Social learning theory explains how individuals acquire new behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions by observing and imitating others, emphasizing that learning is a cognitive process occurring within a social context through observation and vicarious reinforcement. This theory, widely associated with Albert Bandura, notably expanded on traditional behavioral models by highlighting the crucial role of internal mental processes, rather than solely relying on direct reinforcement.

Its roots trace to B. F. Skinner's 1940s work on verbal behavior and Neal Miller and John Dollard's 1941 book, Social Learning and Imitation, which first introduced the term and proposed a drive for imitation. A more comprehensive statement emerged in 1954 with Julian B. Rotter's Social Learning and Clinical Psychology, where he integrated individual personality with environmental factors. Rotter's approach significantly departed from strict behaviorism by focusing on internal functioning and subjective responses, thus laying important groundwork for later cognitive theories of learning.