Learning

Question 1

What is the key question?

Answer 1

Is the influence of role models and celebrities a cause of anorexia?

Question 2

What is anorexia?

Answer 2

• extreme weight loss
• more than 1 million people effected in the UK
• mainly develop between 14 and 25
• fatigue

Question 3

4 stages of social learning theory?

Answer 3

1. Attention
2. Retention
3. Reproduction
4. Motivation

Question 4

What is vicarious reinforcement and how does this link?

Answer 4

Behaviour is rewarded so it is copied, people develop eating disorders trying to imitate celebrities because they are rewarded. (Being named ‘hottest female’)

Question 5

How does Bandura’s study link?

Answer 5

Shows that imitation doesn’t need reinforcement. The children still imitated behaviour even when it wasn’t repeated. The physical aggression acts with a same sex role model were,

• girls 5.5 acts
• boys 25.8 acts

Question 6

How does Becker’s study explain the influence?

Answer 6

17 year old girls take an EAT26 test and semi structured interview in 1995 and 1998, the scores over 20 indicate an eating disorder.
-12.7% scored over 20 in 1995
-29.2% scored over 20 in 1998
Shows that it does TV (role models) have an influence.

Question 7

Can operant conditioning explain it?

Answer 7

Positive reinforcement can link because someone may be complimented for being slim.
And negative reinforcement can link because compliments may stop when weight is put on.

Question 8

Is the media taking responsibility and changing?

Answer 8

• plus size models

- France banning size 0 models

Question 9

What is bad about this approach?

Answer 9

Ignores biological factors, like genes. A study looked at 3400 anorexia sufferers and found that in more than half the cases they had faulty genes.
Predisposition-people have the faulty gene but it’s the environment that triggers it.