Social Learning Theory

Question 1

What did Bandura argue?

Answer 1

Classical and operant conditioning couldn’t account for all human learning

Question 2

What did Bandura believe?

Answer 2

There are important mental processes that lie between stimulus and response proposed by behaviourist approach

Question 3

What does the social learning theory suggest?

Answer 3

Behaviour is learnt from experience but in a social context

Question 4

How does learning occur?

Answer 4

Through observation of behaviour of others and the rewards and punishments they receive for that behaviour.

Question 5

What does learning through observation mean?

Answer 5

Humans can also learn indirectly as well as through behaviourism

Question 6

What does the social learning theory see people as?

Answer 6

Active manipulators of own environment

Question 7

What is the SLT more concerned with?

Answer 7

Human rather than animal behaviour

Question 8

Key concepts of SLT

Answer 8

Observational learning 
Modelling
Identification 
Imitation
Vicarious reinforcement

Question 9

Observational learning

Answer 9

Process of learning through watching others, retaining the information then replicating behaviours that were observed.

Question 10

Modelling

Answer 10

Can occur when an observer imitates a role model

Question 11

Identification

Answer 11

Associating with a role model and adopting their behaviour because we can’t to be like them

Question 12

Imitation

Answer 12

Way in which an individual copies the behaviour of a role model

Question 13

Vicarious reinforcement

Answer 13

Learning through observation of consequences of actions of other people

Question 14

What are mediational processes?

Answer 14

Cognitive factors that influence learning and come between stimulus and response

Question 15

What are the 4 mental processes that must happen?

Answer 15

Motivation
Attention
Retention
Motor reproduction

Question 16

Motivation

Answer 16

Motivated to copy someone admire and identify with, if they have no value to you you won’t copy

Question 17

Attention

Answer 17

Attention is drawn to what they are doing and you copy it

Question 18

Retention

Answer 18

Have to have a memory of the behaviour to repeat it

Question 19

Motor reproduction

Answer 19

Ability to perform the behaviour demonstrated

Question 20

What if these 4 processes don’t happen?

Answer 20

Won’t copy the behaviour

Question 21

underestimates the influence of biological factors

Answer 21

Bandura makes little reference to the impact of biological factors on social learning. One consistent finding in the Bono doll experiments was that boys were often more aggressive than girls regardless of the specifics of the situation. This may be explained by hormonal factors, such as different levels of testosterone, a hormone that is greater in boys and linked to increased aggressive behaviour. This means that this important influence on behaviour is not account for in SLT. However, Bandura emphasised reciprocal determinism in the sense that we are not just influenced by the external environment but also exert an influence upon it. This suggests that there is some free will in the way we behave.

Question 22

explains cultural differences in behaviour

Answer 22

social learning theory has the advantage of being able to explain cultural differences in behaviour. social learning principles can account for how children learn from other individuals around them and this can explain how cultural norms are transmitted through particular societies. This has proved useful in understanding a range of behaviours, such as how children come to understand their gender role

Question 23

over reliance on evidence from lab studies

Answer 23

Many of Banduras ideas were developed through observation of young childrens behaviour in lab settings. Lab studies are often criticised for their contrived nature where participants may respond to demand characteristics. it has been suggested in relation to the bobo doll, research thta because the main purpose of the doll is to strike it, the children were simply behaving in a way that they thought was expected. Therefore, the research may tell us little about how children actually learn aggression in everyday life.