Social Learning Theory

Social Learning Theory (SLT) was proposed by Albert Bandura (1925--2021) and represents a bridge between traditional behaviourism and the cognitive approach. While SLT agrees with behaviourists that behaviour is learned from the environment, it differs in two crucial ways: it emphasises observational learning (learning by watching others) and acknowledges the role of cognitive (mediational) processes in learning.

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Key Assumptions

1. People learn behaviour through observation and imitation of role models, not just through direct conditioning.
2. Mediational (cognitive) processes occur between observing a behaviour and deciding whether to imitate it.
3. Learning can occur without a change in behaviour — someone may learn a new behaviour but not perform it until the appropriate situation arises.
4. Behaviour, personal factors, and the environment all interact — this is known as reciprocal determinism.

Key Definition: Social Learning Theory — a theory that proposes people learn behaviour through observation, imitation, and modelling, with cognitive mediational processes playing a key role in determining whether observed behaviour is reproduced.

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Bandura's Bobo Doll Studies (1961, 1963)

Study 1: Bandura, Ross & Ross (1961)