Albert Bandura's social learning theory focuses on how individuals learn about themselves and the world in which they live through the observation and imitation of others (Rutledge, 2000).
Studies in social learning theory and the presentation of news in the media found that most audience members remember the news based on the degree of negatively compelling images and sounds that make up the broadcast (Jackson, 12). As the complexity of the story increases, the chance of a viewer remembering the particular event decreases. Therefore, in order to maintain audience viewership, it is necessary for television news to create brief yet memorable segments when it comes to reporting the news.
Audiences use what they see in the news, more specifically the representation of crime and justice, to comprehend social issues that may affect their own lives (Jackson, 12). What we see in the news, whether in the newspaper or on television, shapes our views of what a criminal looks like, issues surrounding right and wrong, and other problematic representations, especially those around social constructions such as class, gender, race and ethnicity.
Social Learning Theory requires 4 conditions on the part of the observer (according to Albert Bandura)
