Social Learning Explanation Flashcards
Define Social Learning Theory:
Way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors
According to SLT how do we learn?
- observation
- Models as a guidance on how to act and then imitate the behaviours observed
- vicarious reinforcement
Define vicarious reinforcement:
Observe others and learning the consequence of an others behaviour. If favourable more likely to imitate the behaviour
Define Modelling:
A role model gives an example of attitude/behaviour to be imitated
Define imitation:
Child copies the role model
Does the environment of a child have an importance on the shaping of gender development?
Yes
Define positive reinforcement:
Anything that strengthens behaviour because it is rewarding to the learner
Define negative reinforcement:
Anything that strengthens behaviour because it removes something unpleasant
What are the four cognitive process in mediation process?
- Attention
- Retention
- Reproduction
- Motivation
What is mediational processes?
A cognitive process that is central to the learning of gender behaviour
What is the attention and what is a part of?
- The behaviour needs to be modelled by someone that one wants to imitate
- Mediational Processes
What is the retention and what is a part of?
- The modelled behaviour needs to be remembered
- Mediational Processes
What is the reproduction and what is a part of?
- Try out the behaviour. Need to believe that you are capable of copying the behaviour
- Mediational Processes
What is the motivation and what is a part of?
- There needs to be a reason to repeat the behaviour, either because it is someone that you admire or because the modelled behaviour was rewarded in some way.
- Mediational Processes
Which stages of the mediational process is learning?
- Attention
- Retention
Which stages of the medicational process is performance?
- Reproduction
- Motivation
If a behaviour is repeated often enough it becomes …
internalised (part of the individual’s personality)
SLT believes gender to be a …
social construct
Why is gender a social construct?
Modified by behaviours depending on our age, social situation
Method of Smith and Lloyd (1978):
4-6 month old babies who (irrespective of their actual sex) were dressed half the time in boys’ clothes and half the time girls’ clothes
Does Smith and Lloyd (1978) support SLT?
Yes, as gender-appropriate behaviour is stamped in at early age through differential reinforcement
Findings of Smith and Lloyd (1978):
- The ‘boys’ were given ‘boy-appropriate’ toys and encouraged to be active and adventurous.
- The girls were given ‘girl-appropriate’ toys and were told they were ‘pretty’; they were also reinforced for being passive
Idle et al(1993)
Fathers want their sons to play with masculine toys, mothers don’t worry about it so much
Fagot (1985)
Peers more critical of boys being feminine than girls being masculine.
McGhee and Frueh (1980)
Found that people who view a lot of television have stronger gender stereotypes than people who view little
Eccles (1987)
Teachers praise boys for being clever and girls for being tidy.
Pfost & Fiore (1990)
Found that women in traditionally masculine occupations were evaluated more negatively than men in traditionally feminine occupations
Limitation of SLT - not a developmental theory
- Not provide an adequate explanation of how learning processes change with age.
- Some age limitations within the theory, e.g. motor reproduction as a mediational process suggest that children may struggle to perform behaviours if they are not physically or intellectually capable.
SLT comparisions with biological approach
SLT places little emphasis on the influence of genes and chromosomes and only considers the role of the environment. David Reimer’s case demonstrated that it was not possible to override chromosomal influence.
How would we explain if biological and social learning theory were fused together?
Perhaps a biosocial approach is more appropriate - innate biological differences that are reinforced through social interaction and cultural expectations
