Approaches - The Learning Approach - Social Learning Theory Flashcards
What did Bandura suggest about direct and indirect learning?
Bandura suggested that aggression can be learned directly, through operant conditioning- for example, a child may be rewarded for an aggressive act, so will learn that this is something to be repeated in the future. However, he also suggested that learning can be indirect, through observation.
Outline vicarious reinforcement in learning aggression
Children learn the actions of aggressive behaviour by observing role models in their lives and in the media. They also observe the consequence of the aggressive acts- whether the role model is rewarded or punished for them. This is known as vicarious reinforcement (learning through watching someone else being rewarded or punished). If they observe an aggressive act being rewarded, they are more likely to repeat that aggressive act. Vicarious punishment would lead to aggressive behaviour being less likely, as the child observes the role model being punished for their action.
What are the 4 cognitive processes involved in the learning process of SLT?
Four cognitive processes are involved in the learning process of SLT:
Attention: watching a role model’s aggressive actions
Retention: being able to remember the action
Reproduction: being physically capable of performing the aggressive action
Motivation: a reason to imitate the behaviour, and the expectation that it will be successful
What is meant by self-efficacy?
Linked to the idea of motivation, this is the belief/confidence that performing an action will lead to a desired reward. This is strengthened each time the aggressive action leads to a positive outcome, as the child gets more confident that they can use aggression successfully.
Outline Bandura’s Bobo doll study
Bandura et al (1961) showed children an adult being aggressive towards a Bobo doll (punching and kicking it). They were then prevented from playing with toys, to create frustration and a readiness for aggression. When left alone in a room with the Bobo doll, the children copied the aggressive acts they had seen, including the language. Some used a toy gun to ‘threaten’ the doll (even though the adult hadn’t used any guns). In a control group, which did not observe aggressive behaviour, almost no aggression was shown towards the doll.
Evaluate social learning theory - boxing
Phillips (1986) found that murder rates in the US almost always increased in the days and weeks following a televised boxing match. This suggests that people observed the aggressive actions and then imitated them, supporting that the theory applies to adults and children.
Evaluate social learning theory - reactive aggression
It is hard to explain reactive aggression using SLT. Reactive aggression is not premediated or planned, and occurs instantly in response to a trigger. This suggests some aggressive actions may be instinctual, and so are not learned, as the theory would predict.
Evaluate the Bobo doll study - Cumberbatch
Cumberbatch (1990) found that children who had not played with a Bobo Doll before were five times as likely to imitate the aggressive behavior than those who were familiar with it; he claims that the novelty value of the doll makes it more likely that children will imitate the behavior.
Outline the assumptions of social learning theory
- Learning happens through observations of others - it is social.
- Learning occurs directly (classical and operant condititoning) but also indirectly (observing the behaviour of others and the consequences of that behaviour)
What is identification in social learning theory?
People (especially children) are more likely to imitate people they identify with.
The person they identify with is called a role model.
The process of imitating a role model is called modelling.
Someone becomes a role model if they possess similar characteristics to the observer and/or are attractive and have high status.
Role models don’t have to be physically present in the environment and this has important implications for the media.
Evaluate social learning theory - lab studies
A limitation of SLT is that it relies too heavily on evidence from lab studies.
Many of Bandura’s ideas were developed through observation of children’s behaviour in lab settings and this raises the problem of demand charachteristics. The main purpose of a Bobo doll is to hit it and children may have been behaving as they thought was expected.
Therefore the research may tell us little about how children actually learn in real life.
