social learning theory

• Bandura agreed with behaviourists that behaviour is learnt through experience
• Social Learning Theory


  Explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors
• Basic Assumptions of Social Learning Theory

  • Bandura agreed with behaviourists that much of our behaviour is learnt through experience
  • But his SLT proposed a different way in which people learn - through observation and imitation of others within a social context
  • SLT suggest learning occurs directly through classical and operant conditioning but also indirectly
• Vicarious Reinforcement


  Reinforcement which is not directly experienced, it occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour
• Identification


  People (children) are much more likely to imitate behaviour of people with whom they identify with. These are called role models.
• Modelling


  A person becomes a role model if they are seen to possess similar characteristics to the observer and/or are attractive and have high status, authority, age, gender
• The Role of Mediational Processes in Social Learning Theory

  • Attention: the extent to which we notice certain behaviours
  • Retention: how well the behaviour is remembered
  • Motor reproduction: the ability of the observer to perform the behaviour
  • Motivation: the will to perform the behaviour, which is often determined by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished
• Unlike the behavioural approach, the learning and performance of behaviour don't have to occur together in Social Learning Theory. They can be learnt, stored and then used at a later date.