Which psychologist is associated with the development of social learning theory?

• A. Albert Bandura
• B. Jean Piaget
• C. B. F. Skinner
• D. Erik Erikson

Answer: (A)

Social learning theory rests on the idea that people learn not only from direct experience but by watching others and modeling their behavior, with cognitive processes guiding what gets imitated. Albert Bandura is the psychologist most closely associated with developing this approach. Through the Bobo doll experiments, he showed that children can learn aggressive actions by observing others, even without direct reinforcement, highlighting learning that occurs through observation. The theory emphasizes four key processes: paying attention to the model, retaining what is observed, reproducing the behavior, and being motivated to imitate it. Bandura also introduced reciprocal determinism, where a person’s behavior, internal thoughts, and the surrounding environment influence one another. While Bandura’s work centers on social learning, Piaget focused on cognitive development and stages, Skinner on operant conditioning and reinforcement, and Erikson on psychosocial development across the lifespan.