ASSUMPTION 3: SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY

Social learning is learning through observation, imitation and modelling.

Social learning, according to Bandura (1977) involves four processes:

• Attention
• Retention
• Reproduction
• Motivation

These processes mean that you observe another persons behaviour, remember it, re-enact it and have reasons for doing so. Factors such as being the same gender, similar age, higher status and a having desirable or admirable personality are things that increase the likelihood of a persons behaviour being imitated.

This theory is similar to operant conditioning in that it also involves rewards and punishment, but rather than receiving the reinforcement yourself, the behaviour is learned through observing the response that somebody else's behaviour receives. This is called vicarious learning.

Vicarious reinforcement is reinforcement that is received indirectly by observing another person being rewarded for a behaviour.
Vicarious punishment is witnessing another person being punished for a behaviour, and consequently stopping that behaviour in yourself.

Vicarious extinction is stopping doing a behaviour after seeing another person receive no reward for it themselves.