Social Learning Theory
• we learn through observing and imitating our role models
• Albert Bandura: 1925 - present
• imitation, identification, modeling, vicarious reinforcement, the role of meditational
processes (ARRM)
• Social Learning Theorists say that things take place within the organism that
mediate between stimulus and response
• -> you need to know about the person’s mental processes
• these processes occur between stimulus and response are known as mediational
processes
S
O R
( s= stimulus, o= organism, r= response )
• social learning theory forms a bridge between traditional behaviourism and the
cognitive approach
• assumptions of social learning theory:
- concerned with human rather than animal behaviour
- sees people as active manipulators of their own environment rather than passive
receivers of experiences
- learning occurs indirectly through interpersonal experiences in a social context
through observation and imitation of role models
- > means learning can take place without any direct reinforcement, just by
observing a model’s behaviour and the consequences of that behaviour is
sufficient
• vicarious reinforcement:
- not directly experienced
- occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for behaviour
- a key factor in imitation as whether the behaviour is copied depends on whether
the behaviour will be rewarded or punished
- therefore, people do not need to experience rewards or punishments directly in
order to learn
• types of models:
- Live model = parent, a member of a peer group etc..
- Symbolic model = character in the media
• we learn through observing and imitating our role models
• Albert Bandura: 1925 - present
• imitation, identification, modeling, vicarious reinforcement, the role of meditational
processes (ARRM)
• Social Learning Theorists say that things take place within the organism that
mediate between stimulus and response
• -> you need to know about the person’s mental processes
• these processes occur between stimulus and response are known as mediational
processes
S
O R
( s= stimulus, o= organism, r= response )
• social learning theory forms a bridge between traditional behaviourism and the
cognitive approach
• assumptions of social learning theory:
- concerned with human rather than animal behaviour
- sees people as active manipulators of their own environment rather than passive
receivers of experiences
- learning occurs indirectly through interpersonal experiences in a social context
through observation and imitation of role models
- > means learning can take place without any direct reinforcement, just by
observing a model’s behaviour and the consequences of that behaviour is
sufficient
• vicarious reinforcement:
- not directly experienced
- occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for behaviour
- a key factor in imitation as whether the behaviour is copied depends on whether
the behaviour will be rewarded or punished
- therefore, people do not need to experience rewards or punishments directly in
order to learn
• types of models:
- Live model = parent, a member of a peer group etc..
- Symbolic model = character in the media
