social learning theory

Question 1

what is the definition of social learning theory? (SLT)

Answer 1

a way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors

Question 2

what is the definition of imitation?

Answer 2

copying the behaviour of others

Question 3

what is the definition of identification?

Answer 3

when an observer associates themselves with a role model and wants to be like the role model

Question 4

what is the definition of modelling?

Answer 4

• from the observer’s perspective, it is imitating the behaviour of a role model
• from the role model’s perspective, it is the precise demonstration of a specific behaviour that may be imitated by an observer

Question 5

what is the definition of vicarious reinforcement?

Answer 5

• reinforcement which is not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour
• this is a key factor in imitation

Question 6

what is the definition of mediational processes?

Answer 6

cognitive factors (ie. thinking) that influence learning and come between stimulus and response

Question 7

assumptions of SLT

Answer 7

• bandura agreed with behaviourists that behaviour is learned from experience.
• however, he proposed that people learn through observation and imitation of others

SLT suggests that learning occurs directly through classical and operant conditioning, but also indirectly

Question 8

what is the role of mediational processes?

Answer 8

• they intervene in the learning process to determine whether a new response is acquired
• first 2 are related to learning, last 2 to the performance of behaviour

Question 9

4 mediational processes

Answer 9

1. attention - the extent to which we notice certain behaviours
2. retention - how well the behaviour is remembered
3. motor reproduction - the ability of the observer to perform the behaviour
4. motivation - will to perform the behaviour, which is often determined by whether behaviour was rewarded or punished

Question 10

the process of identification

Answer 10

• people, especially children, are more likely to imitate people they identify with
• the person they identify with is called a role model
• the process of imitating a role model is called modelling

Question 11

the role of a role model

Answer 11

• the behaviour of a role model is called modelling
• a person becomes a role model if they seem to possess similar characteristics to the observer and are attractive and have high status
• role models may not necessarily be physically present in the environment, and this has important implications for the influence of the media on behaviour

Question 12

bandura’s research: study A

the original bobo doll study, bandura et al. 1961

Answer 12

• it illustrates the concepts of observational learning and imitation
• the children in the study saw the adult striking the doll as a role model and behaved in a similar way when they were placed in the same situation

Question 13

bandura’s research: study B

(bandura and walters 1963)

Answer 13

• the children who had seen aggression rewarded with praise were more likely to imitate the aggression than the children in the no-consequence control group, and much more likely than the children in the ‘telling-off’ condition, who saw the aggression punished
• this illustrates vicarious reinforcement

Question 14

charlton et al. (2000) - why was the island of st helena chosen?

Answer 14

• island is located in the south atlantic
• prior to march 1995, the island did not have access to television (but had access to video players for a decade before this)
• the authors of the study utilised this naturally occurring IV to observe its effect on behaviour (antisocial or prosocial)

Question 15

charlton et al. (2000) - aim

Answer 15

to investigate the effect of the introduction of satellite TV on the aggressive behaviour of children

Question 16

charlton et al. (2000) - sample

Answer 16

3 - 8 year olds on the island of st helena who had not previously seen transmitted TV

Question 17

charlton et al. (2000) - procedure

Answer 17

• aggressive behaviour was analysed in 1994 prior to the introduction of transmitted television in 1995
  > this was done through 256 minutes worth of free play in the school playground
• behaviour was assessed again in 2000 after satellite TV became available, filming free play totalling 344 minutes
• a schedule of 26 playground behaviours was used eg. pushing, hitting and kicking, as well as pro-social behaviours such as sharing and affection
• the analysis of results was based on four antisocial and four prosocial behaviours in addition to gender and number of children involved

Question 18

charlton et al. (2000) - results

Answer 18

• there were no significant differences in the results
• the levels of anti-social behaviour were very low on first observation and remained this way throughout various viewings
• the children displayed almost twice as much prosocial than antisocial behaviour both before and after the introduction of television

Question 19

charlton et al. (2000) - conclusion

Answer 19

• exposure to more violent TV does not necessarily result in an increase in aggressive behaviour
• importantly, no differences were found in the behaviours most associated with TV violence: kicking, hitting and pushing

Question 20

charlton et al. (2000) - evaluation

Answer 20

+ longitudinal
+ high ecological validity; not a contrived task
- may not be generalisable to all cultures due to unique location and culture
- subjective: different researchers may have considered different behaviours anti/prosocial

Question 21

evaluation: recognises importance of cognitive factors in learning

Answer 21

• neither classical nor operant conditioning can offer an adequate account of learning on their own
• humans and animals store information about the behaviour of others and use this to make judgements about when it is appropriate to perform certain actions
• meditational processes make the theory more detailed and comprehensive and therefore more applicable
• less determinist than the behaviourist approach
  > we are influenced by the environment but cognitive factors mediate our behaviour

Question 22

evaluation: does not make enough references to the influence of biological factors on social learning

Answer 22

• although bandura claimed natural biological differences influenced our learning potential, he thought that learning itself was determined by the environment
• also, in bandura’s study, the influence of testosterone was not considered
• however, recent research suggests that observational learning, the kind bandura was talking about, may be the result of mirror neurons in the brain, which allows us to emphasise and imitate with other people
• therefore, biological influences on social learning were under-emphasised in SLT

Question 23

evaluation: evidence from contrived lab studies

Answer 23

• many of bandura’s ideas were developed through observation of young children’s behaviour in the lab
• lab studies are often criticised for their contrived nature where participants may respond to demand characteristics
• it has been suggested that the children struck the bobo doll because the main purpose of the doll is to strike it, so 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

Question 24

evaluation: real-world application

Answer 24

• SLT principles such as modelling, imitation and reinforcement can account for how children learn from others around them, including the media
• 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
• this increases the value of the approach as it can account for real-world behaviour

Question 25

evaluation: reciprocal determinism

Answer 25

• bandura emphasised reciprocal determinism, in the sense that we are not merely influenced by our external environment, but we also exert an influence upon it, through the behaviours we choose to perform
• this element of choice suggests that there is some free will in the way we behave
• this contrasts with the behaviourist approach which denies the possibility of free will