Essay On Social Learning Theory

Social learning theory is defined as the way people learn through observing other’s behaviors, attitudes, and the outcomes that follow those behaviors. Social learning theory is a way to explain human behavior in terms of constant interaction between cognitive, behavioral, and environmental influences.
In class, Professor Gleason related the social learning theory to how children learn appropriate or acceptable gender behavior. The three ways a child can learn the proper norms for his/her gender can be through reinforcement, punishment, and modeling or imitating an adult. Reinforcement would look something like a child overhearing their parent go on about how much they act like a boy/girl. The punishment aspect could be a parent scolding their child for not playing with the ‘proper’ toy that matched
Ross has recently become a father. During one of the episodes, Ross’ ex-wife dropped their son off for him to spend some time with. Much to his dissatisfaction, his son is clinging to a Barbie. The rest of the episode is centered on his efforts to lure his son’s interest to a GI Joe figurine, instead of the Barbie doll, which is stereotypically correlated with girls. The GI Joe doll is stereotypically linked with boys, because it is an “action figure”. When confronted by Rachel that GI Joe is also a doll, Ross quickly opposes that he isn’t a doll, but in fact is an action figure. Thus, somehow making it okay and more appropriate for boys to play with. This example explains the stereotypes surrounding dolls and how Ross implemented the social learning theory to his son by reinforcing him to play with gender appropriate toys. Girls play with Barbies and boys play with action figures. By calling the doll an action figure, it was made out to be an appropriate boy toy, so boys are allowed and encouraged to play with