Approaches- social learning theory

Question 1

What are the assumptions of the learning approach- there are 4

Answer 1

1) ALL behaviour is learnt and ALL we have at birth is a capacity to learn2) A person is a product of their environment and born a blank slate (tabula rasa)3) EXTREMELY nurture 4) Argues in order for psychology to be scientific it should focus on observable behaviour which can be objectively measured.

Question 2

What are the 5 key features of social learning theory

Answer 2

1) vicarious reinforcement 2) modelling 3) vicarious punishment 4) identification 5) imitation

Question 3

What was the neutral stimuli in Pavlov’s research?

Answer 3

The bell

Question 4

What was the unconditioned stimuli is Pavlov’s research

Answer 4

Food

Question 5

What does ‘one trial learning’ mean, with an example

Answer 5

When conditioning occurs immediately after only one trail. When people have food poisoning they may avoid said food

Question 6

What does ‘stimulus generalisation’ mean

Answer 6

Extension of the original response from the conditioned stimuli to a similar stimuli

Question 7

What does ‘discrimination’ mean

Answer 7

The conditioned response is produced only by the original stimuli, it doesn’t extend to similiar stimuli

Question 8

Key assumption of operant conditioning

Answer 8

Behaviour is learnt from consequences Future behaviour is determined by consequences of past behaviour

Question 9

What is a primary reinforcer With an example

Answer 9

Anything that fulfils a basic/biological need I.e food

Question 10

What is a secondary reinforcer With an example

Answer 10

Not inherently reinforcing- only becomes a reinforcer because it is associated with primary reinforcer I.e a mother

Question 11

What is continuous reinforcementWith an example

Answer 11

Behaviour is rewarded each time is occurs E.g rat gets a food pellet each time it hits the button

Question 12

What is partial reinforcement

Answer 12

Desired behaviour is only reinforced part or some of the time

Question 13

What is a fixed ratio schedule, with relevance to Skinners work

Answer 13

Rat gets a food pellet after 5 lever presses

Question 14

What is a variable ratio schedule, with relevance to Skinners work

Answer 14

Rat gets a food pellet after a number of lever presses that changes all the time

Question 15

What is positive reinforcement

Answer 15

Increasing the frequency of a desired behaviour by giving a pleasant consequence

Question 16

What is negative reinforcement

Answer 16

Increasing the frequency of a desired behviour by removing something unpleasant

Question 17

What was a positive reinforcer in Skinner’s work

Answer 17

When rat pressed lever, food pellet was released

Question 18

What was a negative reinforcer in Skinner’s work

Answer 18

Rat had to press lever to turn off electric current which was running through floor so electric shocks would stop.

Question 19

What is punishment

Answer 19

Reducing frequency of a desired behaviour by giving unpleasant consequences

Question 20

What was an example of punishment in Skinner’s research

Answer 20

Rat got shock when pressed lever so didn’t press lever again

Question 21

Evaluation of behaviourism -Evidence, Little Albert

Answer 21

Little Albert was conditioned to fear rats. Through pairing rats (NS) with an unpleasant stimulus of a loud bang (UCS), after 7 pairings Albert showed fear in response to the rat. Watson & Rayner had used CC to teach/condition a fear response.

Question 22

Evaluation of behaviourism- Scientific

Answer 22

The approach uses both objective and falsifiable methods to study only observable behaviours that underline stimulus-response links e.g. focusing on just the behavioural responses of spider phobics in response to spiders rather than internal cognitions.

Question 23

Evaluation of behaviourism - Issue with evidence

Answer 23

E.g Pavlov done on dogs evolutionary discontinuity Too many qualitative difference e.g humans have a LADCan’t generalise findings

Question 24

Evaluation of behaviourism - environmental determinism

Answer 24

Behaviourism proposes that most of our behaviour is determined (caused) by past experiences that have been conditioned through our interactions with the environment.Skinner argued that everything we do is the sum of our reinforcement history.This means the approach offers an incomplete explanation of human behaviour, neglecting proven biological factors in human behaviour as well as free-will.

Question 25

What is imitation

Answer 25

This is when an individual copies the behaviour that they have observed a role model performing

Question 26

What is identification

Answer 26

When the observer respects/admires the role model and aspires to be like them or sees themselves as similar to the role model. Identification increases the motivation to imitate a role model.

Question 27

What is modelling

Answer 27

Refers to the things we see or hear models doing, saying etc. Models can be real people we have in our lives, celebrities we see on TV etc and filmed models too. Attitudes as well as behaviours can be modelled.

Question 28

What is vicarious reinforcement

Answer 28

When an individual observes a role model being rewarded for a behaviour. They are then motivated to imitate this behaviour in the hope of receiving a similar rewarding consequence.

Question 29

What is vicarious punishment

Answer 29

When an individual observes a role model being punished for a behaviour. Observing a role model being punished for performing a particular behaviour reduces the motivation to imitate that behaviour because the observer does not wish to be punished like the role model was.

Question 30

What are the four parts of mediational processes

Answer 30

1) attention 2) retention 3) motivation 4) reproduction

Question 31

What happens in the attention part of the mediational process

Answer 31

The observer has to concentrate on the models behaviour if it is to be imitated. Identification with the role model is important here.

Question 32

What happens in the retention part of the mediational process

Answer 32

The behaviour has to be remembered & stored (i.e., retained) if it is going to be imitated later.

Question 33

What happens in the motivation part of the mediational process

Answer 33

The observer must have good reason and want to imitate the behaviour that has been observed.

Question 34

What happens in the reproduction part of the mediational process

Answer 34

The observer must be capable of imitating / reproducing the behaviour that they have observed.

Question 35

Who conducted the Bobo doll study

Answer 35

Bandura

Question 36

What was the aim of the Bobo doll study

Answer 36

see how just watching people influences our behaviour, specifically aggression.

Question 37

Who was the sample in the Bobo doll study

Answer 37

72 children (36 boys and 36 girls) aged between 3-5 years.

Question 38

What was the procedure on the Bobo doll experiment -broken down into 4 steps

Answer 38

1) Bandura put an adult in a room with a child and some toys, including a bobo doll. The child watched the adult play with the toys (either aggressively or non-aggressively). 2)They were then put in a room with more attractive looking toys, that they were told they couldn’t play with as they were for the special children. 3)The child was then taken back into the original toy room and left on their own to see how they would interact with those toys.4)The children were observed through a one-way mirror.

Question 39

Results of the Bobo doll study

Answer 39

Children who watched the aggressive model copied the behaviour they had seen (they were hitting the bobo doll with their fists or a toy mallet and yelling abuse at it).Another group who watched the non-aggressive adult showed no signs of aggression and also played calmly with the toys, most ignored the bobo doll in favour of the other toys.

Question 40

In the Bobo doll study, when could closest imitation be observed

Answer 40

When a child observed an adult of the same sex

Question 41

What was the procedure and results of the follow up study of the Bobo doll experiment

Answer 41

Children were shown a film of an adult behaving aggressively towards the bobo doll. This time there were consequences for the model:Group A - was the control group (no consequences)Group B - the model was rewarded for their aggressive behaviour with sweetsGroup C - the model was punished for being aggressiveFindings: Group C showed fewer aggressive acts than A & B. This shows that vicarious punishment is more powerful than vicarious reinforcement.

Question 42

Evaluation of SLT -Evidence, Bandura

Answer 42

Using 72 kids (36 boys and 36 girls) Bandura demonstrated the power of imitation with same sex role models. Some kids briefly saw an adult model attack a bobo doll with novel physical and verbal aggressive acts. After being mildly frustrated, the kids were observed through a one-way mirror imitating those very specific aggressive acts. Kids not exposed to an aggressive role model did not display such ‘vicarious’ learning.This means we can be more confident that this approach can be used to help explain human behaviour.

Question 43

Evaluation of SLT-practical applications

Answer 43

For instance, censorship on films, video games as well as the 9pm watershed on mainstream TV attempts to minimalise kids exposure to unsuitable material. Knowing about the potential power of vicarious learning/imitation, we can keep kids away from negative role models in the media.This could imply that SLT helps reduce aggression in kids behaviour.

Question 44

Evaluation of SLT -Criticism of Banduras work

Answer 44

Research into SLT like Bandura’s – whilst highly controlled – does not accurately reflect real life. In Bandura’s study, none of the kids actually got hurt, the aggressive display from the role model was highly scripted and unrealistic (rarely do we see adults attack blow up dolls!); ultimately the behaviour could be seen as nothing more than rough and tumble play.This means that, although the research demonstrated SLT in action, it is difficult to show cause and effect of role model behaviour in real life as extraneous variables such as biological factors are uncontrolled.

Question 45

Evaluation of SLT- soft determinism

Answer 45

SLT claims that although the environment drives and shapes our behaviour its not inevitable. It suggests we choose our role models and have some role in selecting when to attend and retain information.However, this means the approach STILL offers an incomplete explanation of behaviour, neglecting proven factors in human behaviour such as BIOLOGICAL FACTORS.

Question 46

Evaluation of SLT-Limited explanatory power

Answer 46

Finally, the mediating cognitive factors such as RETENTION / MOTIVATION identified in SLT have to be inferred so cannot measure extent of their influence. SLT does not explain cognitive processes, leaving this to cognitive psychologists and so the theory is limited in the extent to which it fully explains the process of imitating behaviours of role models.