jones - social learning theory Flashcards
What is social learning theory?
-agrees to behaviourism (classical and operant conditioning)
-but adds mediational processes into learning
(thinking and analysing!!)
What is imitation?
copying the behaviour of others (anyone! doesn’t have to be role models)
What is identification?
when an observer associates themselves with a role model and wants to be like them
-> can be physically or mentally present
-> role model is usually attractive / have a high status / have similar characteristics
What is modelling?
observer: imitating behaviour of role model
role model; precise demonstration of a specific behaviour that may be imitated by an observer
What is vicarious reinforcement?
indirect learning through observing someone else’s behaviour
What are mediational processes?
cognitive factors (eg thinking) that influence learning and come between stimulus and response
What are the four mediational processes?
1) attention
2) retention
3) motor production
4) motivation
What is attention?
observer needs to pay attention carefully to the role model and be intrested or else little will be learned
What is retention?
how well the observer remembers and recalls the behaviour of the model and its consequences
What is motor production?
behaviour needs to be easy enough to intimate ie observing an international tennis player perform a difficult shot
What is motivation?
rewards or punishments when a certain behaviour is performed
What is the name of the experiment that Albert Bandura conducted?
Bobo Doll
What is the aim of the bobo doll experiment?
to investigate if social behaviours (eg aggression) can be acquired by observation and imitation
How many boys and girls were used?
36 boys and 36 girls
-> 72 children in total
How old were the kids?
3-6 years old
Which school were the kids from?
Stanford university nursery school
How did the researcher pre test the children for how aggressive they were?
observed in nursery and judged aggressive behaviour with four five point rating scales
What experimental design was used in the study and why?
Matched pair design
-> ensure they had similar levels of aggression
How did Bandura ensure that he had inter observer reliability?
The child was rated by two observer independently and their ratings were compared
What type of experiment was the study?
lab controlled
What was the process of the study?
1) children were split into three groups (24 children each): aggressive model / non-aggressive model / no model shown (control group)
2) mild aggression arousal: when the child started to play with the attractive toys, the experimenter told the child that these were the experimenter’s very best toys and the child had to reserve them for others
3) children were then put into a room with some aggressive toys (tea set, crayons and plastic farm animals) and some non-aggressive toys (dart guns and bobo doll)
-> for 20 minutes
-> behaviour was observed and recorded through a one sided mirror and made at five second intervals (240 response units in total)
What were three main findings within the experiment?
1) children who observed the aggressive model made far more imitative responses than those who were in the non-aggressive or control groups
2) boys were more likely to imitate same sex models than girls (evidence for girls wasn’t strong)
3) boys imitated more physically aggressive acts than girls (slight difference between verbal aggression)
What was the conclusion of the study?
Children learn social behaviour such as aggression through the process of observation
What are some strengths of the experimental method?
1) extraneous variables are controlled (high internal validity)
2) cause and effect can be established
3) experiments can be replicated
What are some limitations of the experimental method?
1) low ecoloogical validity
-> model and child are strangers (unlike normal modeling - family)
2) demonstrations are measured almost immediately
-> cannot determine if a single exposure will have long term effects
3)cumberbatch: children which have not played with a bobo doll before were five times as likely to imitate the aggressiveness behaviour than those who were familiar with it
What is a strength of the social learning theory?
importance of cognitive factors
-> SLT considers learning and cognitive factors to provide an explanation to behaviour which neither classical or operant conditioning does
-> SLT provides a more comprehensive explanation of human learning when recognising the role of mediational processes
What are some weaknesses of the social learning theory?
1) over reliance on evidence of lab studies
-> ideas were developed through observations in a lab so participants might respond to demand characteristics (children might be behaving in a way that they believe was expected - strike the bobo doll)
-> lacks external validity
-> tell us little about how children actually learn aggression in everyday life
2) underestimation of the influence of using biological factors
-> little reference to biological factors such as testosterone levels (boys greater)
-> important influence on behaviour is not accounted in SLT
