Paper 2 - Social Learning Theory Flashcards
What did Albert Bandura believe
Behaviour is learned from experience
SLT proposed a way in which people learn through observation and imitation of others
What are the basic assumptions of SLT
A way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors
Suggests learning occurs directly through classical and operant conditioning (but also indirectly)
Stimulus -> Organism (mental processes) -> Response
Social Learning Theorists say that processes take place within the organism that mediates between stimulus and response. Takes into account the mental processes
Define Vicarious Reinforcement
Reinforcement which is not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a certain behaviour
Define Imitation
Copying the behaviour of others
Define the 4 Mediational Processes
Attention - The extent to which we notice certain behaviours
Retention - How well the behaviour is remembered
Motivation - The will to perform the behaviour (often determined by whether it was rewarded or punished)
Motor Reproduction - The ability of the observer to perform the behaviour
Define Identification
When an observer imitates the behaviour of a role model (modelling)
What can make someone a role model
Same Sex Identification
Beauty
Status
Sexuality
Personal Characteristics
Explain Bandura’s Bobo Doll Experiment
Involved children who observed aggressive and non-aggressive adult models and were then tested for imitative learning in the absence of the model
1/3 of the children saw a model’s aggressive behaviour being rewarded
1/3 of the children saw a model’s aggressive behaviour being punished
1/3 saw non-aggressive behaviour (control)
Bandura found that children who saw the rewarded model were more likely to show a high level of aggression.
Boys were more physically aggressive. Girls were more verbally aggressive
Children were more likely to imitate the behaviour of the same-sex model (same-sex identification)
Evaluation (STRENGTH) - Recognises the importance of cognitive factors
E - Neither Operant or Classic Conditioning account for human thoughts. Humans and animals store information about the behaviours of others in their mind and use it when it is appropriate to perform those actions
L- Provides for a more comprehensive account of human learning by recognising the role of mediational processes. Highlights how we have to retain the information in order to reproduce it
Evaluation (STRENGTH) - Has been applied to a range of real world behaviours
E - Helps understand cultural differences in behaviour. Principles such as modelling, imitation and reinforcement can account for how children learn from others around them (including the media). Explains how cultural norms are transmitted through particular societies
L - Increases the value of SLT as it can account for real world behaviour
Evaluation (STRENGTH) - Bandura emphasised reciprocal determinism (a person’s behaviour is influenced by and influences the environment)
E - We are not just influenced by our external environment but we also exert an influence by the behaviours we choose to perform. This means people have free will in their behaviour (they can make their own choices about how they behave). Contrasts with the Behaviourist Approach which denies the possibility of free will
L - SLT has a positive aspect of allowing the role of free will and is not completely deterministic
Evaluation (LIMITATION) - SLT underestimates the influence of biological factors on behaviours
E - Although Bandura claimed natural biological differences influenced our learning potential, he thought that learning was determined by the environment. Boys were more aggressive in the Bobo Doll Experiment than girls were - may be due to hormones. Observation and Imitation can take place due to mirror neurones in the brain that allow us to imitate other people
L- Bandura made little reference to biological factors in his theory so SLT is not a complete explanation of human behaviour
Evaluation (LIMITATION) - Based on contrived (artificial) lab studies
E - Research carried out by Bandura was experimental and conducted in the lab. Therefore it was subject to demand characteristics (behaving in the way expected to by guessing the aim of the study). In the Bobo Doll Experiment, the children may have guessed the aim of the study which could have influenced their behaviour and its results
L - This research may tell us little about how children learn aggression in everyday life
