Glossary
Social Learning Theory
What is social learning theory?
Social learning theory (SLT) emphasizes learning by observing other people, alongside learning from direct experience. In Albert Bandura's account, learning a behavior and choosing to perform it are different processes.
Key components of social learning theory
Bandura’s account of modeling distinguishes attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. A learner must notice relevant behavior, remember it, be able to reproduce it, and have a reason to perform it. For example, a new employee might watch an experienced colleague demonstrate a task, remember the sequence, practice the actions, and decide when to use them.
A useful experiment
In Bandura's 1965 modeling study, children saw an aggressive model rewarded, punished, or receive no consequences. Children who saw punishment initially reproduced fewer of the model's actions.
Then all groups were offered incentives to reproduce the actions. The performance differences disappeared.
Why it matters
Less imitation did not necessarily mean less learning. The children could have acquired information without showing it in the first test.
Strengths and limitations
The learning-performance distinction helps explain why observed behavior can understate what someone has learned. When evaluating an application, ask whether a laboratory result transfers to the setting, whether people differ in what they notice or can perform, and whether the proposed outcome was actually measured.