Social Learning Theory

Albert Bandura
Social learning theory was proposed by Albert
Bandura in 1977.
The theory emphasizes the importance
of observing, modelling, and imitating
It considers how both environmental and
cognitive factors interact to influence human the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional
learning and behavior. reactions of others.
Bandura agrees with the behaviorist learning
The theory accounts for the interaction of
theories but added two important concepts:
environmental and cognitive elements that affect
Mediating processes occur between stimuli how people learn.
and responses.
The theory suggests that learning occurs because
Behavior is learned from the environment people observe the consequences of other
through the process of observational learning. people's behaviors.

Factors influencing learning: Attention,

Motivation, Attitude, and Emotion,

According to Bandura, people observe behavior either directly through social

interactions with others or indirectly by observing behaviors through media. Actions that
are rewarded are more likely to be imitated, while those that are punished are avoided.

What is Social Learning Theory?

The behaviorists proposed that all learning was a
Bandura's social learning theory
result of direct experience with the environment
through the processes of association and proposed that learning can also occur
reinforcement. simply by observing the actions of
— however, Bandura’s theory believed that direct others.
reinforcement could not account for all types of
learning. People can learn new information and behaviors by
watching other people.

Most human behavior is learned observationally

through modeling

Life would be incredibly difficult and even dangerous if you had to learn everything you
know from personal experience.

Core Concepts at the Heart of Social Learning Theory

Social Learning Theory 1

 • Bobo Doll; Bandura demonstrated that children learn and imitate behaviors they have observed
in other people.
People can learn through
• By watching others, we can learn new behaviors.
observation.
• For example, a child may learn to set the table by watching their parents do it.

• Your own mental state and motivation play an important role in determining whether a behavior
is learned or not.
Mental states are important
• Our thoughts and feelings can influence our learning.
to learning.
• For example, if we believe we can master a new skill, we’re more likely to learn it effectively.

• Learning can be or cannot be immediately obvious.

• Just because we learn something new, it doesn’t mean we’ll change our behavior.
Learning does not
• It depends on various factors like motivation, environment, and belief in one’s abilities.
necessarily lead to
• For example, someone might learn about health benefits of exercise, but that doesn’t mean
behavior change.
they’ll start working out.

Observational Learning
When we learn by observing or watching others. Intrinsic Reinforcement — type of reward that comes
from inside us; a personal sense of satisfaction and
Demonstrates that people can learn new
doesn’t come from outside rewards like money or
information without demonstrating new behaviors.
grades.
It does not even necessarily require watching
— for example, feeling proud after doing well on a test.
another person to engage in an activity.

The Three Basic Models of Observational Learning

Live Model Symbolic Model Verbal Ins. Model

• involves an actual individual • involves real or fictional • involves descriptions and
demonstrating or acting out a characters displaying behaviors in explanations of a behavior.
behavior. books, films, television programs,
or online media.

The Key Factors for Social Learning Success

• Individuals need to pay attention to the behavior

and its consequences and form a mental
representation of the behavior. Little Timmy is in the park with his mom. He sees
• The behavior needs to be noteworthy enough to another child, Billy, tying his shoelaces. Timmy pays
Attention
grab our attention. close attention to how Billy loops, swoops, and pulls
• Attention is crucial for a behavior to influence the laces.
others into imitating it.

• The behavior needs to be well remembered for it

to be imitated.
After they return home from the park, Timmy
• A memory of the behavior should be formed to be
remembers how Billy tied his shoelaces. He recalls
Retention performed later.
the steps in his mind, forming a mental image of the
• Retention is vital as much of social learning is not
process.
immediate.

• Individuals need to have the ability to perform the

behavior that the model demonstrated.
• Physical ability can limit the reproduction of the The next day, Timmy attempts to tie his own
behavior; even if we wish to reproduce the behavior, shoelaces. He tries to reproduce the steps he
Reproduction
we cannot. observed and remembered from Billy. It’s a bit
• The decision to imitate a behavior is influenced by tricky, but he manages to do it after a few tries.
our ability to reproduce it.

Motivation • The will to perform the behavior is essential. Timmy’s mom sees him tying his shoelaces and
• The rewards and punishment following a behavior praises him for learning a new skill. This praise
are considered by the observer. motivates Timmy to keep practicing and perfecting
• If the perceived rewards outweigh the perceived his shoelace-tying skills.

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 costs, the behavior is more likely to be imitated.

Main Concepts of Social Learning Theory

• This is the central concept of the Social Learning Theory.
• It refers to the dynamic and reciprocal interaction of:

a.)
PERSON — individual with a set of learned experiences; comprise of cognition, self-efficacy,
motives, and personality.
Reciprocal Causation Model
(Reciprocal Determinism) b.)
ENVIRONMENT — external social context; comprise of situation, roles, models, and
relationships.

c.)
BEHAVIOR — responses to stimuli to achieve goals; refers to the complexity.

• It refers to a person’s actual ability to perform a behavior, duration, and skill through essential
knowledge and skills.
• To successfully perform a behavior, a person must know what to do and how to do it.
Behavioral Capability
• People learn from the consequences of their behavior, which also affects the environment in
which they live.

• Asserts that people can witness and observe a behavior conducted by others, and then
reproduce those actions.
• This is often exhibited through the
Observational Learning “modeling” of behaviors.
• If individuals see a successful demonstration of a behavior, they can also complete the
behavior successfully.

• It refers to the internal or external responses to a person’s behavior that affect the likelihood of
continuing or discontinuing the behavior.
• Can be
external or internal and can be positive or negative.
• If a child wants approval from parents or peers, this approval is an external reinforcement, but
feeling happy about being approved of is an internal reinforcement.
Reinforcements
• A child will behave in a way which it believes will earn approval because it desires approval.
• Positive (or negative) reinforcement will have little impact if the reinforcement offered
externally does not match with an individual’s needs.
• The important factor is that reinforcement will usually lead to a
change in a person’s behavior.

• These refer to the anticipated consequences of a person’s behavior.

•
Outcome Expectations — can be health-related or not health-related.
• People anticipate the consequences of their actions before engaging in the behavior, and
these anticipated consequences can influence successful completion of the behavior.
Expectations
•
Expectations — derive largely from previous experience.
• While expectancies also derive from previous experience, expectancies focus on the
value that is placed on the outcome and are subjective to the individual.

• It refers to the level of a person’s confidence in his or her ability to successfully perform a
behavior.
• Self-efficacy is unique to SCT, although other theories, such as the Theory of Planned
Self-Efficacy Behavior, have added this construct at later dates.
• It is influenced by a person’s specific capabilities and other individual factors, as well as by
environmental factors (barriers and facilitators).

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