Approaches / Social Learning Theory

Assumption of the theory

We learn through observation and imitation of other people’s behaviours.

A focus is placed on…

The mental processes involved in learning.

Mediational processes

Cognitive factors that influence learning. They come between the stimulus and response.

Attention

Paying attention to the behaviour and its consequences.

Retention

Storing the observed behaviour in the LTM.

Reproduction

The individual being able to reproduce the observed behaviour.

Motivation

The reasons as to why the behaviour was repeated - usually as they are expecting the same positive reinforcement.

Model

The person which is being imitated.

Identification Factors

The factors in which influence if someone identifies with a model. (Age, gender, race, etc.)