APPROACHES - SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY

Question 1

What is Social Learning Theory?

Answer 1

Learning through observing others and imitating behaviours that are rewarded

Question 2

Outline the procedure of Bandura et al. (1961)

Answer 2

• Half the children were exposed to adult models interacting aggressively with a life-sized Bobo doll and half were exposed to non-aggressive models
• The aggressive model displayed physically aggressive acts towards the doll (e.g. hitting with a mallet, accompanied by verbal aggression such as saying ‘POW’)
• Following exposure to the model, children were frustrated by being shown attractive toys which they were not allowed to play with
• Children were taken to a room where, among other toys, there was a Bobo doll

Question 3

Outline the findings of Bandura et al. (1961)

Answer 3

• Children who observed aggression reproduced physically and verbally aggressive behaviour resembling the model
• Children who didn’t observe aggression displayed no aggression toward the doll
• 1/3 of children who observed aggression repeated the model’s verbal responses
• None of the children who observed non-aggression made verbally aggressive remarks

FOLLOW UP - children who saw model get rewarded for aggression where more likely to show increased aggression in their own play

Question 4

Define Modelling

Answer 4

Learning where individuals learn a particular behaviour by watching others perform that behaviour

Question 5

Define Imitation

Answer 5

Using something or someone as a model and copying their behaviour

Question 6

Define Identification

Answer 6

A form of influence. An individual adopts a behaviour because they want to become associated with a particular person or group

The extent to which an individual relates to a model and feels they are similar to that person (e.g. similar sex)

Question 7

Define Vicarious Reinforcement

Answer 7

Learning that is not a result of direct reinforcement of behaviour, but by seeing someone else being reinforced for that behaviour.

Bandura and Walters (1963)

Question 8

Define Mediational Processses

Answer 8

Internal mental processes that take exist between environmental stimuli and the individual’s response to the stimuli

A - attention (did the individual pay attention)
R - retention (can the individual remember the behaviour)
R - reproduction (is the individual able to reproduce the behaviour)
M - motivation (whether perceived rewards outweighs the perceived costs)

Bandura (1986)

Question 9

Outline the procedure of Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961)

Answer 9

• 36 boys and 36 girls aged between 3 - 6
• 3 experimental groups: exposed to real-life aggressive model, exposed to on-film aggressive model, exposed to aggressive cartoon
• 1 control group: exposed to non aggressive model

Question 10

Outline the findings of Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961)

Answer 10

• Children who observed an aggressive role model behaved more aggressively than the control group children who had observed a non-aggressive role model

Question 11

What makes imitation more likely?

Answer 11

• If the observer witnesses the role model being rewarded for their behaviour
• If the observer identifies with the role model
• If the observer has high self-efficacy (observer is confident to imitate)

Question 12

What are the mediational processes?

Answer 12

• Attention
• Reproduction
• Motor reproduction
• Motivation