🔵 Approaches - The Social Learning Theory Flashcards
Social learning theory
A way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement
Imitation
Copying behaviour of others
Modelling
Imitating the behaviour of a role model
Identification
When an observer associates themselves with a role model and wants to be like the role model
Vicarious reinforcement
Reinforcement which is not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour
Assumptions of SLT
Behaviour is learned from experience
We learn through observation and imitation of others within a social context
Learning occurs directly and also indirectly
Concerned with human rather than animal behaviour
What can the learner observe from vicarious reinforcement
Observe the consequences of a behaviour and imitation of the positive reinforced behaviour
Who were the mediational processes made by
Bandura
In what years was the social learning theory developed?
1960s
Mediational processes
Attention
Retention
Reproduction
Motivation
Attention
Noticing certain behaviours of an individual
Retention
Remembering the certain actions
Reproduction
Observer to perform the behaviour
Motivation
The will to perform the behaviour
Who makes a good role model
Same age
Same gender
Older sibling
High profile media personality
When is imitation more likely to occur
When a model is positively reinforced (vicarious reinforcement)
3 conditions of bobo doll experiment
- aggressive model shown to 24
- non aggressive model shown to 24
- no model shown to 24
Children then placed in room with bobo doll
Results of bobo doll experiment
- Children who observed the aggressive model acted more aggressively towards bobo doll than other groups
- boys imitated more physically aggressive than girls
- boys more likely to imitate same sex model than girls
Limitations of bobo doll experiment
- artificial, child and model were strangers
- demand characteristics children may have thought they were expected to hit the bobo
- ethics - psychological harm to children (watching aggressive content)
Strengths of SLT
- considers role of cognitive factor in learning
- based on lab experiments
- explains the learning of complex behaviours such as aggression
- successfullly applied to many areas of psychology
- application to film certification age appropriate content
- it has experimental support
- more complete explanation of human behaviour than conditioning
Negatives of SLT
Does not take into account influence of biological factors on behaviour
In the bobo doll experiment how long were the children observed for
20 minutes
How often were the children’s behaviour noted down
Every 5 seconds
