Social cognitive theory - SAQ Flashcards
What were the 2 types of learning that Bandura suggested?
Direct learning
Indirect learning
Direct learning
Occurs when an individual performs an action and experiences its consequences (positive or negative)
This reinforces or inhibits further repetition of this action.
Indirect learning
Occurs when an individual observes another person’s actions and their consequences.
What was the predominant theory of learning before social cognitive theory?
Behaviourism
Behaviourism
Implicit assumption that all learning is direct.
Meaning the learning described in the behaviourist approach was all trial and error
Why was Bandura not satisfied with the theory of behaviourism?
Bandura felt that this was not enough to explain the complex process of socialisation including learning such things as language or religious practices.
The advantage of social learning theory was that it was able to incorporate and explain indirect learning.
What does the idea that learning occurring indirectly through observing other mean?
It is not necessary to demonstrate the actual behaviour for learning to occur.
In our learning we depend on available models - people whose behaviour we observe.
Before social cognitive theory, there was social learning
What does social cognitive theory include?
Reciprocal determinism
The idea of human agency
Identification
Self-efficacy
Reciprocal determinism
The concept of reciprocity implies that the three factors influence each other mutually, in a bidirectional way.
These are: physical, cognitive and emotional, behaviour and environment
Human agency
Human beings are self regulating, self reflecting and proactive.
Identification
Learning is more likely to occur if the observer can closely identify with the model. Identification is enhanced when there is perceived similarity between the model and the observer.
Self efficacy
The extent to which individuals believe they can master a particular skill or behaviour.
What study is used for social cognitive theory?
Bandura
When was the Bandura study?
1961
What was the aim of Bandura (1961)?
To find out how observing an adult model behaving aggressively towards an inflatable doll (Bobo doll) influences children’s subsequent aggressive behaviour.
What type of method was it?
It was a laboratory experiment
Participants
72 children (36 girls and 36 boys) aged 3-6.
What were the different groups that the children were allocated?
Aggressive role model (24 children) - in this group the adult model behaved aggressively towards the Bobo doll by following a script.
Non aggressive role model (24 children) - in this group the adult model followed a similar script, but aggressive actions were replaced by non aggressive actions.
Control groups - this group had no model.
- What was the child asked to do at the beginning of the study?
To play in the corner with prints and stickers, mallet, and an inflatable Bobo doll.
- What was the adult then meant to do?
In the aggressive condition was to spend some time playing with the toy set and then to turn to the Bobo doll and behave aggressively towards it, both verbally and physically.
In the non-aggressive condition the adult just played quietly with the toys.
- What happened when the child was brought to the next room?
A frustrating situation was created to ‘instigate’ the child’s aggression.
The child was given attractive toys, but when the interest was sparked and the play began, the child was separated from the toys and taken to a third room instead.
What finally happened in the third room?
The room contained toys similar to those in the first rooms, including a slightly smaller version of the Bobo doll. Observation at this stage lasted for 20 minutes.
The researchers had a checklist of behaviours to observe, including such categories as imitative aggression and non imitative aggression
Results
Exposure of children to the aggressive model increased the frequency of aggressive behaviour among the children.
Imitation in same sex role model conditions was more likely than in the conditions where the sex of the child and the sex of the model were different.
Boys were more likely to be aggressive than girls across all groups
Boys were more likely to imitate physical aggression while girls were more likely to imitate verbal aggression.
Conclusion
The main conclusion from the study (apart from additional gender related findings) was that the idea of observational learning was supported: learning can indeed be indirect and new behaviours can be learned by simply observing others.
What to know for social cognitive theory?
Direct and indirect learning
Behaviourism
Additions to the SCT
Bandura (1961)
