Learning, social learning, and sociocultural evolution : a comment on Langton

Abstract

John Langton (see SA 28:3/K7316) proposes that evolutionary processes take place in the social world paralleling those of the organic world. However, his analysis confuses elementary learning processes such as operant conditioning with social learning, which is based on imitative action. This rests on a failure to understand correctly the work of Albert Bandura (Social Learning Theory, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1977), on which Langton draws. Concern for social learning has reappeared in psychology recently; while social learning & sociocultural evolution theories can fruitfully be integrated, such a synthesis should not be identified with the operant conditioning perspective. In Reply to Blute, John Langton (Georgetown University, Washington DC) notes Blute’s failure to recognize that differential reinforcement, though it may not be needed for acquisition of a behavioral pattern by imitation, is involved in performance of such a 2710 pattern. W. H. Stoddard.