Synonyms
Definition
Social cognitive learning occurs when an individual learns from other members of the group by observing and imitating their behavior. In order to imitate another person an individual has to establish a correspondence between this person’s behavior and that of his or her own, and this requires a certain level of cognitive development. Some researchers argue that certain species of animals, like chimpanzees, are capable of imitation, and human infants are able to do this from the earliest hours following birth, for instance, by imitating their mother’s facial expressions.
Theoretical Background
Social cognitive learning theory is a theory that aspired to make for the drawbacks of the traditional learning theory based on the concept of classical conditioning (Eysenk 1960; Skinner 1971). According to social learning theorists, learning, particularly in the area of social behavior, cannot be satisfactorily explained by...
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Subbotsky, E. (2012). Social Cognitive Learning. In: Seel, N.M. (eds) Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_1825
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1428-6_1825
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