Social Learning Theory

Social Learning Theory: Definition

This may be the first time you’ve learned about the social learning theory, but chances are, it’s not the first time you’ve noticed this phenomenon. So what is the social learning theory definition?

The social learning theory can be considered an arch between the cognitive and behavioural approaches. It considers behavioural factors and the mediational processes involved in learning.

Social Learning Theory: Key Processes

Several key processes occur according to the social learning theory.

• Humans learn through observation and imitation. This process is called modelling.

  • We are more likely to model the behaviour of people we perceive as admirable, successful, or similar to ourselves.

• These modelling behaviours may strengthen or weaken through reinforcement and punishment (i.e. if a child is rewarded for their modelling behaviour, that behaviour increases and vice versa if they are punished).
• Humans also experience vicarious reinforcement (or vicarious punishment) in response to modelling behaviour.
  • When we observe someone we look up to or view as similar to ourselves succeed, our brain’s reward systems are also activated, almost as if we share their success vicariously.

Bandura: Social Learning Theory

In psychology, researchers are also interested in how social learning theory works in the context of aggression.

To answer these questions, Albert Bandura designed several studies to test the social learning theory in aggression. Here is what he found.

Albert Bandura (1961) - the Bobo Doll Study

Albert Bandura (1961) conducted a lab experiment that included 36 girls and 36 boys. All the children were in the age group of 3-6 years and divided into three groups.

• Group 1: 12 boys and 12 girls were exposed to a model hitting an inflatable “bobo” doll with a hammer and shouting at it.

• Group 2: 12 boys and 12 girls were exposed to a model displaying non-aggressive behaviour towards the doll, such as verbally abusing the doll.

• Group 3: 12 girls and 12 boys were not exposed to any model (placebo group).

The children were taken to a room with a Bobo doll and various toys. The researchers asked them not to do anything to check and trigger the arousal of aggression among children.

Each child was then taken to a separate room containing a bobo doll, a hammer and pistol (aggressive tool), farm animals and pencils (non-aggressive tools).

The study found:

• Group 1 imitated the model by showing more aggression towards the doll than the other two groups.
• Boys were more physically aggressive towards the doll compared to girls.
• Verbal aggression among both genders was similar.

Fig. 2 - The bobo doll experiment highlighted how children imitate aggressive behaviours.

Bandura and Walter (1963)

In 1963, Bandura and Walter repeated Bandura’s experiment but slightly changed it.

The children were exposed to an aggressive model who also had to face the consequences of their behaviour.

• Group 1: children were exposed to an aggressive model and praised for their behaviour.

• Group 2: children were exposed to an aggressive model and punished for their behaviour.

• Group 3: children were exposed to an aggressive model who received no consequences for their behaviour.

These children were allowed to play around and were observed. Group 1 showed the most aggression, followed by group 3. Group 2 was the least aggressive on the scale.

Social Learning Theory: Psychology

Social learning theory can appear in several other areas of psychology, including gender development and eating behaviour.

Social Learning Theory: Examples

Examples of the social learning theory aren’t hard to find. A major example of the social learning theory is one that nearly all of us interact with daily – the media.

The media is a primary source of how we learn social scripts.

The social learning theory helps explain why. It’s easy to notice in young children. Have you ever seen a young child copy and mimic their favourite character in their favourite movie? To some degree, many of us learn what’s expected of us in our culture through the media, such as television, movies and social media.

But what are some examples of how the media can negatively influence behaviours according to the social learning theory?

Fig. 3 - We carry the influence of social media in our pockets.

Social Learning Theory Evaluation

The social learning theory is powerful and influential in the field of psychology. However, it has its critics. So how can we evaluate the social learning theory?

Pros -

• Compared to conditioning, social learning theory presents a more comprehensive example of human behaviour that considers cognitive factors such as mediational processes, so it can be considered more holistic.

• Social learning theory may explain the influence of media on human behaviour, which is beneficial for us to understand the role it plays in society, i.e. positive or negative.

• It helps explain cultural differences in determining human behaviour because people imitate the behaviours they are exposed to.

Cons -

• The entire sample of the experiments was children; if the experiments included adults, the results might have been different as the adults have more developed and complex moral values than children. This suggests the research is non-representative and lacks generalisability.

• Both these experiments were lab-controlled, which implies that children might not have reacted the same way in real life, as at such an age, children’s behaviour can be guided or tamped down by their parents. The experiments can be considered to lack ecological validity due to this.

• Biological factors such as high testosterone hormone levels might involve involvement, which may explain why boys showed more aggression than girls; therefore, the research can be considered too simplistic.