Learning Approaches-The Social Learning Theory Flashcards
What are the main assumptions of the Social Learning Theory and who discovered it ?
Albert Bandura discovered Social Learning Theory. Learning Occurs from observing others and then imitating them.The Mind, Behaviour and the environment all play a role in learning behaviours.
The Social Learning Theory (SLT) focuses on the cognitive processes rather than the Mental processes.SLT can occur directly( Classical/Operant Conditioning) and indirectly
What is Modelling?
Observe model behaviour , if behaviour is desirable the action is imitated
What is identification and modelling?
Identification is when an observer’s associates themselves to a role model
A person becomes a role model when they display desirable characteristics/high status.A role model does not physically have to be there in the environment . This is has important implications on how the media influences people
What is the acronym to remember the Conditions For Social Learning
ARMM
What is Attention? (ARMM)
The individual notices someone in their environment
What is Retention? (ARMM)
The individual remembers what they observed
What is Motor Reproduction? (ARMM)
Individual replicates the behaviour shown by the model
What is Motivation? (ARMM)
Individual seeks to demonstrate the behaviour that they have observed
What is Vicarious Reinforcement?
Learning from a result of indirect reinforcement but rather an individual’s observation of another’s experience and more importantly the consequence of that action
What was the Bobo Doll Experiment’s Aim?
Whether children would imitate aggressive behaviour
What was the Bobo Doll Experiment’s Hypothesis?
Children exposed to aggressive model would imitate similar behaviour
What was the Bobo Doll Experiment’s Results?
Children exposed to aggressive model would imitate similar behaviour
What are Demand Characteristics?
When the environments of an experiment or any influence from the experimenter effect the subject to produce desired characteristics
What are the Strengths of Social Learning Theory?
- Provides a more comprehensive explanation of human learning by recognising the role of mediational processes
- Helps to understand many aspects of human behaviour aswell how the media influences the public
What are the Weaknesses of Social Learning Theory?
- Over Reliance of Lab studies- Experiment conducted in a lab , this means that participants may respond to demand characteristics E.g Children behaved in a way that was expected of them
- Underestimation of biological factors-Does not take into account that boys have a higher level of testosterone when comparing aggression in boys and girls
