social learning theory

Question 1

social learning theory definition

Answer 1

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

Question 2

imitation definition

Answer 2

copying the behaviour of others

Question 3

identification definition

Answer 3

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

Question 4

modeling definition

Answer 4

from the observer’s perspective, modelling is imitating the behaviour of a role model. from the role model’s perceptive, modeling is the precise behaviour that may be imitated by an observer

Question 5

vicarious reinforcement definition

Answer 5

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

Question 6

mental processes definition

Answer 6

cognitive factors that influence learning and come between stimulus and response

Question 7

main person associated with social learning theory

Answer 7

Bandura

Question 8

assumptions of social learning theory

Answer 8

Bandura agreed with behaviourists that the behaviour is leaned from experience. however, proposed people learned through observation and imitation of others. SLT suggested learning occurs directly through classical and operant conditioning, but also indirectly

Question 9

role of vicarious reinforcement

Answer 9

for indirect learning to take place an individual observers the behaviour of others. the learner may imitate this behaviour but, in general, imitation only occurs if the behaviour is seen to be rewarded (reinforced) rather than punished so vicarious reinforcement occurs. therefore, the learner observers a behaviour but most importantly also observers consequences of behaviour

Question 10

what are the 4 mediational processes

Answer 10

1-attention
2-retention
3-motor reproduction
4-motivation

Question 11

how many mediational processes are there

Answer 11

4

Question 12

what is SLT often described as

Answer 12

bridge between behaviourist learning theory and cognitive approach

Question 13

why is SLT often described as bridge between behaviourist learning theory and cognitive approach

Answer 13

focuses on how mental (cognitive factors) are involved in learning

Question 14

what is the role of meditaional processes

Answer 14

mental factors mediate in the learning processes to determine weather a new response is required

Question 15

who identified mediational processes

Answer 15

Bandura

Question 16

what does the mediational process of attention mean

Answer 16

the extent to which we notice certain behaviours

Question 17

what does the mediational process of retention mean

Answer 17

how well the behaviour is remembered

Question 18

what does the mediational process of motor reproduction mean

Answer 18

the ability to perform the behaviour

Question 19

what does the mediational process of motivation mean

Answer 19

the will to perform the behaviour, which is often determined by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished

Question 20

what do the first 2 mediational processes relate to

Answer 20

the learning of the behaviour

Question 21

what do the last 2 mediational processes relate to

Answer 21

performance of the behaviour

Question 22

how does learning and performance differ from traditional behaviourism

Answer 22

unlike traditional behaviourism, the learning and performance of the behaviour does not need to occur together. observable behaviours may be stored and reproduced at a later time

Question 23

who are people more likely to imitate

Answer 23

people they identify with which is a process called identification

Question 24

who is the person they identify with

Answer 24

role model

Question 25

process of imitating a role model

Answer 25

modelling (behaviour of role model is also called modelling)

Question 26

how does a person become a role model

Answer 26

if they posses similar characteristics to the observer and/or are attractive and have high status

Question 27

role model presence

Answer 27

may not be physically present in the environment, and this has important implications for the influence of the media on behaviour

Question 28

when did bandura et al do first bit of research (study A)

Answer 28

1961

Question 29

when did bandura and Walters do second bit of research (study B)

Answer 29

1963

Question 30

Bandura et al study 1

Answer 30

recorded the behaviour of young children who watched an adult behave in an aggressive way towards the Bobo doll. the adult hit the doll with a hammer and shouted abuse at it.

Question 31

what did Bandura et al find after study 1

Answer 31

when these children were later observed playing with various toys, including a Bobo doll, they behaved much more aggressively towards the doll and the other toys that those who had observed a non-aggressive adult

Question 32

Bandura and walters study

Answer 32

Bandura and Walters showed videos to children where an adult behaved aggressively towards the bobo doll. one group of children saw the adult praised for their behaviour (‘well done’) a second group saw the adult punished for their aggression towards the doll, by being told off, the third group (control group) saw the aggression without any consequence

Question 33

Bandura and Walters findings

Answer 33

when given own Bobo doll to play with the first group showed much more aggression, followed by third group, then the second

Question 34

what does Bandura first study illustrate

Answer 34

concepts of observational learning and imitation

Question 35

what does Bandura and Walters study illustrate

Answer 35

vicarious reinforcement

Question 36

strength of social learning theory- cognitive factors

Answer 36

-one strength of the social learning theory approach is it recognises the importance of cognitive factors in learning
-neither classical or opernat conditioning can offer adequate account of learning on their own. humans and animals store information about the behaviour of others and can use this to make judgement about when it is appropriate to perform certain actions. This suggests social learning theory provides a more comprehensive explanation of human learning recognising the role of mediational processes

Question 37

limitation of social learning theory - counterpoint to cognitive factors

Answer 37

-despite this, SLT has been critcised for making too little reference to the influence of biological factors on social learning.
- Although, Bandura claimed natural biological differences influenced our learning potential, he thought that learning itself was determined by the environment. however, recent research suggests that observational learning, of the kind Bandura was talking about, may be the result of mirror neurons in the brain, which allow us to empathise with and imitate other people –> suggests that biological influences on social learning were under-emphasised in SLT

Question 38

limitation of social learning theory - contrived lab studies

Answer 38

-evidence on which it is based was gathered through lab studies
-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, in relation to the Bobo doll research that, because the main purpose of the doll is to strike it, the children were behaving in a way they thought was expected –> suggests that the research may tell us little about how children actually learn in everyday life

Question 39

strength of social learning theory - real-world application

Answer 39

-strength is that SLT principles have been applied to a range of real-world behaviors
-social learning theory has the advantage of being able to explain cultural differences in behaviour. SLT principle such as modelling, imitation and reinforcement, can account for how children learn from others around them, including the media, and 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. –> increases the value of the approach as it can account for real-world behvaiour

Question 40

evaluation of social learning theory -reciprocal determinism

Answer 40

-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 chose to perform. this element of choice suggests that there is some free will in the way we behave.
-this contrast with the behaviourist approach which denies the possibility of free will