Title: Social learning theory
Abstract: Three forms of social learning theory relevant to child development are reviewed. The first (see Robert Sears) involved attempts to combine Freudian and stimulus-response learning theory. Explaining the internalization of parent expectations, however, was a challenge for this approach. In a second form, Albert Bandura employed learning principles of reinforcement and punishment but also argued that the primary form of learning was observation. Additionally, he emphasized the role of cognition in learning. A third form, associated with Gerald Patterson among others, focuses on behavior management of difficult children and continues to underlie many forms of intervention practiced today. © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.