Social Learning Theory Flashcards
Assumptions of SLT
- People learn through observation & Imitation of others
- Learning occurs directly, through classical and operant conditioning, but also indirectly
- Agree with behaviourists that behaviour is learned from experience
What is vicarious reinforcement?
- Indirect learning that occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour
- The learner may imitate this behaviour
- In general, imitations only occur if the behaviour is seen to be rewarded (reinforced) rather than punished
- Learners observe behaviour but also most importantly observe the consequences of a behaviour
What study’s were done on vicarious reinforcement?
Bandura’s et al - controlled experiment
AIM: To investigate if social behaviours can be acquired by observation and imitation
Study A: Bandura
- recorded the behaviour of young children who watched an adult behave in an aggressive way towards a Bobo doll
- The adult hit the doll with a hammer and shouted at it
Results:
- When these children were later observed playing with various toys, including the Bobo doll
- They behaved more aggressively towards the doll and the other toys rather than those who had observed a non-aggressive adult
Study B: Bandura & Walters
- Showed videos to children where an adult behaved aggressively towards the Bobo doll.
- First group of children saw the adult get praised for their behaviour
- Second group saw the adult punished for their aggression towards to doll, by being told off
- Third group (control group) saw the aggression without any consequences
Results:
- When children were given their own Bobo doll to play with 1st group showed much more aggression, followed by the 3rd group, and then the 2nd
What are mediational processes?
Cognitive factors (e.g. thinking) that influence learning and come between stimulus and response.
What does SLT focus on?
How mental (cognitive) factors are involved in learning
What do mental factors do?
Mediate (intervene) in the learning process to determine whether a new response is acquired
What are the 4 mediational processes?
- 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, which is often determined by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished)
What is identification?
When an observer associates themselves with a role model and wants to be like the role model
What is modelling from an observer’s perspective?
Imitating the behaviours of a role model
What is modelling from a role model’s perspective?
The precise demonstration of a specific behaviour that may be imitated by an observer
How does a person become a role model?
If they are seen to possess similar characteristics to the observer and/or are attractive and have high status
EVALUATION: Strengths of SLT + CA (PEEL)
POINT: Recognises importance of cognitive factors in learning
EVIDENCE:
- Neither classical or operant conditioning can offer an adequate account of learning on their own
EXPLAIN:
- Humans & animals store info about the behaviour of others and make judgements about when it is appropriate to perform certain actions
LINK:
- SLT provides a more comprehensive explanation of human learning
- by recognising the role of mediational processes
CA
POINT: Little reference to influence of biological factors
EVIDENCE:
- Recent studies = observational learning may be result of mirror neurons = allow us to emphasise with and imitate others
EXPLAIN:
- Bandura = learning itself determined by environment
- Although, Bandura claimed natural biological differences influenced out learning potential
LINK:
- suggests that biological influences on social learning were under-emphasised in SLT
EVALUATION: Strengths of SLT (PEEL)
POINT: Real-world application
EVIDENCE: SLT principles been applied to range of real-world behaviours
EXPLAIN:
- Can explain how cultural norms are transmitted through particular societies
- can explain cultural differences in behaviour
- SLT principles (modelling, imitation, reinforcement) can account for how children learn from others around them, including the media
LINK:
- Proved useful in understanding a range of behaviours (e.g. children understanding their gender role)
- Increases the value of the approach as it can account for real-world behaviour
EVALUATION: Limitations of SLT (PEEL)
POINT: Contrived lab studies
EVIDENCE:
- Evidence was gathered through lab studies
- many of bandura’s ideas were developed through observation of young children’s behaviour in the lab
EXPLAIN:
- lab studies often criticised for their contrived nature where participants may respond to demand characteristics
- Suggested that in relation to the Bobo doll research (as main purpose of doll was to strike it) the children were simply behaving in a way that they thought was expected
LINK: Suggests that research may tell us little about how children actually learn aggression in everyday life
