learning explanation of anorexia

Question 1

role models

Answer 1

female celebrities
same gender, age and status

Question 2

attention/observation

Answer 2

always in the media, magazines, tweets and instagram

Question 3

retention

Answer 3

repeated exposure - visually and verbally remember

Question 4

vicarious reinforcement

Answer 4

celebrities who have gained weight are punished in the media

the observer may want to avoid this punishment

Question 5

self-efficacy

Answer 5

easy to follow diets and affordable

Question 6

operant conditioning in relation to anorexia

Answer 6

admiration from others further reinforces their dieting behaviour

rewards may also come in the form of attention from parents for not eating

Question 7

positive reinforcers

Answer 7

compliments

attention

admiration from others

Question 8

negative reinforcers

Answer 8

not receiving negative comments, or being able to relate to them in the media

avoiding fearful feeling from food as food is now the feared stimulus - or leads to positive feelings as they do not gain weight

Question 9

how does this not explain individual differences

Answer 9

variations in vulnerability

most people in western cultures exposed to the same role models - individual differences not explained

Question 10

Eysenck and Flanagen

Answer 10

whilst virtually all young women in the west are exposed to the media, only 3-4% of them develop an eating disorder

Question 11

societal norms and anorexia

Answer 11

societal norms can be extremely influential

Question 12

Fear (1999)

Answer 12

increase in eating disorders among teenage girls in Figi may be linked to television arriving on the island

74% of Fijian teenage girls reported feeling ‘too big or fat’

traditionally, Fijian’s have preferred a ‘robust, well-muscled body’ for both sexes

Question 13

how is this theory deterministic

Answer 13

environmentally deterministic as it implies the environment shapes behaviour, which ignores the free will of the individual to reject the influence of the environment

Question 14

how is the theory reductionist

Answer 14

only considers nurture

too simplistic as it doesn’t even consider biological and cognitive factors

Question 15

practical applications in trying to explain the causes of anorexia

Answer 15

may be better placed to treat and prevent it

aim to prevent idealised images from being presented in the media
target the family in changing the norms by family therapy

shifts blame from the individual and tries to create an environmental change

Question 16

how does social learning theory account for cognition

Answer 16

in its explanation that we can learn through vicarious reinforcement and imitation, as this involves expectations and thought about which role models should be imitated and what rewards should be expected

accounts for eating disorders as a cultural phenomenon as role models and social learning differ across cultures