Social learning is when you learn by watching and copying others which can be especially helpful for learning how to do physical activities like sports or exercising (Oddson, 2019). There are different theories about how social learning works (e.g, Bandura, 1977; Bandura, 2001; Miller & Dollard, 1941; Rizzolatti & Craighero, 2004; Rotter, 1954; Uddin, et al., 2007), but they all agree that watching others can help you learn. When it comes to social learning, it works best when the person you’re watching is really good at what they’re doing or at least better than you (Giraldeau et al., 2002). The relationship between the person you’re watching and you is also important for social learning to be successful (Oddson, 2019).
Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Oxford, England: Prentice-Hall.
Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic per- spective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 126.
Giraldeau, L. A., Valone, T. J., & Templeton, J. J. (2002). Potential disadvantages of using socially acquired informa- tion. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, 357, 15591566.
Miller, N. E., & Dollard, J. (1941). Social learning and imita- tion. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Oddson, B. (2019). In D. Hackfort, R. J. Schinke, & B. Strauss (Eds.), Dictionary of sport psychology: Sport, exercise, and performing arts. Academic Press.
Rizzolatti, G., & Craighero, L. (2004). The Mirron-neuron sys- tem. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 27, 169192.
Rotter, J. (1954). Social learning and clinical psychology. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.
Uddin, L. Q., Iacoboni, M., Lange, C., & Keenan, J. P. (2007). The self and social cognition: The role of cortical mid line structures and mirror neurone. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 11, 153157.
