Social Learning Theory

• SLT agrees with behaviourism in the way that behaviour is learned from experience, however it proposed a different way in which people learn - through observation and imitation. SLT suggests that learning occurs directly and indirectly through classical and operant conditioning.
• What is vicarious reinforcement?

  Vicarious reinforcement occurs when someone observes another person being rewarded for their behaviour. This may cause the observer to imitate the other person.
• What are the four meditational processes?

  1. Attention (the extent to how we notice certain behaviours)
  2. Retention (how well the behaviour is remembered)
  3. Motor reproduction (the ability of the observer to perform the behaviour
  4. Motivation (the will to perform the behaviour)
• SLT is typically described as the 'bridge' between Behaviourist theory and cognitive theory as it focuses on how mental factors (cognitive) are involved in learning. These mental factors intervene in the learning process to determine whether a new response is acquired.