Critical Evaluation of Social Learning Theory and its Limitations

This essay provides an overview of Bandura's Social Learning Theory, emphasizing the importance of social interaction, observation, imitation, and modeling in the learning process. It highlights the theory's position as a bridge between behaviorist and cognitive learning theories, incorporating memory, motivation, and attention. The essay discusses the reciprocal interaction between environment, behavior, and psychological processes, as well as conditions for effective modeling such as retention, reproduction, and motivation. It contrasts Bandura's theory with Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, noting the different focuses on individual effort versus social learning importance. The essay also addresses the role of social and environmental factors, such as teachers and learning tools, while acknowledging the theory's limitations, including its lack of consideration for physical and mental changes and behavioral differences. The shift towards online and digital education is presented as a challenge to the traditional interactive learning environment proposed by the 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,

Social Learning Theory
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2018). For example, the role of a teacher in education care is like a facilitator who guides
children with cognitive supports and with open-minded. A Teacher should focus on the
learner and provide them with all the possible guidance to acquire learning and knowledge.
The learning tool also plays an important role in it. It can also be considered that the teaching
and learning culture always change and depends on what we learn today. The major change
can be seen in this are wherein online and digital education change the scenario of learning
and computer and laptops play an important role in it. These things go against this theory
where this theory suggests that learning requires interaction between teacher and children and
need the active participation of both. Thus, here the individual capability of learning plays an
important role in the learning process (Cherry, 2011). Although this theory has some
drawbacks such as it does not consider the physical and mental changes and heavily focuses
on what happens rather than what the observer does with what happens. The theory also does
not consider the importance of behavioural differences.

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References
Bandura, A. (2011). Social cognitive theory. Handbook of social psychological
theories, 2012, 349-373.
Boone, T., Reilly, A. J., & Sashkin, M. (1977). SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY Albert
Bandura Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1977. 247 pp., paperbound. Group &
Organization Studies, 2(3), 384-385.
Cherry, K. (2011). Social learning theory: An overview of Bandura’s social learning theory
[online]. Retrieve from: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/pop.2010.0013
Sellers, C. S., & Akers, R. L. (2018). Social learning theory: Correcting misconceptions. The
essential criminology reader (pp. 89-99). Routledge.
Taylor, E. W. (2017). Transformative learning theory. Transformative Learning Meets
Bildung (pp. 17-29). Rotterdam, Netherland: SensePublishers.