Social Learning Theory Flashcards
Who developed the social learning theory?
Albert Bandura
What did Bandura argue about operant and classical conditioning?
Could not account for all human learning
What did Bandura believe about mental processes?
They lie between the stimulus and response proposed by the behaviourist approach?
What approach does social learning theory support?
Cognitive and behaviourist approach
What does social learning theory suggest>
Behaviour is learned from experience, but in a social context
How does the social learning theory see individuals as?
Manipulators of their own environment rather than passive receivers of experiences
How does learning take place in social learning theory?
Observation of the behaviours and rewards and punishments received for the behaviour: vicarious reinforcement
What are role models in social learning?
People who carry out or model an attitude or behaviour to be learned.
What is imitation in social learning theory?
Copying the modelled behaviour
When is imitation more likely in social learning theory?
They relate to the role model and feels they are similar, attractive, high status
When does observational learning occur in social learning theory?
When the role model models the behaviour
After observational learning has occurred what makes imitation more and less likely?
Likely: rewarded
Less: punished
What are the 4 meditational processes which occur between the stimulus and response in social learning theory?
-Motivation
-Attention
-Retention
-Reproduction
What is motivation?
The will or desire to perform the behaviour
What is attention?
Noticing and paying attention to the behaviour of person they want to imitate
What is retention?
Remembering the behaviour so that they can do the same
What is reproduction?
Consideration of our own ability to perform the behaviour
What is real world application?
Does it have a use outside of the study or theory
What is mundane realism?
Is the behaviour being studied similar to the behaviour you would see in everyday life
What is identification?
Associating with the qualities, characteristics and views of specific role models who possess qualities that individuals would like for themselves
What was the aim of Bandura’s experiment?
To demonstrate that aggression can be learned through modelling
What was the sample of Bandura’s experiment?
72 children aged 3-6 years
What was the procedure in Bandura’s experiment?
-Put into three groups for 10 minutes
-Equal number of boys+girls
-1/2 saw male model 1/2 saw female model
-Aggressive model: played in room while an adult hit and shouted ‘bobo doll’
-Non-aggressive: played in room while adult played quietly
-Control: did not see model
-Children where observed 20 minutes alone
What were the results of Bandura’s experiment?
-Children in aggressive model produced aggressive acts
-Boys imitated same sex models more than girls
-Girls imitated more physical aggression if they saw male models, more verbal aggression if they saw female models
What was Bandura’s conclusion?
Aggression can be learned through modelling
Why is Bandura’s study a strength of social learning theory?
-Suggests SLT is valid assumption of behaviour as children imitated role models they identitified with as result of vicarious reinforcement
-Real world application
SLT has been successfully applied to many areas of psychology such as modelling has been used to help treat anxiety disorders. Why is this a strength?
-Application of approach supports it’s external validity
-Suggests the principles can be used to explain a wide range of behaviours and help support treatments.
Many of Bandura’s ideas were developed through the observation of young children’s behavipur is lab settings. Why is this a weakness?
-Demand characteristics = can’t establish cause and effect of how children learn aggression irl
-Low ecological validity = not like everyday life
-Reduced validity of theory
SLT cannot explain why people act differently when exposed to same role models and behaviours. Additionally, it cannot account for all behaviour. Why is this a weakness?
-Not considered valid explanation of behaviour as doesn’t account for individual differences.
Further research should be conducted
