Final answer:
Children learn about moral behavior through observational learning, as per social learning theorists. They are more likely to imitate nurturing, powerful, similar figures, and those who receive rewards. Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development also plays a role in how children develop moral reasoning.
Step-by-step explanation:
Social-learning theorists believe that children learn about moral behavior through the process of observational learning. This involves watching others, particularly those who are role models, and imitating their behavior. According to Albert Bandura's social learning theory, children pay attention to certain models, retain what they've observed, attempt to reproduce the observed behaviors, and are motivated to learn these behaviors based on expected outcomes or reinforcements.
Children are more likely to imitate people who are nurturing, powerful, similar to themselves or who receive rewards for their behavior. These can be parents, siblings, teachers, peers, or public figures. Bandura highlighted the importance of prosocial models in promoting behaviors that society deems positive and desirable.
Another aspect of learning moral behavior is through psychological development, as presented in Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development, which posits that moral reasoning progresses through specific developmental stages from preconventional to post-conventional levels.