Social Learning Theory Papers

Decent Essays
Social learning theory is a theory I believe have significant reasoning as to why people behave the way they do. Social learning theory is a theory I believe have significant reasoning as to why people behave the way they do. Throughout this paper, I will elaborate on the main aspects social learning theory set out to explain. It will also focus on the validity and limitations associated with it. It will be proven that social learning theory is a significant explanation as to why individuals who engage in deviant acts through examples such as violent music and television shows.

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Social Learning is a scientific theory created by Albert Bandura. The theory itself explains that learning is cognitive, gaining knowledge and understanding through experiences (Anderson, 80-92). Social learning more often takes place in a social setting, for instance when a group of friends hang out on the “streets” and pick up the trade of the “code” through direction and observation. Social learning is a great example of how the “code of the streets” is taught and continues to spread and distort the minds of the younger generations and their definition of respect, trust, and loyalty. Many young kids do the things their friends do even though they know it is not the right decision.…

    • 1425 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Social Learning Model

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages

    HMS 105 Exam 9 question 1 Discuss differences and similarities between the social learning model and the cognitive-behavioral model. Intro A person who is trying to remain sober has many barriers to overcome. There is a “high rate of relapse during the recovery process” (Stevens & Smith, pg. 261).…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    From the Eighteenth century through the twenty-first century, philosophers have been trying to develop a criminological theory in order to explain why all individuals commit crime. In order to go further in depth about determining whether or not we have a solid theory to explain all crime, I will be reviewing author Jonathan R. Brauer’s article about Social Learning Theory and how it applies to theft and marijuana use. Along with that, I will make a criminological review of his research article and come up with an answer on whether or not his use of the theory is able to explain all crime. With the intention of creating a theory well enough to explain all crime, the theory must possess the five characteristics of a good theory. First, a theory…

    • 1589 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Motivation is explained through a tautology (Schwartz et al., 2001). It is assumed that if individuals commit crimes, then they must be motivated. Additionally, it fails to account for the presence of many likely offenders in a typically low crime environment where there are few individuals with criminal records. Therefore, in order to provide a stronger application of criminological theory to a crime such as sexual assault, perhaps it would be beneficial to combine routine activities theory with social learning theory, a theory which can address sexual assault from a more micro basis. Social learning theory provides a more in depth explanation for how an offender can become motivated to commit a crime and how certain behavioural learning environments can influence an individual towards criminal behaviour.…

    • 2002 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Social Strain Theory

    • 1738 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Social Learning Theory and Strain Theory (Siegel & Walsh 2016 pp. 111 ) Social learning theory implies that criminal behavior is learned through close interactions with others, this theory, based on the assumption that all children are good at birth and have been taught to be bad. Depending on the children’s peer environment, any deviant values from interaction of family, friends or associates. If brought up in the wrong environment, nine out of ten will probably cave-in to crime.…

    • 1738 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The research of Albert Bandura (1971, p. 2) provided an explanation of learning as being more than “the product of directly experienced response consequences”. Instead, he proved that behaviours could be taught through observation alone, and that social interactions influenced actions irrespective of positive or negative reinforcements. Bandura applied his observations of learned behaviours in social settings to the development of beliefs and values, finding that “modelling variables may function as potentially influential determinants of moral judgements” (Bandura 1969, p. 279). Psychological learning theories account for the way that deviant beliefs and values are developed; Cohen’s (1958, p. 20) notion of the delinquent subculture describes this as happening “through a process of communicative interaction among children”.…

    • 1695 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    A social learning theory based on Skinner’s operant conditioning, Bandura’s modeling, and Sutherland’s differential association theory (Bartol, C. & Bartol, A., 2016), it posits that the strength of deviant behavior is a function of the frequency, amount, and probability of reinforcement an individual has experienced by engaging in a certain behavior previously. These reinforcements can be positive or negative, as well as social or non-social. According to Bartol, C. and Bartol, A. (2016), social reinforcements – those that reward the individual for adopting group norms verbally or symbolically – are the most important. One’s social group will adopt normative definitions about what is considered good or bad, right or wrong, and these will guide what behavior is rewarded or punished by the group in particular contexts. The more a behavior is considered positive or justified, the more likely the person is to repeat it.…

    • 1835 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Theory One Social learning theory explains that humans are born with a “blank slate” and delinquency and crime is learned. This theory says that criminal behavior is learned by observing other individuals’…

    • 2208 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Albert Bandura’s social learning theory suggests that learning can also take place simply by watching how others act. In summary, the social learning theory proposes behavior is learned from the environment and life experiences through the process of observational learning. People are surrounded by many influential individuals, such as family members, peers, characters on television shows, and etc.; unfortunately, these “models” provide examples of behavior that can be observed and imitated in the future by the observer. Society may never know why people commit domestic violence; however, the social learning theory is one of many theories that provide a reasonable explanation.…

    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Differential Association Theory is defined as, “Criminological Theory devised by Edwin Sutherland asserting that criminal behavior is behavior learned through association with others who communicate their values and attitudes.” (Walsh & Hemmens, 2014). This theory highlights the reasoning behind what makes criminal behaviors occur and why people commit criminal acts in a way that neglects psychological concepts and principles. The Social Learning Theory is defined as, “A theory designed to explain how people learn criminal behavior using the psychological principles of operant conditioning.” This theory explains the ways in which people learn to commit criminal acts and behaviors, unlike Differential Association Theory which describes a…

    • 1706 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    People learn things from other people, especially if a person starts to learn bad behavior when they were very young. Some people grow up with bad influences or within a bad environment around them, and these could turn the people into criminals or killers if they see that bad behavior is acceptable or has no consequences. This was the case with the main character in the movie Monster and two sociological theories, both have rational choice theory and differential association theory, strengths and weaknesses in how they explain the main character in the movie. The movie Monster (2003) is about a female serial killer named Aileen Wuornos, who is a prostitute, a hitchhiker and has hopes of being famous, a big star, rich and more valuable…

    • 1721 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Research Question Agnew’s general theory of crime and delinquency states individuals learn crime by seeing others and thinking that it is correct and appropriate in certain circumstances or some people teach crime to their children. Akers and Gang Lee wanted to test the social learning theory by applying it to adolescent smoking from a five-year study in the Iowa community which included 7th to 12th-grade students (Akers & Lee, 1996). They wanted to answer why the adolescents were smoking and how the social learning theory was applied to the concepts, differential association, definitions, differential reinforcement and imitation. Akers and Lee both note that tobacco use had increased which would lead to substance use and abuse, and smoking as an adolescent was seen as a deviant behavior, even in today’s society people see smoking in adolescents as deviant behavior and in today’s society the issue is not tobacco use but marijuana (Akers & Lee, 1996). The goal was to examine the behavior of these adolescents in this five-year study and determine how they learned to smoke, such as from friends or…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Krumboltz’s Social Learning Theory The Social Learning Theory developed by John Krumboltz is based on social learning as its fundamental element. Krumboltz felt that factors such as social, cultural, political, and economics affect a persons career decisions (Sharf, 2013). His theoretical conceptions work within the framework of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Sharf describes several methods for changing faulty thinking in reference to career issues.…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    637). Social learning can be applied to multiple aspects of criminology and this is what makes learning theory an ideal theory to be researched and studied. Learning Theory has been around for some time, and was not an original theory to be researched. It originated from the search for an explanation to the causes of crime and choices made. Akers’ got the idea from a past heavily criticized theory known as differential association theory.…

    • 1197 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Theories are the best way to explain criminology and help improve the criminal justice system by finding facts and reasons behind every aspects of a crime starting from the motive and ending with correction and recidivism sometimes. The Social Learning theory in criminology is one of the first and most famous theories of crime. The Social Learning Theory theory basically means that crime is learned and people learn to engage in criminal behavior. (1. Social Learning and Personality Development) “A person becomes delinquent because of an excel of definitions favorable to the violation of the law over definitions unfavorable to the violation of the law.”…

    • 1562 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays