SocialLearningTheory



Social learning theory was a theory developed by Albert Bandura. The theory combines both cognitive learning theory and behavioral learning theory. There are four main focuses of the theory: observation, retention, reproduction, and motivation. Observation is the beginning of a modeling process. Someone learns vicariously by observing another person, modeling, enacting a particular behavior or task. Retention of the observation must occur to learn what was being observed. If the observer retains the information from the observation, that person can reproduce the behavior or task that was observed. The last focus of the theory is motivation. One must have some type of motivation to want to enact the behavior or task learned via observation.

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Bandura’s famous Bobo Doll is a perfect example of modeling. First, children observe adults playing aggressively with a Bobo Doll. Then, the children retain the aggressiveness of the adults that was observed. Next, the children are placed in a room with a Bobo Doll. They reproduce the same aggressiveness towards the doll that was seen by the adults. The children were being motivated to display aggressiveness. There is some critique against the children being motivated to show aggressiveness. Some believe that the children may have just been trying to please the adults by reproducing the actions observed by the adults.

Created by Dominic Giamattei on March 29, 2013

=Webliography= [|Bandura's Bobo Doll Experiment]

Social Learning Theory from Learning-Theories

Social Learning Theory with Use of Reinforcement for Motivation