attention: To learn, you need to pay attention. Anything that distracts your attention will hurt observational learning. If the model is interesting or the situation has a novel aspect, you are far more likely to devote your full attention.
- Retention: The ability to store information is also an essential part of the learning process. Retention can be affected by several factors, but the ability to pull up information later and act on it is vital to observational learning.
- Reproduction: Once you have paid attention to the model and retained the information, it is time to actually perform the behavior you observed. Further practice of the learned behavior leads to improvement and skill advancement.
- Motivation: For observational learning to be successful, you have to be motivated to imitate the modeled behavior.
Reinforcement and punishment play an important role in motivation. While experiencing these motivators can be highly effective, so can observing others experience reinforcement or punishment. For example, if you see another student rewarded with extra credit for being to class on time, you might start to show up a few minutes early each day.
Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Fortunately, most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others, one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions, this coded information serves as a guide for action.
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ALBERT BANDURA – 1977
How We Use Social Learning in Everyday Life
- Understanding aggression: It can help researchers understand how aggression and violence might be transmitted through observational learning. By studying media violence, researchers can gain a better understanding of the factors that might lead children to act out the aggressive actions they see portrayed on television and in the movies.
- Teaching positive behaviors: Social learning can also be utilized to teach people positive behaviors. Researchers can use social learning theory to investigate how positive role models can encourage desirable behaviors and facilitate social change.
- Improving classroom learning: Teachers can help students by modeling behaviors like problem-solving and reading strategies. Techniques that rely on observation, such as collaborative learning, guided practice, and peer modeling, are all rooted in social learning theory.
- Reducing anxiety: Watching others face feared situations might help people who are dealing with anxiety or phobias gradually become less fearful.
In addition to influencing other psychologists, Bandura’s social learning theory has had important implications in the field of education. Today, both teachers and parents recognize how important it is to model appropriate behaviors. Other classroom strategies, such as encouraging children and building self-efficacy, are also rooted in social learning theory.
As Bandura observed, life would be difficult and even dangerous if you had to learn everything you know from personal experience. Observing others plays a vital role in acquiring new knowledge and skills. By understanding how social learning theory works, you can gain a greater appreciation for the powerful role that observation plays in shaping the things we know and the things we do.
