Social learning theory

Question 1

1. What is the social learning theory?
2. Name a social learning theorist.

Answer 1

1. A way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors.
2. Bandura (1961)

Question 2

What is vicarious reinforcement?

Answer 2

• Reinforcement which is not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour. (It is a key factor in imitation)

Question 3

1. What is the role of mediational processes?
2. Name the 4 mediational processes.

Answer 3

1. Cognitive factors that influence learning and come between stimulus and response (i.e. thinking)
2. ATTENTION - The extent to which we notice certain behaviours.
   RETENTION - how well the behaviour is remembered
   MOTOR REPRODUCTION - the ability of the observer to perform the behaviour.
   MOTIVATION - The will to perform the behaviour (dependent on punishment or reward).

• Attention and retention = learning of behaviour
• Motor reproduction and motivation = performance of behaviour

Question 4

What is identification?

Answer 4

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

Question 6

What research explores social learning theory?

Answer 6

• Bandura et al (1961) - Observational learning and imitation:
• 36 boys + 36 girls (3-6yrs)
• Recorded the behaviour of young children who watched an adult behave aggressively towards a Bobo doll. The adult hit the doll with a hammer and shouted abuse at it.
• When later observing the children playing with various toys, including the Bobo doll, the children behaved much more aggressively towards the doll and other toys than those who observed a non-aggressive adult.

Bandura and Walters (1963) - Vicarious reinforcement:
- Showed videos to children where an adult behaved aggressively towards the Bobo doll.

• One group of children saw the adult praised for their behaviour and a second group saw the adult being punished for their behaviour by being told off. The control group saw the aggression without any consequence.
• When given their own doll to play with, the first group showed much more aggression, followed by the control group, and then the second.

Question 7

(AO3) What is a strength of the social learning theory?

Answer 7

Real-world application:

• SLT principles have been applied to a range of real-world behaviours and have the advantage of being able to explain cultural differences in behaviour.
• Modeling, imitation and reinforcement can account for how children learn from others around them and this can explain how cultural norms are transmitted through particular societies.
• This is useful in understanding how children come to understand their gender role, therefore increasing the value of the approach as it can account for real-world behaviour.

Question 8

(AO3) What is a weakness of social learning theory?
(1)

Answer 8

Reliance on evidence from lab studies:

• Lab studies are often criticised for their contrived nature where participants may respond to demand characteristics.
• Some suggest that in the Bobo doll research, the main purpose of the doll is to strike it, so the children were simply behaving in a way that they thought was expected.
• This is a limitation as the research may tell us little about how children actually learn aggression in everyday life.

Question 9

(AO3) What is a weakness of social learning theory?
(2)

Answer 9

Influence of biological factors:

• Bandura makes little reference to the impact of biological factors on SL.
• A consistent finding in the Bobo doll experiments was that boys were often more aggressive than girls regardless of the experimental situation. This may be explained by hormonal factors (testosterone) that are present in greater quantities in boys than girls, which links to increased aggressive behaviour.
• This is a limitation as it means that this important influence on behaviour is not accounted for in SLT.