What is social learning theory and how does it explain aggressive behaviours?

Social learning theory suggests that aggression is learned through vicarious reinforcement. This means someone, usually a child, learns through watching others being reinforced when carrying out certain behaviours. For example a potential bully might become a bully if they watch another person bullying an individual and being positively rewarded for it. They will then try to replicate this aggressive behaviour and expect and will most likely receive a positive reward. Another element of Social Learning Theory is expectations. This is the idea that a person will weigh up the positive and negative outcomes of being aggressive, and will choose to be aggressive if they deem the rewards to outweigh the losses. For example, a child may choose to bully a child because they believe praise from their peers outweighs being reprimanded by a teacher.