approaches - social learning theory Flashcards
what are the assumptions of social learning theory?
behaviour is learned from experience
people learn through observation and imitation
what is vicarious reinforcement?
reinforcement that is not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour
e.g imitation occurs if the behaviour is rewarded (positive reinforcement)
what are meditational processes?
cognitive factors in the learning process
they determine whether a new response is acquired
attention, retention, motor reproduction, and motivation
meditational process - attention
noticing the behaviour
meditational process - retention
remembering the behaviour
meditational process - motor reproduction
the observer performs the behaviour
meditational process - motivation
the will to perform the behaviour
this is often determined by whether the behaviour is rewarded or punished (vicarious reinforcement)
what is identification?
children identify with a person, typically someone with similar characteristics to them, and often of high status
a child is more likely to imitate someone they identify with
what is modelling?
the process of imitating a role model (someone a individual identifies with)
what was Bandura and Walters’ research (1963)?
showed videos to children where an adult behaved aggressively towards a Bobo doll
one group saw the behaviour praised - most aggressive when given their own Bobo doll
one group saw the adult punished for the behaviour - least aggressive
control group saw the aggression without consequence
strength - recognises cognitive factors
humans store information about the behaviour of others and use it to make judgements about their own behaviour and whether it’s appropriate
- less determinist than behaviourism as these cognitive factors exhibit some free will (soft determinism)
limitation - reductionist
underestimated the role of biological influences
boys were more aggressive than girls, which can be explained by hormonal factors (i.e levels of testosterone)
recent research suggests that observational learning may be the result of mirror neurons in the brain
limitation - contrived lab study
participants may respond to demand characteristics
it’s been suggested that the main purpose of the Bobo doll is to strike it, so children may simply have been behaving in a way that they thought was expected - their behaviour is not fully indicative of how children learn aggression
strength - real-world application
SLT can explain cultural differences in behaviour
children learn from those around them through modelling, imitation, and reinforcement - this explains how norms are transmitted through particular societies, and can be applied to understanding a range of behaviours (e.g how children come to understand gender roles)
