Social Learning Theory Overview

Social Learning Theory

• Social Learning Theory has four main concepts: differential reinforcement, imitation, definitions, and differential association.
• Differential reinforcement is the balance of rewards and punishments that follow a behavior, it can be either anticipated or actual.
• The type of reinforcement can either be Direct or Indirect, and can either be Positive or Negative
  • Direct Positive Reinforcement: Desirable outcomes (e.g. praise)
  • Direct Negative Reinforcement: Desirable removal of undesired things (e.g. avoiding being yelled at)
  • Indirect Positive Reinforcement: Undesirable consequences (e.g. getting arrested)
  • Indirect Negative Reinforcement: Undesirable loss of a reward (e.g. losing a privilege)
• Non-social reinforcement is direct physical effects, like the effects of drugs.
• Social reinforcement is the direct reactions of others when a behavior is performed.
  • Social punishment includes reactions like disapproval.
  • Social rewards can either be tangible or intangible
    • Tangible rewards are things like food, sex, money, or materials.
    • Intangible rewards are things like approval, recognition, or status.
      • Intangible rewards are often symbolic and fulfill ideological, religious, or political goals.
• Self-reinforcement involves exercising self-control and behaving as if others were present.
• Imitation plays a part in the initial acquisition of a behavior. People imitate actions they observe if they think the outcome is positive.
  • Vicarious reinforcement is the process of observing the consequences of someone else's actions and choosing to imitate or avoid a behavior based on that.
• Imitation depends on the model. People are more likely to imitate those they respect or like. People are least likely to imitate those they dislike or don't respect.
• Definitions are a person's attitudes, beliefs, and rationalizations about a behavior.
• All behavior is learned from others, particularly within intimate groups.
• Social learning is a process that starts with the initial engagement of deviant behavior.
  • The initial engagement is either encouraged or inhibited by the balance of, differential association, definitions, and differential reinforcement.
  • Once a behavior is engaged, non-social and social reinforcers effect the likelihood of that behavior recurring, the frequency of the behavior, and a person's definitions and peer associations.

Key Facts about Crime

• Past behavior is often predictive of future behavior.
• Delinquency is typically a group behavior.
  • Delinquent groups tend to be small, unorganized, and short lived.

Edwin H. Sutherland

• Professor of Sociology at Indiana University
• Founded the Institute of Criminal Law & Criminology in 1935
• Considered one of the most important criminologists of the 20th century
• Influenced by the Chicago School tradition, linking social organization to individuals' behavior

Differential Association Theory

• Developed by Edwin H. Sutherland
• Presented in the 4th edition of Principles of Criminology (1947)
• Comprises 9 principles outlining how criminal behavior is learned

Key Principles

• Criminal behavior is learned through interaction with others, primarily within intimate personal groups
• Learning includes techniques of crime commission and motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes
• Legal codes are perceived as favorable or unfavorable, influencing attitudes towards crime
• Delinquency occurs when definitions favorable to law violation outweigh those opposing crime
• Differential association signifies the process of learning criminal behavior through interaction with others within close-knit groups

Social Learning Theory

• Developed by Ron Akers, Professor Emeritus at the University of Florida, recipient of the Sutherland Award in 1988.
• A revision of Edwin Sutherland’s Differential Association theory (1947), which posits that criminal behavior is learned.
  • Akers' revision incorporated elements of Social Psychology like B.F. Skinner's operant conditioning and Pavlov's classical conditioning theories.
• Focuses on how individuals learn to engage in crime through interaction with others and their social environment.
• Akers' theory expands upon Sutherland's 9 principles of differential association, condensing them into 7 propositions while also adding a focus on the learning process itself.
  • This includes differentiating between different types of reinforcement, such as operant and classical.
  • Operant conditioning emphasizes the relationship between behavior and the consequences that follow, while classical conditioning focuses on the association between stimuli.

Key Concepts of Social Learning Theory

• Differential Association: The learning of criminal behavior occurs through interaction with significant others, especially within close groups.
  • Includes primary groups (family, friends) and secondary groups (school, church), as well as reference groups (peer groups, social media, and symbolic groups).
  • The modalities of association (frequency, duration, priority, and intensity) influence the strength of the learned behavior.
• Definitions: Individuals learn the moral and legal meanings attached to behavior, shaping their attitudes and beliefs about crime.
  • Positive definitions justify crime, while negative definitions condemn it.
  • Neutralizing definitions rationalize criminal behavior, diminishing its perceived harm.
• Differential Reinforcement: Behaviors are learned based on the rewards and punishments associated with them.
  • Individuals are more likely to engage in behaviors that have been positively reinforced, and less likely in behaviors that have been punished.
• Imitation: Individuals learn criminal behavior by observing and mimicking the actions of others.
  • This can occur through direct observation, but also through media and other forms of indirect exposure to criminal behavior.