Social Justice Activism

Social Networking in Online and Offline Contexts
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Social Learning Theory
ROGER J. R. LEVESQUE
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
Social learning theory emphasizes the importance of
observing and modeling the behaviors, attitudes, and
emotional reactions of others and focuses on the reciprocal
action between individuals and their environment
to determine some aspects of behavior. It is one
of the most popular theories in psychological science
and criminology. In psychological science, Bandura
(1969, 1973) proposed a social learning model that
spans both cognitive and behavioral frameworks by
encompassing attention, retention, reproduction, and
motivation. His model has been applied extensively to
the understanding of aggression and psychological disorders,
especially in the context of behavior modification.
In criminology, Akers (1973, 1990, 1998)
proposed a social learning theory composed of four
major concepts – differential association, reinforcement,
imitation/modeling, and definitions. Akers’ theory
proposes that individuals learn criminal behaviors
as they do noncriminal ones and seeks to specify how
they learn these criminal and noncriminal behaviors
and behavioral cues through reinforcement. Akers’ theory
suggests that individuals learn to anticipate rewards
and punishments for criminal behaviors within intimate
associations to the extent that these behaviors
were previously reinforced, either directly or vicariously.
Once behavioral consequences are anticipated,
the theory assumes that reinforcement will increase the
chances of the behavior since individuals are deemed to
maximize rewards and minimize punishments. Social
learning theory, regardless of whether it seeks to
explain aggression (Bandura 1977) or delinquent
behavior (Akers), importantly incorporates protective
and preventive factors in addition to factors that facilitate
the problem behavior under investigation. The
focus is on the balance of influences that make for the
probability of problem or conforming behavior, and
those influences are not only from one’s learning
history but also from those operating within given
situations and those that are predictive of future
behavior.
References
Akers, R. L. (1973). Deviant behavior: A social learning approach.
Belmont: Wadsworth.
Akers, R. L. (1990). Rational choice, deterrence, and social learning
theory in criminology: The path not taken. Journal of Criminal
Law and Criminology, 81, 653–76.
Akers, R. L. (1998). Social learning and social structure: A general
theory of crime and deviance. Boston: Northeastern University
Press.
Bandura, A. (1969). Principles of behavior modification. New York:
Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
Bandura, A. (1973). Aggression: A social learning analysis. Englewood
Cliffs: Prentice-Hall.
Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. New York: General Learning
Press.
Social Networking in Online
and Offline Contexts
AMORI YEE MIKAMI 1 ,DAVID E. SZWEDO 2
1 University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
2 Department of Psychology, University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, VA, USA
Overview
Adolescence is a developmental period in which social
networks (cohesive groupings of peers to which the
youth belongs) become important for identity, adjustment,
and future relationships. This essay provides an
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