With which of the following statements would social learning theorists most likely agree?

• A. People learn new behaviors by observing and imitating others.
• B. Personality is determined solely by genetic inheritance.
• C. Social behavior is best explained by unconscious motives.
• D. Learning occurs only through direct reinforcement and punishment.

Answer: (A)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the core idea of social learning theory, which emphasizes that people acquire new behaviors by observing others rather than solely through direct experience.
2. Recognize that social learning theorists, such as Albert Bandura, highlight the importance of modeling, imitation, and observational learning in behavior acquisition.
3. Evaluate each statement in the problem by comparing it to the principles of social learning theory: genetic inheritance alone does not explain personality, unconscious motives are more related to psychoanalytic theory, and learning only through direct reinforcement ignores observational learning.
4. Identify the statement that aligns with social learning theory: 'People learn new behaviors by observing and imitating others,' as it directly reflects the theory's emphasis on observational learning.
5. Conclude that the correct agreement with social learning theorists is the statement about learning through observation and imitation, distinguishing it from other psychological perspectives.