Social Learning Models

The social learning perspective on prevention research is the second approach selected by the committee for detailed review. Social learning approaches rest on the processes by which individuals acquire and maintain behavior. They can be coordinated with other models of the avenues leading to alcohol abuse because they incorporate (1) the alcoholic addict's innate biological vulnerability as well as the experience he or she acquires during the course of development; (2) immediate environmental antecedents and consequences of behavior; and (3) cognitive processes whose presence or absence can explain, or be used to prevent, some alcohol-related behaviors and also those who reach out to alcoholic helpline.

The central assumptions of the social learning perspective predict multiple pathways to alcohol use. They propose that alcohol use abuse and alcohol-related behavior are learned within a cultural context and superimposed on an alcoholic's biologically determined predisposition to problems with alcohol, if any. One major part of this approach that sets it apart from many others is that the individual is viewed as an active agent in the learning process; thus, persons who have learned to misuse or abuse alcohol can also learn self-regulation of alcohol use. Specific cognitive information-processing mechanisms-an individual's beliefs, expectations, coping skills, and perceptions of self-efficacy-play a central role in regulating alcohol-related behavior. Understanding these mechanisms is essential for developing effective prevention programs.

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