Social Learning Theory

Social Learning Theory

1. Nomothetic - Similarities between people are more important than differences

2. Nuture - Individuals learn their behaviour, however SLTs assume that the capacity for observational learning is innate

3. Reductionist - Behaviour is explained in terms of relatively simple fundamental processes of learning

4. Scientific - Its principles are based on Bandura's lab experiments

5. Reciprocal determinism - Behaviour partly creates the environment and the resultant environment, in turn, influences the behaviour

6. Assumptions

   • Combines behaviourist and cognitive principles
   • Imitation of a model's behaviour is a key idea
   • Behaviour occurs due to observation and expectancy

7. Evaluation

   • Strengths: adds to the principles of beh.; less deterministic + reductionist than beh.; explains specific imitation; can explain development of culture + complex behaviour
   • Weaknesses: ignores subjective experience; lab experiments lack eco. validity; doesn't specifyhow observed behaviour is stored or reproduced

8. Main contributors

   • Bandura: 'Bobo' Doll; modelling
   • Sutherland: differential association theory