Social Learning Theory Flashcards
Social Learning
1) Agrees with behaviourists that learning occurs through experience (e.g. classical conditioning)
2) Learning is by observation & imitations of behaviour.
3) Ppl observe behaviour(e.g. role models) whether the behaviour is imitated depends on the observed consequences:
~> vicarious reinforcement
~> vicarious punishment
Vicarious Reinforcement
Learning is related to consequences of behaviour.
1) Ppl observe other ppl’s behaviour & take note of its consequences. Behaviour that is seen to be rewarded (reinforced) is more likely to be copied.
Identification with Model
Ppl more likely to imitate the behaviour of those they identify with, such role models are similar to the observer, attractive & have high status.
Stimulus & Response
1) SL Theorists says things take place within the organism that mediate between S & R. You need to know about mental processes that cause this reaction.
S —> O —> R
Mediational Processes
ATTENTION - pay attention to behaviour of another (MODEL).
RETENTION - If they relate to M they will IDENTIFY with them –> more likely to imitate the behaviour.
REPETITION - person IMITATES the behaviour seen the model exhibit.
MOTIVATION - person carries on repeating as they’ve seen model being REWARDED for it.
Bandura’s Study
AIMS:
1) Demonstrate if children would imitate aggressive behaviour if they witnessed an aggressive display from an adult.
PROCEDURES:
2) Children watched either:
- an adult behaving aggressively towards a Bobo doll.
- an adult behaving non-aggressively towards a Bobo doll.
Then placed in a room without the model.
Bandura’s Study - Findings
1) Children who saw aggression were much more aggressive when given their own doll.
2) Bobo doll studies suggest children are likely to imitate acts of violence if they observe these in an adult role model.
3) Modelling aggressive behaviour is more likely if such behaviour is seen to be rewarded.
Bandura Conclusions
Bandura concluded that we watch and learn, and that this learning can have both prosocial and antisocial effects.
1) Prosocial effects
Prosocial (positive) models are used to encourage socially acceptable behaviour. (Parents & Public Figures).
2) Antisocial effects
Negative models encourage negative behaviours e.g. abused children often grow up to be abusers themselves.
Strength of Bandura
IRL APPLICATION:
Parents should take note of Bandura’s findings - the main idea is that children observe and learn from their parents, even their parents’ morals, and children tend to copy what parents do instead of what they say.
–> This helps parents improve themselves to be better role models.
Strengths
SLT EMPHASISES THE IMPORTANCE OF COGNITIVE FACTORS
1) Humans & animals store info about the behaviour of others and use this to make judgements about when it is appropriate to perform certain actions.
—> Shows that SLT provides a more complete explanation of human learning than the behaviourist approach by
recognising the role of mediational processes.
HAS REAL-WORLD APPLICATION
1) Social learning principles can account for how children learn from other people around them.
2) This has proved useful in understanding a range of behaviours e.g. how children come to understand their gender role by imitating role models in the media.
—> This increases the value of SLT as it can account for real-world behaviour.
Limitations
LAB STUDIES// PURPOSE OF BOBO DOLL
1) Most of Bandura’s ideas were observed through observation of children’s behaviour in lab settings & this raises the problem of DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS.
–> Lacks ecological validity.
2) Main purpose of a Bobo doll is to hit it. So children in those studies may have just been behaving as they thought was expected –> thus the research tells us little about aggression of children in everyday life.
