Assumptions & Key Concepts of SLT (approaches | LA: Social Learning Theory) Flashcards
Social learning theory (SLT) was proposed by
Bandura (1972) as a more nuanced explanation of behaviourism
SLT takes the core principle of
behaviourism - people are shaped by their environment - and refines it to include the mechanisms of how people (particularly children) learn from others
SLT posits the idea that children learn via: observation
of role models, particularly parents but also other significant people such as teachers, older siblings, celebrities
- role models tend to be older, influential figures who have high status or possess qualities the child aspires to e.g. being good at football
SLT posits the idea that children learn via: imitation
of the behaviours observed from role models
SLT posits the idea that children learn via: social contexts
i.e. learning is not innate but is absorbed via the child’s environment such as the home, school, peer groups
The concept behind SLT: the child
observes the behaviour of a role model
The concept behind SLT: if the behaviour
is observed frequently the child imitates that behaviour
The concept behind SLT: the imitated
behaviour is performed in different contexts e.g.
- a child observes domestic violence at home and goes on to imitate this sort of behaviour at school (bullying)
It is more likely that
a child will imitate the behaviour of role models with whom they identify or who have similar characteristics to them e.g. same-sex parent or sibling, an attractive celebrity
Reinforcement plays a role in
SLT but it tends to be indirect, vicarious reinforcement rather than direct reinforcement
Reinforcement plays a role in SLT but it tends to be indirect, vicarious reinforcement e.g, the child observes
a specific behaviour from a role model e.g. an aggressive parent
Reinforcement plays a role in SLT but it tends to be indirect, vicarious reinforcement e.g, the child sees that
the aggressive parent is rewarded e.g. they have power over the other parent
Reinforcement plays a role in SLT but it tends to be indirect, vicarious reinforcement e.g, the aggressive parent
experiences positive direct reinforcement e.g. they got what they wanted, they feel good
Reinforcement plays a role in SLT but it tends to be indirect, vicarious reinforcement e.g, the child identifies
with the aggressive parent and internalises what they have just seen e.g. ‘I want to feel like that’
Reinforcement plays a role in SLT but it tends to be indirect, vicarious reinforcement e.g, vicarious reinforcement
has taken place
Reinforcement plays a role in SLT but it tends to be indirect, vicarious reinforcement, vicarious reinforcement has taken place, the child has
observed the reward gained by the aggressive parent and is motivated to behave similarly to gain such a reward for themselves
Reinforcement plays a role in SLT but it tends to be indirect, vicarious reinforcement, vicarious reinforcement has taken place, the child may then
go on to behave aggressively towards other children, particularly those who appear to be vulnerable
Vicarious reinforcement highlights
the more sophisticated nature of SLT compared to behaviourism as it involves a degree of cognition
Vicarious reinforcement highlights the more sophisticated nature of SLT, people are required to
process what they have seen and imagine themselves gaining a similar reward for the specific behaviour
The cognitive element of SLT can be summed up via the
mediational processes involved
The cognitive element of SLT can be summed up via the mediational processes involved:
Attention-Retention-Reproduction-Motivation (ARRM)
Attention
noticing the behaviour, and being aware of it
Retention
remembering the behaviour and the mechanisms involved in it
Reproduction
imitating the behaviour, reproducing key features of it
Motivation
the desire to perform the behaviour, the need to be rewarded for the behaviour
Attention and retention refer to
the learning of the behaviour
Reproduction and motivation refer to
the performance of that behaviour
Learning and performance of the behaviour are not
required to occur at the same time e.g. aggression observed in one setting may not be performed until some time later and in a different setting
The mediational processes in SLT (ARRM) diagram
Evaluation of assumptions & key concepts of SLT
Strengths
- SLT provides
a more ‘rounded’ explanation of how the environment shapes behaviour than that offered by behaviourism
Evaluation of assumptions & key concepts of SLT
Strengths
- SLT provides a more ‘rounded’ explanation of how the environment shapes behaviour than that offered by behaviourism, this means that SLT is
less reductionist than behaviourism
Evaluation of assumptions & key concepts of SLT
Strengths
- SLT provides a more ‘rounded’ explanation of how the environment shapes behaviour than that offered by behaviourism, this means that SLT is also
less deterministic than behaviourism as mediational processes imply that the individual has some choice over their behaviour
Evaluation of assumptions & key concepts of SLT
Strengths
- SLT has good
application to the use of token economies in prison or health settings
Evaluation of assumptions & key concepts of SLT
Strengths
- SLT has good application to the use of token economies in prison or health settings, the prisoner/patient is
rewarded for ‘good’ behaviour with tokens
Evaluation of assumptions & key concepts of SLT
Strengths
- SLT has good application to the use of token economies in prison or health settings, observation of fellow prisoners/patients
receiving rewards encourages good behaviour from others
Evaluation of assumptions & key concepts of SLT
Strengths
- SLT has good application to the use of token economies in prison or health settings, observation of fellow prisoners/patients receiving rewards encourages good behaviour from others, thus
the theory has good external validity
Evaluation of assumptions & key concepts of SLT
Limitations
- SLT cannot
account for behaviours which are observed frequently and are not imitated e.g. a child who frequently observes domestic violence may never be violent towards anyone else
Evaluation of assumptions & key concepts of SLT
Limitations
- SLT cannot account for behaviours which are observed frequently and are not imitated e.g. a child who frequently observes domestic violence may never be violent towards anyone else, this means
that SLT can offer only a limited explanation of behaviour as it does not acknowledge the role of individual differences as a factor
Evaluation of assumptions & key concepts of SLT
Limitations
- Research into SLT tends to consist of
lab experiments
Evaluation of assumptions & key concepts of SLT
Limitations
- Research into SLT tends to consist of lab experiments, this is a limitation as
SLT is an explanation of behaviour within social contexts
Evaluation of assumptions & key concepts of SLT
Limitations
- Research into SLT tends to consist of lab experiments, the controlled
conditions of a lab experiment cannot hope to replicate real life thus such research lacks ecological validity
