摘要：Social learning is increasingly becoming a normative goal in natural resource managementand policy. However, there remains little consensus over its meaning or theoretical basis. There are stillconsiderable differences in understanding of the concept in the literature, including a number of articlespublished in Ecology & Society. Social learning is often conflated with other concepts such as participationand proenvironmental behavior, and there is often little distinction made between individual and widersocial learning. Many unsubstantiated claims for social learning exist, and there is frequently confusionbetween the concept itself and its potential outcomes. This lack of conceptual clarity has limited our capacityto assess whether social learning has occurred, and if so, what kind of learning has taken place, to whatextent, between whom, when, and how. This response attempts to provide greater clarity on the conceptualbasis for social learning. We argue that to be considered social learning, a process must: (1) demonstratethat a change in understanding has taken place in the individuals involved; (2) demonstrate that this changegoes beyond the individual and becomes situated within wider social units or communities of practice; and(3) occur through social interactions and processes between actors within a social network. A clearer pictureof what we mean by social learning could enhance our ability to critically evaluate outcomes and betterunderstand the processes through which social learning occurs. In this way, it may be possible to betterfacilitate the desired outcomes of social learning processes
关键词：definition; social-ecological systems; social learning
