Approaches- Social Learning Theory Flashcards
Social learning theorist
Albert Bandura
Socialist learning theorist agreed with which theory but developed further?
SL theorist agreed with behaviourism principles but argued understanding human behaviour requires recognizing learning as a cognitive process which happens in a social content
What serves as a template from our actions?
Observing others
Which type of reinforcement is a key principle of the social learning theory?
Vicarious reinforcement
Vicarious reinforcement
when we see someone rewarded for a behavior, we are more likely to mimic it
Vicarious punishment
Witnessing someone punished for an action makes us less likely to adopt that behaviour
Modelling
individuals we observe and emaluate are referred to as models; live models include parents, friends and family members.
Learning through characters in movies or books is called?
Symbolic models
Identification
not all models have the same likelihood of being imitated
we are more likely to imitate models with similar characteristics such as gender and age or people perceived to be attractive or high status
What are mediatational processes?
ARRM
attention
retention
reproduction
motivation
and must happen between observing a model perform a behaviour (stimuli) and imitating that behaviour (response)
Mediational processes and SL theorists
Social learning theorists argue that human behaviour could not be fully understood without including the tile of cognitive processes that happen between stimuli and response - ARRM
Attention
in order to learn from a model, individuals mst pay attention to the model by focusing on specific behavior
Retention
the ability to remember the observed behaviours, this involves encoding the observed behaviour into memory so it can be retrieved later
Reproduction
The individuals’ belief in their ability to replicate the behavior that the model demonstrated. This depends on the individual’s’ physical capabilities as well as the remembered details of the behaviour
Motivation
The willingness to perform the behaviour, which is influences by the expected outcomes, such as rewards or punishments, based on observing the consequences of behaviours in others
Mediational processes explain why
individuals do not automatically mimic every behaviour they observe, is any of the 4 ARRM mediational processes are missing, the behaviour won’t be imitated
Learning and what are not the same?
Learning and performance are not the same
Explain learning and performance are not the same
For behaviourist an immediate response to stimuli indicates learning, equating learning directly w/ performance
HOWEVER
Social learning theory disti=nguisges betweenlearnig and perofrmance, arguing that observed behaviours are internalises -meaning that they are stores as memories fro use when needed, potentially long after the initial observation
How was the SLT concepts of modelling and imitating tested?
Through Bandura (1961)’s experiment conducted to see if children would copy aggressive behavior demonstrated by an adult towards an inflatable toy known as the Bobo doll
Bandura Bobo Doll (1961)
Procedure
Ps (children) aged 3-6
were divided into 2 groups
1st group observe an adult demonstrating physical and verbal aggression towards a bobo doll in a room filled with toys
2nd group watched an adult interact non-aggressively w/ different toys
an experimenter observed and recorded the children’s physical and verbal aggression from behind a one-way mirror
Bandura Bobo Doll (1961)
Findings
Findings revealed that children exposed to an aggressive model were more likely to be aggressive themselves
additionally the results highlighted the role of identification, particularly among boys, who were more likely to mimic aggression after observed a male model compared to those who saw an aggressive female model
1963 variation
of Bandura Bobo Doll (1961)
Procedure
Symbolic models
children were exposed to a live aggressive adult, a recording of an adult or a cartoon featuring an aggressive cat
-all aggression was directed towards a Bobo doll
1963 variation
of Bandura Bobo Doll (1961)
Findings
indictaed comaprabled levels of aggression across allgroups, illustrating that modelsm wteher lvie orsymbplic. (recorded or animated), are imitated
1965 variation
of Bandura Bobo Doll (1961)
Procedure
Vicarious Reinforcement
children witness adults acting aggressively towards a Bobo doll ,followed by the adults receiving (sweets), punishment (being hit w/ a wooden club) or neither
1965 variation
of Bandura Bobo Doll (1961)
Findings
Indicated that children who observed the adult being punished displayed significantly less aggression towards the Bobo doll compared to children in other conditions
Evaluation
robust
strength of SLT is it is supported by robust evidence
-e.g Bobo doll study has high internal validity due to its lab setting
-this tsudy ensure nevironemntlas ocntorl by havign Ps follow the same procedure in the same room w/ access to identical toys
-it also used matched pair design to control Ps variables, assessing children’s pre-existing aggression level to ensure each group contained an equal mix of aggressive children
Evaluation
ecological validity
Bandura’s rs only demonstrated short-term social learning
aggression may not be imitated weeks or months after observation
the study’s ecological validity can also be question , as the aggression observed in a controlled lab setting may not directly translate to real-world scenarios, such as imitating televised violence in school environments
these concerns raise doubts about the applicability of SLT processes to everyday life
Evaluation
Inferences
rs supporting slt relies on inferences
processes such as identification w. a model vicarious reinforcement, and mediating cognitive factors are not directly observable but are inferred from behavior shown by the child Ps
-these inferences might be incorrect; mediating cognitive factors could have less impact than assumed, nand the true causes of behaviour could be significantly different
Evaluation
less reductionist
-advantage of SLT - is less reductionist than behaviourism
-giving a more detailed a potentially more valid understanding of human behaviour
-SLT acknowledges the role of consciousness and rationality
-proving a more believable explanation for complex behavior sliek aggression
-behaviourisms focus on simplistic stimulus-response mechanisms man only be appropriate is explaining the learning of basic behaviours
Evaluation
reciprocal determinsim
SLT’s concept of ‘reciprocal determinism’ is a potentially more valid perspective tna simpler deterministic approaches
-bandura argues that behavior is not only influenced by the environment but also shapes it
-e.g a child’s study habits can alter their reinforcement, achieving an A grade and receiving praise from teacher
-the positive feedback loop then acts as further motivation for the child to increase their effort
