Cognitive Social Learning Theory (Bandura) emphasizes learning through which components?

• A. Punishment and reward only
• B. Reinforcement only
• C. Imitation, observation, beliefs and expectations
• D. Genetic predispositions

Answer: (C)

Imitation and observation combined with internal thought processes are at the heart of this theory. Bandura showed that people learn not only from direct experience of rewards and punishments but by watching others and mentally processing what they see. Observational learning and modeling involve attention, retention, and eventual reproduction, while beliefs and expectations shape whether that learned behavior is adopted—think of expectations about outcomes and one’s own capability to perform the behavior. So learning occurs through watching others, copying their actions, and using cognitive judgments to decide if and when to imitate. The other options miss these social and cognitive elements: punishment and reward or reinforcement alone point to operant conditioning, and genetic predispositions don’t describe this approach.