Social Learning Theory (Psycology)
Introduction There are several different theories that attempt to explain why people behave the way that they do. Many theories contend that the reason people act certain ways is because that is the way they have learned to act. One of these theories is Albert Bandura’s social learning theory. This theory states that the way people behave is dependent on what they observe others doing and the outcomes of others’ actions. I felt like this would be a good topic to choose because I am very interested in the different types of learning. I find the different theories associated with learning very interesting and also very applicable to everyday life. In this paper, I will discuss the other theories of learning, go into further detail about social learning theory, discuss Bandura’s Bobo Doll Experiment, discuss criticisms of Bandura’s social learning theory, and explain my own personal connection to the social learning theory.
Theories of Learning There is much to discuss about the theories that contend learning is the source of behaviors; however, because they are not the main focus of my paper, I will discuss them briefly. I merely want to give base information in order to compare against social learning theory. The two other main views on learning contend that people are conditioned to act certain ways. “Classical conditioning is the basic learning process that involves repeatedly pairing a neutral stimulus with a response-producing stimulus until the neutral stimulus elicits the same response,” (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2010, p. 186). Basically, this means that if an action that elicits a natural reaction is paired with an action that does not cause a natural reaction for a long enough period of time, then the action that doesn’t cause a natural reaction will, in fact, cause the same natural reaction. The example of Ivan Pavlov and his dog will explain this theory with much more clarity. When a dog has food in his mouth, it salivates naturally. When a dog hears
Theories of Learning There is much to discuss about the theories that contend learning is the source of behaviors; however, because they are not the main focus of my paper, I will discuss them briefly. I merely want to give base information in order to compare against social learning theory. The two other main views on learning contend that people are conditioned to act certain ways. “Classical conditioning is the basic learning process that involves repeatedly pairing a neutral stimulus with a response-producing stimulus until the neutral stimulus elicits the same response,” (Hockenbury & Hockenbury, 2010, p. 186). Basically, this means that if an action that elicits a natural reaction is paired with an action that does not cause a natural reaction for a long enough period of time, then the action that doesn’t cause a natural reaction will, in fact, cause the same natural reaction. The example of Ivan Pavlov and his dog will explain this theory with much more clarity. When a dog has food in his mouth, it salivates naturally. When a dog hears