- Observational learning (modelling)
- Learning that occurs by watching others (models) perform behaviours and observing the consequences. Unlike operant conditioning, which requires the learner to perform and experience consequences directly, observational learning allows acquisition without direct experience — vastly expanding the range of behaviours that can be learned.
- Vicarious reinforcement
- Learning from the observed consequences of a model's behaviour, rather than experiencing consequences directly. If we see a model rewarded for a behaviour, we are more likely to imitate it; if we see a model punished, we are less likely. Bandura's Bobo doll experiment showed that vicarious punishment suppressed aggression even when children were later left alone with the doll.
- Self-efficacy
- The belief in one's own capacity to execute the behaviours required to produce specific outcomes in a given domain. Self-efficacy is not global confidence but domain-specific — high self-efficacy in mathematics does not imply high self-efficacy in social situations. It is built through mastery experiences, vicarious modelling, social persuasion, and physiological states.
- Reciprocal determinism
- Bandura's model of the triadic relationship between person (cognitive and biological factors), behaviour, and environment. Each factor influences and is influenced by the others — behaviour is not simply a product of person or environment alone. Reciprocal determinism was a major departure from strict behaviourism's view of the person as passive recipient of environmental contingencies.
- Bobo doll experiment
- Bandura, Ross, and Ross (1961) exposed children to an adult model behaving aggressively toward an inflatable doll — either in person, on film, or as a cartoon. All three conditions produced significantly more aggression in children than a control condition. The experiment provided powerful evidence for observational learning and was instrumental in debates about the effects of media violence on children.
- Symbolic modelling
- Learning from models presented through media — books, television, film, or digital content — rather than live observation. Bandura recognised that media models could be highly influential, since they are observed by millions and often carry high status. Symbolic modelling extended social learning theory into debates about media effects on aggression, health behaviours, and social norms.