SL - The individual and the group - Social Cognitive Theory (SCT)

Question 1

Social cognitive theory (SCT)

Answer 1

Suggests behaviour is modelled by other members of a group and acquired through observation or imitation based on consequences of a behaviour.

The cognitive approach to understanding behaviour:
Stimulus -> cognitive process -> response
(environment -> individual -> behaviour)

States that because of this, there is a triadic reciprocal determinism: E,I, and B all affect each other

Environment -> physical, social (based on the people around us) and cultural (shaped by rules that have been agreed by the local population).

Individual -> everything about us, including personality, cognitive processing, emotions, physical characteristics, biological factors etc.

Behaviour -> those actions we take that have an effect beyond the confines of our own bodies.

Question 2

Bandura, Ross & Ross

Answer 2

Aim ->
To investigate factors relating to children’s imitation of adult models’ behaviours.

Method ->
Children were taken individually into a room where an adult model was seated. The model was given a few toys, including a 3-foot inflated Bobo doll. The children created pictures. There were three conditions: non-aggressive - the model sat and played quietly, aggressive - after about a minute, the model started “aggressing toward” the Bobo doll, with specific behaviours and vocalisations, and control - no model. After ten minutes, the researcher returned, dismissed the model, and took the child to another room. The children were wound up by the researchers and then taken to the final room. There were various toys available for the children to play with, including Bobo, a mallet, a tea set and more. The children were allowed to play while the researcher sat at a desk pretending to do paperwork. For 20 minutes, the children’s behaviour was time-sampled (behaviour noted every five seconds → 240 behaviour units recorded), focusing on imitative and non-imitative actions and vocalisations.

Results ->
Children who’d observed a model produced significantly more imitative behaviours than control ppts. Children in the aggressive condition produced significantly more imitative and non-imitative aggressive acts than did children in the non-aggressive condition. Boys displayed significantly more imitative physical aggression than did girls. There was no overall statistically-significant interaction between the sex of the ppt and that of the model.

Conclusion ->

Children actually copy rather than coming up with the behaviours on their own. In addition, the increased number of aggressive behaviours suggests that aggressive behaviours are both imitated and give ‘permission’ for more aggression to be shown.

Evaluation ->

✔ Reliability was high as inter-rater reliability was checked sometimes by using a second rater.
✔ High validity -> lab experiment, high control, all variables controlled as much as possible, clear operationalisation

❌ Low ecological validity. The situation involves the child and an adult model, which is a very limited social situation and there is no interaction between the child and the model at any point; certainly the child has no chance to influence the model in any way. Also, the model and the child are strangers. This, of course, is quite unlike ‘normal’ modeling, which often takes place within the family.
❌ Ethical issues -> long term effects of promoting aggressive behaviours in children.

Question 3

Triadic reciprocal determinism of SCT

Answer 3

Individual ->
Individual can affect the environment as someone with a high status/significant presence (ie teacher in a classroom) would change the environment
Individual can affect the behaviour as one’s own personality and traits can affect their behaviour

Environment ->
Environment can affect the individual as a different environment will cause people to think differently
Environment can affect the behaviour as someone with a high status/significant presence (ie teacher in a classroom) would act in a different way

Behaviour ->
Behaviour can affect the individual as someone’s behaviour can affect someone and make them upset
Behaviour can affect the environment as the impactor one’s actions can affect the environment

Question 4

Social Learning key aspects

Answer 4

Attention -> needed to notice a behaviour

Retention -> need to remember what the behaviour is

Reproducibility -> need to be able to (or think you’re able to - self-efficacy) do the behaviour yourself. Self-efficacy is dependent on past experiences and the degree to which the person identifies themselves with the person who did the behaviour.

Motivation -> need to want to copy the behaviour