Lesson 4: Social Learning Theory

Question 1

Assumptions of social learning theory

Answer 1

• Behaviour is learned through experience, specifically through observation and imitation within a social context.

Question 2

Modelling

Answer 2

• In order for social learning to take place models must carry out the behaviour to be learnt. A live model could be a parent, teacher or peer. A symbolic model could be someone in the media.

Question 3

Imitation

Answer 3

• A lot of the behaviour people acquire is learnt through copying behaviour that is modelled by others

Question 4

Identification

Answer 4

• We are more likely to imitate the behaviour of a model who we admire of who is similar to us in some way (e.g. same age and gender). In order to identify with the model, observers must feel that they are similar enough to the model that if they performed the same behaviour, the consequence would be the same for them as it was for the model.

Question 5

Vicarious Reinforcement

Answer 5

• Individuals learn by observing the behaviour of others and the reward and punishment they receive. People do not need to experience the rewards or punishment directly in order to learn from then. People may learn behaviours, but not perform them because they have also learned that the behaviour is likely to be punished if displayed.

Question 6

Mediational processes

Answer 6

• Cognitive factors occur between the stimulus (observing the behaviour) and the response (imitating the behaviour). First the observer must pay attention to the model (attend to their actions), secondly the observer must be capable of retention (remember the behaviour that has been modelled), third,y the observer must be motivated to imitate the behaviour (because they want the same reward the model received, finally the observer must consider themselves to be physically and psychologically capable of reproducing the behaviour. People can learn a behaviour but still not reproduce it because they are not motivated to, or they are not capable of that behaviour.

Question 7

Bandura (1961)

Answer 7

• Bandura conducted a study involving 36 male and 36 female children aged 3-7 years of age. The children had to observe a model acting either aggressively or non aggressive,y with a bobo doll. Some of the children saw a same-sex model, others saw a different sex model. In the experimental conditioning, the model displayed aggressive acts towards the bobo doll such as striking it with a mallet and shouting ‘Pow!’.
• After the children observed these aggressive acts, they were made to feel frustrated. They were shown attractive toys but told they were not allowed to play with them. The children (one by one; were then taken to a room which had some toys including a bobo doll. The children were observed for 20 minutes,

Question 8

Results of Bandura experiment.

Answer 8

• The results found that children who observed the aggressive model reproduced the same aggressive behaviour towards the bobo doll, whereas the children who observed the non-aggressive model, showed no aggression to the bobo doll. 33% of children who observed and heard verbal aggression repeated what they had seen and heard. However, 0% of children in the non-aggressive group displayed verbal aggression. Boys were more aggressive than girls, and imitation of aggression was greatest when the model was the same gender as the observer.

Question 9

Strengths of social learning theory

Answer 9

+ Social learning theory recognises the importance of both behavioural and cognitive factors (meditational processes) when examining how people learn new behaviours, unlike the behaviourist approach.

Question 10

Weaknesses of social learning theory

Answer 10

• Mediational factors have to be inferred so we cannot measure the extent of their influence. SLT does not try to explain Mediational processes, it leaves this to cognitive psychologists.
• Social learning theory can be criticised because it does not take into account cause and effect. Studies have found that young people who have defiant attitudes seek out peers with similar attitudes, rather than becoming deviant because of their peers.
• Social learning theory sees behaviour as environmentally determined and so ignores the role of biology in behaviour. However, Bandura found in his experiment that boys were more aggressive than girls, regardless of the experimental situation they were in. Boys might be more aggressive because of the hormone testosterone which means it is biologically determined.
• Social learning theory is able to explain behaviours such as aggression, but not so able to explain the learning of abstract notions e.g. fairness, justice etc. which cannot be observed directly