Social learning theory

Okay kiddo, imagine you are playing with your toys and your friend comes over to play with you. You both start to play together and share ideas. This is kind of like what social learning theory is all about.

Basically, social learning theory is the idea that we learn by watching and imitating others. We learn from the people around us, like our parents, teachers, friends, and even the media. We observe what they do, and then we try to copy them.

It’s kind of like playing a game of follow the leader. The leader makes a move and then the followers try to do the same thing. When we watch someone else do something, our brains take in that information and remember it. And then when we are in a similar situation, we might automatically do what we saw the other person do.

Remember how you learned to walk? You saw other people walking and you wanted to do it too. So, you practiced and practiced until you could walk all on your own. You didn't have to read a book or take a class to learn how to walk. You learned by watching and trying to do it yourself.

Social learning theory also explains how people can learn bad behaviors or habits from the people around them. For example, if you see someone acting mean and you don't see anyone stopping them, you might think that it's okay to be mean too. Or if you see someone smoking cigarettes, you might think it's okay to do that too.

So, social learning theory is all about learning from others through observation and imitation. We learn good behaviors and bad behaviors from those around us, and it shapes how we behave in the future.