Social learning theory Flashcards
What are the main features of social learning theory?
Observation, Imitation, Modelling and Vicarious reinforcement.
What is meant by observation?
It means to learn via the environment by observing the behaviour of others. this it to gain a better understanding of how to do things by seeing it demonstrated by others.
What is meant by imitation?
It is when an individual observes a behavior from a role model and copies it. the word imitation is a more appropriate word as an individual will not be able to fully copy the behaviour but merely simulate it.
What is meant by modelling?
It is when we decide who to imitate based on several different considerations, only imitating the most influential people.
imitation due to identification:
people (especially children) are much more likely to imitate people with whom the identify role models with.
What is vicarious reinforcement?
This is the term used to describe the reinforcement the observer sees the modle receive via another person. They do not receive the reinforcement themselves but instead see someone else get it.
What are the stages of SLT?
Attention, Retention, Reproduction and Motivation
What is attention?
Attention must be paid to the role model or else learning won’t take place. Attention depends on many factors such as the distinctiveness of the behaviour being modelled. Bandura proposed that children are more likely to attend to role models who are similar to themselves and so are more likely to attend to behaviour of people of the same sex.
What is retention?
Having focused on modeled behaviour individuals must retain and store what they have paid attention to. humans store the behaviours they observe in the form of mental images and verbal descriptors and are then able to recall these later when producing the behaviour.
What is reproduction?
It is reproducing what has been observed. Bandura made it clear that factors such as the physical capabilities of the individual as well as their own self observation of reproduction were factors affecting the showing of the behaviour. If the behaviour is beyond our capabilities then is can not be reproduced.
What is motivation?
If a reward is offered we are more likely to reproduce the behavior.
intrinsic motivation refers to the doing of an activity where there might be inherent satisfaction rather than some physical outcome.
Extrinsic motivation refers to a motivator that is not so much of a feeling or view but rather something tangible something that has a separable outcome.
What is the APRC of Bandura’s (1961) original Bobo doll experiment?
Aim:
To investigate whether exposure to aggression would influence behaviour.
Procedure:
- 36 boys and 36 girls from the Stanford University Nursery School aged 3 - 6 years.
- An independent groups design: children were split up into 3 conditions:
1. An aggressive model was shown to 24 children
2. A non-aggressive model was shown to 24 children
3. No model was shown (control conditions) - 24 children
-participants were put into a room one at a time and were exposed to the adult role models behavior (either aggressive or non-aggressive)
The adults could be seen in the next room (playroom) containing an bob doll, a hammer and other toys. the aggressive adult model hit the bobo doll with the hammer, kicked it and shouted abuse at it. the non-aggressive adult model played nicely with the bobo doll and did not show any violence or aggression.
- after witnessing the behaviour for 10 min the children were taken to another room.
-This was lno as the ‘aggression arousal’ stage where children were made anxious.
- The room was the same for all children in all conditions and conditioned a range of toys, including the bobo doll, a mallet, dart gun and non-aggressive toys such as crayons etc.
- The participants were observed in that room for 20 min and rated by multiple observers for the extent they imitated the behaviour they have just seen.
Results:
They found the children who had observed aggressive behaviour acted more aggressively when they entered the playroom and were allowed to play alone with the bobo dol. in particular the boys acted more aggressively than girls.
conclusion.
She concluded that if a child was exposed to an aggressive model it is more likely that they would imitate their behaviour. Boys were more likely to imitate the same-sex role model more so than girls.
What is the APRC of Bandura’s (1963) Bobo doll experiment with filmed behavior?
Aim:
Procedure:
- 48 boys and 48 girls from Stanford University nursing school aged 3- 6 years old.
- One male and one female model & one female experimenter
- 3 experimental groups and a control group
- conditions:
1. child watched role model be aggressive in real life (same as in the 1961 experiment)
2. Child watched same role model be aggressive on film
3. child watched cartoon character be aggressive on TV
4. Child underwent the same procedure with regards to lay but the were no role model present
- the next part is similar to the original experiment:
children made midly fusturated befre going into a room to play
observed through a one wat mirror
each observation lasted 20 mins
Results:
Mean total real life aggression = 83
Mean total human aggression = 92
Mean total cartoon aggression = 99
Mean total control group aggression = 54
- All three aggression groups differed significantly (using wilcoxon test) from the control group
- There was no significant difference between watching the ‘real life’ model or the ‘human-film’ model.
Conclusion:
What is the APRC of Bandura’s (1965) Bobo doll experiment with vicarious reinforcement?
Aim:
to investigate the role of vicarious reinforcement.
Procedure:
- 33 male and 33 female participants randomly allocated to one of the three conditions (11 boys and 11 girls in each group)
1. Model rewarded for aggressive behaviour (given sweats and a soft drink, further comments were made to positively reinforce aggressive behaviour)
2. The model was punished for aggressive behaviour (a second adult shaken his finger disapprovinly at the model and was called a big bully. The model was hit was a rolled up newspaper and remained of how bad his aggressive behaviour was, the model ran off)
3. No consequences
- Children were taken into a room where they watched a 5 min programme, in which the model showed aggressive behaviour. depending on the condition, the model was rewarded, punished or for the control group no response to aggression.
- The model showed 4 distinctive aggressive responses along with verbal statements:
1. sat on the bobo doll, punching its nose and saying ‘pow right in the nose, boom, boom’.
2. The bobo doll was allowed to come back up again then was hit on the head with a mallet, with statement ‘sockeroo…stay down’
3. Model kicked the doll about the room, this was interspersed with a comment ‘fly away’
4. Model threw rubber balls. evertime the model hit the bobo doll they shouted ‘bang’
- Each child was taken into another room, with a bobo doll,mallet, 3 balls etc. observed for 10min and behaviour was recorded evry 5 sec. two observers recorded the observations, but neither has any knowledge of which condition the children were assigned to.
Results: Bandurs’s results showed that chilfren were more likly to imitate aggressive behaviour if the model was posotivly rewarded. Bandura’s original belif that boys would preform more imitated responses than girls was also supported.
Strengths and Weaknesses for Bandura’s bobo experiments.
G: Sample is not representative of the wider population. All children were white, upper
middle class from the same university nursery = cultural bias. So, findings may lack
generalisability to other people.
R: Controls = study can be replicated (reliability) and cause and effect conclusions can
be drawn (scientific credibility). Also inter-observer reliability found as more than one
observer used.
A: Useful as we can see how role models influence children, therefore can understand
the importance of effective/positive role models, including in the media e.g. 9.00 pm
watershed on TV.
V: Artificial setting and tasks (lacks mundane realism). No parents to assist in
preventing aggression and no punishment for the models behaving aggressively (1961 &
1963) - children might not see it as wrong.
Also, there is the possibility of demand characteristics (Bobo designed to be punched –
internal validity). Finally, pps were never followed up, so unknown whether learned
aggressive behaviour was applied beyond the study (external validity).
E: It is considered unethical to ‘encourage’ children to behave in an aggressive way, and
providing a model and inciting agitation (children not allowed to play with certain toys)
might be viewed in this way.
