Social learning theory is considered to be one of the most influential theories in the fields of education and psychology. Social learning theory identifies learning as the primary factor in a theory of human functioning and personality development that is based on cognitive, social-interactive, self-regulatory, and self-reflective capabilities and processes. In addition to the impact of social interactions, social learning theorists believe that the media have a great influence on human learning and development.

Historical Background

Albert Bandura and Richard Walters's seminal 1959 book Adolescent Aggression setinmotiontheearly foundation for the development of Bandura's ideas on social learning processes. Bandura and Walters initially sought to integrate principles from psychoanalytic and behavioral learning theories. Results from these early studies provided Bandura and his colleagues the data to empirically refute ...

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