social learning theory Flashcards
what is the social learning theory?
a way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement, combining both learning theory with the role of cognitive factors
how does the social Learning theory suggest people learn?
through observation and imitation
what is imitation?
copying the behaviour of others
what needs to be done for indirect learning to take place?
the individual observes the behaviour of others
when will an individual repeat behaviour?
when they see that it results in positive reward
what is vicarious reinforcement?
reinforcement which is not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour. This is a key factor in reinforcement
what are meditational processes?
cognitive factors that influence learning and come between stimulus and response
what are the 4 meditational processes?
attention
retention
motor reproduction
motivation
explain attention as a meditational process
the extent to which we notice certain behaviours
explain retention as a meditational process
how well a behaviour observed is remembered
explain motor reproduction as a meditational process
the ability of the observer to perform the observed behaviour
explain motivation as a meditational process
the will to perform the observed behaviour, which is often determined by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished
what is identification?
a desire to be associated with a particular person or group often because the person/ group possesses certain desirable characteristics. The person they identify with is called the role model and the process of imitating the role model is called modelling
explain bandura’s research
Bandura recorded the behaviour of young people who watched an adult behave in an aggressive way towards a bobo doll. When the children were observed playing with various toys including a bobo doll, they were much more violent when compared to children who hadn’t seen the adult.
He also showed one group of children an adult being praised for this aggression and the other saw a punishment and a third group saw no consequence. The first group showed the most aggression, then the third, then the second
explain one strength of SLT (cognitive factors)
it recognises the importance of cognitive factors in learning. C+O conditioning can’t offer an adequate account of learning on their own as humans store info about the behaviour of others and use this to make judgements about when it is appropriate to perform certain actions. This suggests that SLT provides a more comprehensive explanation of human learning by recognising the role of meditational processes.
explain one strength of SLT (real world)
its principles have been applied to a range of real world behaviours. SLT can explain cultural differences in behaviour. SLT principles such as imitation can account for how children learn from others including from the media and this can explain how social norms are transmitted. This is useful when understanding a range pf behaviours such as children understanding their gender. This increases the value of the approach
explain one limitation of SLT (lab)
the evidence which its based on was gathered through lab studies. Bandura’s observation of the children’s behaviour research was conducted in a lab setting so are criticised for their contrived nature where ppt may respond to demand characteristics. Its been suggested that the children only hit the bobo doll as that’s what they thought was expected for the study. This suggests that the research may tell us little about how children actually learn aggression in everyday life
Give 2 assumptions of the SLT
-people learn through observation and imitation
-learning occurs directly but also indirectly
