Social Learning Theory Flashcards
Give AO1 list
- SLT states that to learn criminal behaviour a person has to observer a role model carrying out the criminal behaviour
- the roles model my be someone who has gained status due to their criminal activities
- the observer is more likely to copy if the role model is vicariously reinforced such as gaining money from shoplifting
- the behaviour must be paid attention to such as robbery which may include a lot of shouting so gaining the observer’s attention
- in order to imitate the behaviour the observer must remember the behaviour for example how to pick a car lock
Give AO3 list
- bandura, ross and ross (1961) found that children will imitate the behaviour of aggressive adults towards a bobo doll
- bandura’s studies involve the use of a bobo doll which is not the same as being aggressive to another human being as doesn’t represent a practical setting as one would use another human being to relieve stress but does increase ethical matterrs
- Freud would say that seeing violence is cathartic and so would lead to a person being less aggressive
- SLT ignores bio factors such as differences in brain functioning that may also cause criminal behaviour
- a lot of studies on SLT are done in controlled conditions making the findings more reliable when supporting the theory
- Williams (1986) found that 2 years after the introduction of TV, P’s were twice as aggressive as 2 control groups
- Raine et al (1997) found that murderers had differences in the functioning of their pre-frontal brain regions compared to the general populations such as having low activity left amygdala and high on the right
- a lot of the research finds correlations between violent media and aggression, it could be that aggressive people watch more violent television banduras 1963 studies support this as the kids imitated the actions on the tv and that the aggressive model showed more aggression than the control group
- Bastian et al (2011) found that playing violent video games against other people led to seeing them as less human, so may lead to more anti-social behaviour towards others
- Anderson and Dill (2000) found that P’s who played violent video games were more likely to punish an opponent than those who played non-violent video games
give a correlational study
Eron and Huesmann (1986) carried out a longitudinal study from the 1960’s investigating the viewing habits and aggressive behaviour of 800 children over a 20 year period. They were given an aggressiveness rating by their peers, their IQ score was obtained, parents were interviewed and their three favourite TV programmes were noted. Ten years on the children were interviewed and again some years later. The researchers concluded that early exposure to TV violence was indeed related to later aggression, but only amongst males. As adults the children who had watched the most TV violence were also aggressive drivers, likely to have an arrest record and used more physical punishment toward their children.
evaluate Eron and huesmann
The study did not measure TV watching directly, but relied on information given by parents.
The amount of TV viewing at age eight and subsequent aggression may have been due to some other factor such as biological predisposition or lack of parental involvement.
During the intervening years 55% of the sample disappeared or at least failed to respond, so the group that was left may not have been representative.
Give a experimental study
Berkowitz (1966) showed ps either violent or non-violent films. When later given the opportunity to aggress against another person by giving electric shocks, those who had watched the violent film gave more shocks.
Anderson & Dill (2000) firstly used a survey to link likelihood of playing violent video games with admitting to aggressive behaviour and then carried out a laboratory experiment and found that those who played a violent video game were more likely to administer a loud and prolonged blast of noise to an opponent than those who did not play a violent video game. Reasons for this were that it gave the participants a chance to be more interactive in the violence whereas TV doesn’t allow this.
Evaluate Berkowitz, Anderson and Dill
All studies took place in laboratory setting,
Measures of aggression were artificial or contrived.
Ps know they are taking part in an exp. so may have acted accordingly.
The object of aggression was an inflatable toy which was quite a novelty then and the children were deliberately frustrated before the free play opportunity was presented.
However both studies remain significant in the area of media violence.
Give a field experiment
Leyens et. al (1975) showed boys in a Belgian correctional home a diet of either violent or neutral films every night for a week. Compared to pre-viewing scores, the boys who had watched the aggressive films increased their physical aggression in the week following exposure, whist the boys in the neutral condition showed very little aggression.
Evaluate Lyenes
Field exps. by their nature cannot be as controlled as a lab. exps.
However, it does take place in a real-life setting and therefore has higher ecological validity than laboratory experiments.
The presence of observers might have influenced the outcome and the sample can hardly be described as representative.
