Social Learning Theory
Implications

Taken from (Cunia, 2007)

• Learning by observation (models): students learn simply by observing other people.
• Modeling provides an alternative to shaping for teaching new behaviors. Instead of using shaping, which is operant conditioning, modeling can provide a faster, more efficient means for teaching new behavior. To promote effective modeling a teacher must make sure that the four essential conditions exist; attention, retention , motor reproduction, and motivation.
• Cognition plays a role in learning
• Learning can occur without change in behavior
• Teachers and parents must model appropriate behaviors and take care that they don’t model inappropriate ones.
• Teachers should expose students to a variety of other models.
• Students must believe that they are capable of accomplishing school tasks.
• Teachers should help students set realistic expectations for their academic accomplishments.
• Self-regulation techniques provide effective metohods for improving behavior.
• Describing the consequences of behavior increases appropriate behavior and decreases inappropriate ones.
• The observer is reinforced by the model: people often reinforce others what they themselves do.
• The observer is reinforced by a third person in some cases a 3rd person reinforces
• The imitated behavior itself leads to reinforcing consequences. Eg a learner closes uses instructions body positions for tennis
• Consequences of the model’s behavior affect the observer’s behavior vicariously: vicarious reinforcement, vicarious punishment