Social Learning Theory

Running Head: Social Learning Theory
Social Learning Theory
Essay
System04104
2/11/2019

Social Learning Theory
1
Social Learning Theory
The major focus of Bandura social learning theory is based on the importance of
social interaction that how people learn from another by observation, imitation, and
modelling, which plays a major role in the development of people and in children as well.
The Bundara social learning theory serves as a foundation or bridge between behaviourist and
cognitive learning theories because it covers memory, motivation, and attention of children in
the learning process. Bandura later included in his theory that personality as an interaction
between three components such as environment in which person belongs, his behaviour to
adapt and learn the changes which the person learn from the observation and imitation from
his social surroundings , and his ability to understand the language, situation, images in
minds that is psychological processes (Bandura, 2011).
According to Bandura theory, the first function happens between people and the
second function happens inside the child. The first one is called inter-psychological and the
second one is called intra-psychological. The Bundara theory states that people learn things
from imitating or observing other's behaviour and actions. Another popular social learning
theory of Vygotsky that is based on the four principles also considers the same thing but the
focus of such theory is on social learning importance while the Bandura theory focuses on
individual effort of people to learn from others. The social learning theory of Bandura based
on human behaviour in terms of continuous reciprocal interaction between cognitive,
behavioural, and environmental influences (Boone, Reilly, & Sashkin, 1977).
According to the Bandura theory, there are some conditions for effective modelling
such as retention, reproduction, and motivation etc. This theory states that various factors
such as prevalence, distinctiveness, complexity, and functional value play an important role
in attention paid by a person during the process of social learning, and these factors somehow
increase or decrease the level of attention.
The second aspect of this theory is the ‘reciprocal determinism’. Which means that an
individual learn from the world and a world’s and person behaviour cause each other and this
theory also states that the environment plays an important role in one's behaviour. No one can
deny the role of the social and environmental role in the learning process (Sellers, & Akers,