Social learning theory

• Social learning theory


  Individuals learn behavior through observation and reinforcement
• Social learning theory


  • Individuals copy or imitate the behavior of another person through a process known as modeling
  • Individuals witness other people performing the behavior and perceive that behavior to be socially desirable
  • This is referred to as vicarious learning
• Bobo doll study


  Experiment conducted by Albert Bandura to discover the impact of young children being exposed to adults modeling violent behavior towards a Bobo doll
• Bobo doll study


  1. Children observed an adult of either the same sex or opposite sex interacting with the Bobo doll

  2. Children were then given the opportunity to interact with the doll themselves
• Groups in Bobo doll study


  • Group 1: Observed an aggressive model
  • Group 2: Observed a non-aggressive model
  • Control group: No modeling behavior displayed
• Children observed an aggressive role model

  More physical aggression towards the Bobo doll
• Rewarding the model for aggressive behavior


  Greater levels of aggression in children
• Vicarious reinforcement


  Children were more likely to copy aggressive behavior if they saw somebody being rewarded for it
• Bandura's study fails to take into account that there were no consequences of attacking the Bobo doll, but in real life there are consequences for committing crimes
• Strengths of Bandura's study


  • Proposes that criminality and other behaviors can be learned directly from watching other people who commit crime and observing them receive rewards
  • Used scientific research methods, manipulated variables, and used control groups to measure behaviors
• Limitations of Bandura's study


  • Explanation was deterministic, assuming we have no free will and will blindly copy what we see
  • Fails to explain how people who have not witnessed crimes could commit crime
  • Fails to explain why those who have witnessed crimes and seen the rewards of crime do not commit crime