The Theory Of Social Learning Theory

Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory describes the process through which people acquire new info, forms of behavior, or attitudes from others firsthand or vicariously. The likelihood of a behavior presenting itself will rely on the amount of reinforcement it receives and the value that the individual associates to it. While some behavior may be rewarded, others may produce unfavorable responses. An individual will learn from the consequences of these actions and when a similar situation arises, they will alter their behavior according to what was most successful in the past.

Social learning theory, developed by Bandura, discusses how people learn from one another through observation, modeling, and imitation bridging an individual’s attention, memory and motivation. Social learning theory identifies the importance of cognition, observable behavior, individual self-efficacy, and the extent of how the events surrounding an individual affect them; their locus of control. Social learning theory also looks at individual problem behavior being influenced by positive or negative reinforcement (Ashford & LeCroy, 2012).

I have selected this theory primarily because I believe that a great majority of our learning during the course of our entire lives is achieved by observation. Bandura’s social cognitive theory is a learning based on the ideas that people learn by watching what others do and that human thought processes are central to understanding personality. While social cognition experts agree that there is a fair amount of influence on development generated by learned behavior displayed in the environment in which one grows up, they believe that the individual person is just as important in determining moral development. People learn by observing others,

Social learning theory suggests that people learn from one another, this can be through observation, imitation, media and modelling. This theory is often known as the behaviourist theory and cognitive learning theory because it consists of using attention, memory, behaviour and motivation. “Social learning theory advocates that individuals, especially children, imitate or copy modelled behaviour from personally observing others, the environment and the mass media”. (Gray and MacBlain, 2015). This is stating that a child will look up to someone they respect and class them as models, the child may imitate their behaviour and the way they act. If a child’s behaviour is then reinforced the behaviour will occur again. This theory consists of

Cannabis is the most commonly used illicit drug in Australia (NSW Government Health, 2017), with around 1.9 million people using it per year (National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 2010). If a person is caught using, selling or giving cannabis to someone else they can face substantial fines and penalties including a prison sentence. This essay will argue that social learning theory best explains cannabis use in Australia, and other Western nations. I will be outlining the health impacts of cannabis on individuals and showing how socioeconomic status (SES) and age are highly influential factors in determining cannabis use. I will then define social learning theory and argue why it’s the most appropriate theory in explaining cannabis use causation.

There are various different factors that influence aggression in both children and adults. More so, significant research has proven that there are distinct differences between aggression shown by men and women. Aggression is behavior intended to harm another individual, and extreme cases on aggression is called violence. In 2010, 90% of murderers in the United States were male. Numerous researchers have found that the gender differences in aggression are astounding, and that males show aggression a significant amount more than females. These differences are primarily because of what we learn, and what we experience throughout the lifespan. It is true that both males and females learn aggression through learning and experience, but the way

Undergraduates and youths in general have different opinions on the outcome of drinking alcohol alone and mixing it with energy drinks. Their perceptions differ because of the variant experiences the individuals have had for long. There are different articles used in this report that have significant information to the opinions of undergraduates concerning the outcome of drinking alcohol alone and mixing it with energy drinks. This report includes different journal articles with different and relevant information on the mixed consumption of alcohol and energy drinks.

Many theories have been created over the years to explain why not only delinquents but other individuals as well engage in deviant behavior. Social learning theory is one of the most pronounced theories in criminology. As we all may know, there will always be some sort of inappropriate behavior that leads to crime. This theory attempts to figure out what is it that makes people commit these acts. The social learning theory is a theory I believe produces a well-explained reasoning behind why people behave the way they do. This theory states that human behavior is modeled through imitation, observation, and one’s environment.

The Social Learning Theory explains how “violence is learned in the same way that anything else is learned; the process is no different”. This theory examines the ways in which people learn to behave aggressively or violently. Modeling, reinforcing, and imitating the behavior as well as the attitudes are ways in which people learn to act violently. Research show that they tend to act so when they are being rewarded for it, when they observe it, is victimized by it, and when they don’t develop strong enough connections with others. Burgess and Akers go into further detail about this by exploring the exposure to violent media, while Sutherland’s “Differential Association Theory” compares the pro-violence against the pro-social values.

Although a variety of factors are seen to influence alcohol consumption among students (especially college students), peer influence has surfaced to be one of the most dominant predictors of the initiation and continuation of alcohol use in an institution stetting (Borsari and Carey). Through the concept of social learning theory, it is clear that the effectiveness of peer influences is determined by peer relationships. Specifically, modeling and cognitive processes are able to describe how peer relation influences alcohol usage. Modeling occurs when an individual imitates or acquires new behaviors through observation of others (Maisto, Carey and Bradizza). Behaviors that are rewarded are more likely to be mimicked than those that are

Furthermore, criminal behavior is often studied from the point of view of the social learning theory. Thus, Jeffrey (1995) argues that criminal behavior is learned from the social environment. Akers (1990), on the other hand, views criminality from the point of rational choice theory, arguing that social learning is not the only indicator of criminal behavior and that a choice made by a person who is being influenced by their immediate environment can deter from engaging in criminal activity. Building on Akers research, Bradshaw (2011) points out that social learning theory has its limits when it comes to criminology is not applicable many of the types of crime, specifically, corporate and state crime.

This theory is similar to other learning theories in that it encompasses personality and other aspects of social development. Unlike the social exchange theory, which focuses on reinforcement of negative and positive behavior the social learning theory, focuses on observation and initiation. Reinforcement can increase the likelihood for imitation but is not necessary for learning (Siegler, Deloache, & Eisenberg, 2014). Bandura (1989) states that the interchange of positive behaviors between relationships will exhibit trust and growth within the relationship where as the opposite will occur with negative behaviors. Social learning can occur either deliberately or inadverntatly by observing behaviors and the consequences associated with them. “But most aspects of the environment do not operate as an influence until they are activated by appropriate behavior… The aspect of the potential environment that becomes the actual environment for given individuals thus depends on how they behave” (Bandura, 1989). The social learning theory states that people are both the products and producers of their environment. Bandura also statesm “Social learning is a continuous process in which acquired standards are elaborated and modified, and new ones are adopted. Children repeatedly observe and learn the standards and

Children form bonds with their parents from birth, so the idea that social learning theory is a reason that Joe has chosen to play piano is highly likely. This theory states that children see their parents as role models and identify themselves with one or both in order to gain a quality they wish to possess. Children will encode the behaviours they have observed, it has been seen in Bandura’s Bobo doll experiment (1961) that children later imitate behaviour.

In this essay, I will try to evaluate Social learning theory as originated by Albert Bandura. I am going to use three pieces of evidence, in a form of case studies, which have been done previously to support or contradict Bandura’s theory. I will demonstrate my knowledge of these studies throughout their analysis, trying to highlight their strengths and limitations.

Akers and Sellers (2013) has stated that social learning theory is an expanded theory of differential association processes and improves it with differential reinforcement and other principles of the behavior theory. They added classical conditioning (the sharpening of involuntary reflex behavior); discriminative stimuli (internal stimuli that lead to signals for behavior); schedules of reinforcement (rewards and punishment ratio following behavioral feedback); and other theories of behavior (Akers & Sellers, 2013).