Social learning theory

• Observational learning involves watching someone else perform a behavior and then imitating it without any reinforcement from the environment.
• Bandura's social cognitive theory emphasizes that behavioral change occurs when an individual perceives the consequences of their actions as well as the modeled behavior itself.
• Social learning is the process by which individuals acquire new behaviors, attitudes, or values through observing others.
• Bandura's Bobo Doll experiment demonstrated that children can acquire aggressive behaviors through observing others, even if they are not directly reinforced or punished.
• Social learning theory


  The idea that we learn through observation and imitation
• Imitation process


  1. Model performs the behavior

  2. Observer actively focuses on it

  3. Observer copies it
• Imitation is most likely to happen

  • When the observer admires the model
  • When the observer perceives themselves as similar to the model (same gender or age)
  • When the observer witnesses vicarious reinforcement (model being rewarded)
• Plenty of studies back up the idea of social learning theory and the idea that imitation is more likely when the observer is the same gender as the model
• Levels of aggression in twins

  More similar in identical twins than non-identical twins, so genetics are more likely to be the cause than learning from people around them
• Despite this, social learning theory can be used to explain the development of aggressive behavior
• If a child observes aggression


  They are able to learn this behavior themselves through imitation
• Advertisers use social learning theory to influence customers
• How advertisers use social learning theory

  • Use a model who is similar to their target market
  • Use celebrities that consumers admire
• Social learning theory can explain how gendered behaviour is passed between generations as children observe and imitate the behavior of their parents
• Children are more likely to imitate a parent of the same gender