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- We’ll begin by understanding the social learning theory definition.
- Then, how can we understand the social learning theory in psychology?
- What was Albert Bandura’s social learning theory?
- As we move along, we’ll discuss a few social learning theory examples.
- To conclude, we will look at some social learning theory evaluation points.
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 suggests that learning occurs by observing or imitating others. These behaviours are reinforced through reward and punishment.
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.
This can explain why parental figures or older siblings are often the ideal subjects for learning according to the social learning theory.
- 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.
Can you think of an example of vicarious reinforcement in your own life? Start by considering someone you admire and whose behaviour you often see yourself modelling. Did it reinforce your desire to imitate them when you have seen them succeed?
Fig. 1 - Children often imitate their parents, especially if they look up to them.
Social Learning Theory: What are Mediational Processes
Mediational processes are internal mental cognitive processes or factors that occur in the learning process, and their presence and function determine whether behaviours are acquired.
Social Learning Theory: Mediational Process
It’s important to note that the social learning theory does not suggest that modelling and imitation happen passively. For social learning to occur, a person must be cognitively engaged in the mediational process.
These mediational processes are as follows:
Attention: requires configuring a mental representation of the behaviour by paying attention to its consequences.
Retention: requires storing the observed behaviour in the long-term memory for later retrieval. Imitation is a gradual process and might not occur immediately.
Reproduction: requires a person to have the ability to duplicate the observed behaviour.
Motivation: there should be an expectation to retrieve the same positive reinforcement the model received for replicating the observed behaviour.
Bandura: Social Learning Theory
In psychology, researchers are also interested in how social learning theory works in the context of aggression.
Are children more aggressive when they observe aggressive behaviours? Do they begin to model these behaviours? Who are children most likely to imitate in these situations?
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.
Girls were more likely to imitate behaviour if the model was a female, and the boys would imitate the male model more. The experiment showed that aggressive behaviour is often imitated after a child observes the behaviour.
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.
The experiment showed that behaviour is more likely to be imitated or reproduced when it receives positive reinforcement.
Social Learning Theory: Psychology
Social learning theory can appear in several other areas of psychology, including gender development and eating behaviour.
So how does the social learning theory in psychology apply to how we understand gender development?
From a very young age, children begin to mimic behaviours linked to genders as they start to form their gender identity. These behaviours are often rewarded or punished for these behaviours.
For example, due to gender roles in some societies, females are expected to take on the role of caretaker. When young girls mimic this type of behaviour, such as caring for a baby doll the way their mother cares for their younger sibling, they are more likely to be rewarded for this behaviour than boys.
Similarly, in many cultures, boys may be punished if they cry or show emotion because males are expected to be “tough”, even though showing emotion is a healthy human quality.
We can also use the social learning theory to understand eating behaviour. Eating behaviour is highly influenced by the eating behaviour of those around us. It may also be affected by what the media says is socially acceptable or expected in our eating behaviours.
For many of us, our parents’ eating behaviours also play a major role in how we develop our own eating behaviours.
This may explain why women whose mothers struggled with an eating disorder may be at a higher risk of developing one themselves.
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.
Social scripts are a guide culturally modelled by other members of society.
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?
The Jamie Bulgars case in 1990 was presented in court with support from Bandura’s theory (1961). The murderers were children who confessed that they were influenced and inspired by the movie Child Play 3.
However, these children had a troubled family life, were suspected of having witnessed social violence, and were deprived from a young age.
Have you ever wanted to be as cool as your favourite celebrity and slowly began to change your style to match theirs? Following the same fashion style as your favourite TV stars is an example of the social learning theory. We imitate the behaviour we see around us.
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.
Social Learning Theory - Key takeaways
The social learning theory definition suggests learning occurs by observing or imitating others.
Social learning theory can be considered an arch between the cognitive and behavioural approaches as it combines these different explanations.
Cognitive factors include mediational processes such as attention, retention, reproduction and motivation.
Humans learn through observation and modelling, leading to reinforcement and imitation of observed behaviour.
Methodological evidence was provided by Albert Bandura et al. in 1961 and Bandura and Walter in 1963. Both experiments showed that
The case of Jamie Bulgar in 1990 was presented in court with support from Bandura’s theory (1961).
References
- Fig. 2 - Bobo Doll Deneyi (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bobo_Doll_Deneyi.jpg) by Okhanm (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Okhanm&action=edit&redlink=1) is licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)
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Frequently Asked Questions about Social Learning Theory
What are two limitations of social learning theory?
Two limitations of the social learning theory are that
1) the social learning theory neglects free will and can be too deterministic.
2) human behaviour is complex, and the social learning theory tends to neglect that fact.
What is the main idea of social learning theory?
The main idea of social learning theory suggests that learning occurs by observing or imitating others. It considers behavioural factors and the mediational processes involved in learning.
What are the key concepts of social learning theory?
The main key concepts of social learning theory are:
- Humans learn through observation and imitation. This process is called modelling.
- These modelling behaviours may strengthen or weaken through reinforcement and punishment.
- Humans also experience vicarious reinforcement (or vicarious punishment) in response to modelling behaviour.
What is the social learning theory and example?
Social learning theory suggests learning occurs by observing or imitating others.
Take, for example, the case of Jamie Bulgar (1990), in which the children who committed murder
confessed that they were influenced and inspired by the movie Child Play 3.
What are the four steps in social learning theory?
The four steps in the mediational process in social learning theory are:
- Attention.
- Retention.
- Reproduction.
- Motivation.
What are mediational processes in psychology?
Mediational processes are internal mental cognitive processes or factors that occur in the learning process, and their presence and function determine whether behaviours are acquired.
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