slt

Question 1

main assumption of slt

Answer 1

behaviour is learned from experience and the environment, and that people learn through observation and imitation of others

Question 2

why is slt not strictly a behaviourist approach

Answer 2

it also considers cognitive processes

Question 3

what are the 4 mediational processes

Answer 3

• attention
• retention
• reproduction
• motivation

Question 4

attention

Answer 4

• the extent to which we notice the behaviour.
  for behaviour to be imitated it has to grab our attention
• it is pivotal in whether a behaviour has influence on other imitating it

Question 5

retention

Answer 5

• how well the behaviour is remembered
• important that a memory of the behaviour is formed for it to be performed later by the observer

Question 6

reproduction

Answer 6

• the ability of observer to perform the behaviour
• we are limited by our physical ability for that reason, even if we wish to reproduce the behaviour, we cannot
• this influences our decision.

Question 7

motivation

Answer 7

• will to perform behaviour, reward and cost
• if the perceived rewards outweigh the perceived costs then the behaviour will be more likely to be imitated by the observer

Question 8

identification

Answer 8

• people are more likely to imitate the behaviour of people with whom they identify with - role models
• people who they’re seen to possess similar characterises

Question 9

what must happen for someone to identify with a model

Answer 9

observers must feel similar enough to them that they would be likely to experience the same outcome

Question 10

bandura’s research

Answer 10

learning theorist, but not strictly a behaviourist as his theory also considers the thought processes that underlines our behaviour

Question 11

what did he do (1961)

Answer 11

bandura et al recorded the behaviour of young children who watched an adult behave in an aggressive way towards a bobo doll

Question 12

bobo doll experiment

Answer 12

adult hit the doll with a hammer and shouted abuse

Question 13

outcome of bobo doll experiment

Answer 13

when the children observed this they behaved much more aggressively than those who observed a non-aggressive adult

Question 14

modelling

Answer 14

• observer perspective - imitation the behaviour of a role model
• role model perspective - modelling precise demonstration of a specific behaviour that may be imitated by an observer

Question 15

vicarious reinforcement

Answer 15

through observing someone else being rewarded for a behaviour

Question 16

self efficiency

Answer 16

individuals belief in his or her capacity to execute behaviours

Question 17

observation

Answer 17

watching the behaviour of a model

Question 18

imitation

Answer 18

action of using someone as a model and copying behaviour

Question 19

1961 Bandura aims

Answer 19

1. examine the effect of the continual influence of the model
2. examine if the sex of the model influenced same-sex and opposite sex participants

Question 20

1961 Bandura procedure

Answer 20

1. 36 male ans 36 female participants from 37 to 39 months
2. two adults served the role of model. 8 experimental groups.
   1/2 observed aggressive role model and the other non-aggressive. subdivided by gender. same sex and opposite sex.
3. participants put into a room one at a time and observed the role model’s behaviour. in the room was the bobo doll, hammer etc. aggressive model hit the bobo doll abuse like ‘punch him in the nose’
4. witness behaviour for 10minutes then taken down the corridor to another room where they were told they couldn’t play with the toys. then went into a room where they could play.
5. rom contained a range of toys, Bobo doll, mallet and ‘non-aggressive toys’. The participants were observed in the room for 20mins

Question 21

1961 Bandura results

Answer 21

• found that those who observed aggressive behaviour acted more aggressively
• boys acted more aggressively than girls
• greater level of imitation between the same gender

Question 22

1963 Bandura and Walters study

Answer 22

• they showed videos to children where an adult behaved aggressively towards the Bobo doll
• one group saw adults praised for their behaviour while another group saw the adults punished. third control group saw no consequences

Question 23

1963 Bandura and Walters study outcome

Answer 23

• when given a Bobo doll to play with the first group showed much more aggression
• followed by third, then second

Question 24

AO3 supporting empirical evidence for SLT by Bandura, Ross & Ross

Answer 24

E. found children who had observed an adult model behaving aggressively towards a Bobo doll behaved much more aggressively towards the doll than those children who had observed a non-aggressive adult model
C. this supports the social learning theory as it demonstrates that children learn aggressive behaviour through the observation and imitation of role models within their environment with whom they identify.

Question 25

AO3 Bobo doll experiment has been criticised for lacking internal validity

Answer 25

E. possible children in Bandura’s studies were aware of what was expected of them. Nobel reports that one child arriving at the laboratory for the experiment said ‘look Mummy, there’s the doll we have to hit’ thus demonstrating demand characteristics.

C. therefore be argued that Bandura’s study lacks internal validity. may of instead been measuring how they thought the experimenter wanted them to behave.

this therefore reduces the validity of social learning theory and the main evidence with which it is based upon is flawed.

Question 26

AO3 Bobo doll experiment criticised for being unethical

Answer 26

E. teaches and encourages children to behave aggressively.

observing aggression in an adult model may have been distressing

C. it could be argued that the child didn’t leave the experiment in the same psychological state as to when they entered. thus reducing the validity of SLT due to the unethical issues of the study

Question 27

A03 strength of SLT is that it acknowledges the role of cognition in learning

Answer 27

E. Bandura argues that there is some though prior to imitation and this consideration is called meditational processes. This occurs between observing the behaviour and imitating it or not

C. SLT is therefore founded on soft determinism as it argues that imitation of behaviour is determined by the observation of models within our environment, however recognises the complexity of human behaviour and existence of free will claiming that we have the ability to think before deciding whether to imitate or not.

Question 28

AO3 criticism of SLT is that it underestimates the influence of biological factors

Answer 28

E. Bandura makes little reference to the impact of biological factors on social learning. One consistent finding in the Bobo doll experiments was that boys were often more aggressive than girls regardless of the specifics of the experimental situation. This may be explained by hormonal factors, such as differences in testosterone.

C. this undermines SLT as this important biological influence on behaviour is not accounted for in SLT

Question 29

AO3 one limitation of social learning theory is that is behaviourally determinsitc

Answer 29

E. SLT is suggesting that a child would passively absorb the observed aggressive behaviour and intimate it if it was seen to be rewarded rather than punished. For example, Bandura claims that the boy who observes his father attack his mother is more likely to become an abuse parent and husband.

C. this has implications for the criminal justice system as it questions whether those who are brought up in an aggressive environment should be help responsible for their actions or whether they do have free will to override this environmental force and make their own choices about their behaviour.