Humans start learning the moment they are born. But, since babies have not yet developed essential communication skills, they learn the only way they know how – through observation.
Ultimately, we are social creatures, and it’s in our nature to interact with others. From gossiping by the water cooler to taking part in team sports, we engage, observe, and imitate behaviors without really realizing it.
This natural inclination to learn through social interactions is the core of social learning theory and is the reason why it plays such an important role in instructional design.
The evolution of social learning theory
The theory of social learning is based on the research of Albert Bandura – a renowned psychologist and Stanford University professor.
His famous 1961 Bobo doll experiment studied how children learned aggressive behaviors by observing adults who displayed similar behaviors.
In the experiment, children watched adults aggressively or calmly interacting with a Bobo doll (a large inflatable toy with a weighted bottom). Later, when playing with the doll, the children who observed the aggressive behavior were more likely to imitate it themselves.
This experiment founded the key principles of social learning theory, proving that people learn behaviors by observing others. This was in stark contrast to the existing theory of the time, which determined that individuals learned through reward and punishment.
The 70:20:10 learning model
A more recent extension of social learning theory is the very popular 70:20:10 learning model. Developed in the 1980s, researchers concluded that learning is acquired by the following methods:
- 70%: On-the-job experience
- 20%: Social interactions
- 10%: Formal learning such as training courses
In other words, an incredible 90% of learning is not achieved by consuming course material but through experiences, interactions, and observations.
The key components of social learning theory
- Observation: First, the student observes someone modeling the desired behavior or skill.
- Attention: While observing, the student must pay attention to the model and what they are demonstrating.
- Imitation: Next, the student imitates what they have observed.
- Retention: Through repetition and imitation, the student retains the knowledge or skill.
- Reproduction: The student can reproduce the skill or behavior on their own.
- Motivation: Social learning is more successful when it includes motivation, or, in other words, reward.
While there are six components to social learning theory, in practice, it is actually a very simple process.
Let’s look at how it works in the real world.
Let’s say you want to learn how to play a specific song on a guitar, so you head to YouTube to find a tutorial:
- Observation: First, you watch the YouTube tutorial where an experienced guitarist demonstrates how to play the song while explaining strumming techniques and finger placement.
- Attention: You focus on the video and pay close attention to the guitarist’s hand movements, strumming patterns, and instructions.
- Retention: You mentally note the chords, strumming techniques, and sequence. You take notes and bookmark the video for future reference.
- Reproduction: Next, you pick up your guitar and try to replicate what you observed. You practice using the video as a guide when needed until you can play the song correctly.
- Motivation: You are motivated because you want to master the song and gain positive feedback from others when playing the song.
The power of social learning theory in instructional design
It’s versatile in use
One of the best aspects of social learning theory is its versatility and flexibility. Really, it can be applied to any type of learning environment.
Whether you’re delivering training in a classroom, via an e-learning platform, or on-the-job, you can incorporate social interactions to help people learn.
Take a professional setting, for instance. Learners can observe mentors, participate in job shadowing, or use collaborative platforms to share their knowledge and skills.
It’s efficient as a learning tool
If you demonstrate drawing a circle to a toddler, they will watch closely and attempt to imitate your actions. By observing how you hold the crayon, move your hand, and create the shape, the child learns much faster than if they were simply given a crayon and zero guidance.
Adults aren’t much different in the way they learn, and observation significantly shortens the learning curve. By watching, individuals can quickly grasp new concepts or skills with minimal trial and error.
As an instructional designer, this is crucial. After all, the faster someone can acquire a new skill, the bigger the benefits are for your clients.
Encourages active engagement
At its core, social learning is an active process and requires learners to do much more than sit there and absorb information.
Even the observation phase is active because learners are consciously focusing on the model’s actions, interpreting the behavior, and mentally processing how they will replicate it.
Increases motivation
When we watch others succeed, we are more easily inspired and instilled with a sense of possibility, which ignites the fire of motivation to replicate the behaviors.
Have you ever noticed how, after each Olympics, interest in sports soars among the public, particularly if their country has excelled in the games? People observe the athletes succeed and are motivated and inspired to do likewise.
This phenomenon can be easily replicated in the learning environment by allowing individuals to observe others successfully complete tasks.
Improves cognitive and emotional learning
Social learning doesn’t start and end with technical knowledge. It’s also key to helping us develop cognitive skills and emotional intelligence.
For instance, a medical student learns to draw blood by observing an experienced nurse perform the task.
While observing, they also notice the nurse’s bedside manner – calmly explaining the procedure, reassuring the patient, and acknowledging their concerns. As the students practice, they mimic this approach, learning both the technical skills and the appropriate bedside manner.
This process helps learners acquire not only the skill itself but also the empathy, ethical considerations, and interpersonal skills that go with it.
Essential for behavioral change
The goal of any training initiative is to achieve lasting behavioral change. But to get to this point, students must not only understand what to do but also see how it works in real-life situations.
When learners observe a behavior that leads to positive outcomes, they are more likely to adopt it and apply it on a lasting – or even permanent – basis.
How to incorporate social learning theory into instructional design
The benefits of social learning are clear, so the job now is to understand how to integrate it into instructional design.
Modeling and demonstrations
One of the most straightforward ways to implement social learning is to provide opportunities for students to observe.
Implement demonstrations that have been broken down into manageable steps. A skilled individual can model the proper techniques or behaviors while also incorporating best practices.
This is easily adapted to all learning environments and can be achieved through videos, webinars, live demonstrations, and even virtual role-play scenarios.
Collaboration and peer learning
When we share ideas and knowledge, we can observe how each of us approaches problems and develops solutions. From this, we learn different perspectives and develop more efficient ways of accomplishing tasks.
Give your learners a space to engage with one another – discussion forums and feedback groups are great for encouraging ongoing interaction.
Additionally, group assignments and projects provide practical experiences where learners must communicate and collectively solve problems.
Vicarious reinforcement
This is a concept where individuals learn by observing the consequences of other people’s behavior. So, if you see someone being rewarded for performing a certain action, you are more likely to imitate it yourself.
In instructional design, you can use vicarious reinforcement by:
- Sharing real-world success stories and case studies.
- Using role models to demonstrate the benefits of adopting specific skills or behaviors.
- Giving recognition or praise to learners who succeed.
- Using scenarios where learners observe characters facing rewards or consequences based on their actions.
Opportunities for practice
Creating opportunities for learners to practice is one of the biggest aspects of social learning. Therefore, your training initiatives should include plenty of hands-on exercises, simulations, or role-play scenarios.
This way, learners can apply what they have learned in a controlled environment and where it doesn’t matter if they initially fail.
Encourage self-efficacy
Self-efficacy refers to the belief in one’s ability to succeed and you can instill it by providing continuous positive reinforcement.
This is where gamified learning can be hugely beneficial. Because it is based on incremental rewards and clear progress tracking, it helps learners build confidence in their abilities.
By earning badges, leveling up, or receiving immediate feedback, students experience a sense of accomplishment that motivates them to tackle the more challenging tasks.
Use interactive technologies
Technology is your friend and despite the concerns that social media isolates us in a learning environment, it can actually be incredibly beneficial:
- Community platforms and forums allow peers to engage and collaborate no matter where in the world they are based.
- Learning experience platforms and e-learning platforms let you design multimedia training activities and gamified programs based on social learning theory.
- Video streaming tools like Zoom enable live demonstrations and real-time group discussions.
- Virtual Simulations allow learners to observe and practice skills in realistic, risk-free environments.
Final thoughts
We go through our entire lives engaging in social learning, so it makes perfect sense that it should form a key part of instructional design.
As training professionals, our job is to get maximum impact from the learning initiatives we design. And tapping into our natural tendencies to observe, imitate, and adapt gives us the power to create environments that not only teach new skills but also build lasting behavioral change.
By Janette Bonnet
Janette Bonnet is an experienced L&D professional who is passionate about exploring instructional design techniques, trends, and innovations.