Which term is associated with the idea proposed by Albert Bandura that emphasizes observing, modelling, and imitating the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others?

Which term is associated with the idea proposed by Albert Bandura that emphasizes observing, modelling, and imitating the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others?

• A. Discrimination
• B. Verbal information
• C. Social learning theory
• D. Skimming

Answer: (C)

The idea being tested is learning that happens by watching others and then imitating what you see—Bandura’s social learning theory. This concept holds that people don’t need to experience direct reinforcement to learn; they can absorb behaviors, attitudes, and even emotional reactions by observing models in their environment, then reproduce what they observed. Notably, Bandura’s work, including the Bobo doll studies, showed that imitation can occur after viewing others’ actions and consequences, and learning can be guided by attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. Over time, this perspective broadened into social cognitive theory, which also considers internal mental processes and how they influence behavior. Other terms listed don’t capture this emphasis on observational learning and modeling: discrimination relates to unfair treatment, verbal information to knowledge conveyed through language, and skimming to quick reading for gist.

The idea being tested is learning that happens by watching others and then imitating what you see—Bandura’s social learning theory. This concept holds that people don’t need to experience direct reinforcement to learn; they can absorb behaviors, attitudes, and even emotional reactions by observing models in their environment, then reproduce what they observed. Notably, Bandura’s work, including the Bobo doll studies, showed that imitation can occur after viewing others’ actions and consequences, and learning can be guided by attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. Over time, this perspective broadened into social cognitive theory, which also considers internal mental processes and how they influence behavior. Other terms listed don’t capture this emphasis on observational learning and modeling: discrimination relates to unfair treatment, verbal information to knowledge conveyed through language, and skimming to quick reading for gist.