Szociáltanulás

Szociáltanulás, or social learning, refers to the process by which individuals acquire new behaviors, norms, and skills through observation, imitation, and modeling of others in a social context. The concept was formalized by psychologist Albert Bandura in the 1960s, who argued that learning can occur without direct reinforcement, provided that observers witness a model’s behavior and its consequences. Bandura identified four key processes underlying social learning: attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. Attention requires that the observer focuses on the model; retention involves memory of the observed action; reproduction refers to the ability to physically imitate the behavior; and motivation is driven by anticipated rewards or punishments.

Social learning theories have been applied extensively in education, media studies, and organizational behavior. In classroom settings, role models, peer collaboration, and virtual simulations are used to encourage skill acquisition and problem solving. Media research has highlighted the influence of televised violence or prosocial content on children’s conduct, leading to policy debates about content regulation. Workplace training programs increasingly incorporate social learning tools such as mentorship, collaborative platforms, and community of practice to promote knowledge transfer and innovation.

Critiques of the social learning paradigm point to its difficulty in explaining learning that occurs without explicit observation, and questions its treatment of individual agency and internal cognitive processes. Nonetheless, the theory’s emphasis on context, culture, and interpersonal dynamics remains influential in contemporary learning science, especially in the age of online communities and digital collaboration.