social learning theory Flashcards
main figure in social learning theory:
bandura
what did bandura propose the social learning theory as?
a development of the behaviourist approach
which part of the behaviourist approach does the social learning theory attempt to address and how?
the extent to which we are truly free to make choices:
-suggests that there are crucial cognitive processes that occur in between the stimulus & response
-our actions are not pure conditioned
S-R links but involve an element of decision and choice too
the main assumptions of the SLT
1) behaviour is learned through observation and imitation of others
2) emphasises the importance of environment and reinforcement in
learning, but acknowledges the important role that mental processes play in interpreting the environment and planning new actions
3) learning occurs directly & indirectly
4) the scientific method (mainly lab experiments and controlled observations) should be used to study people
imitation
when an individual observes a behaviour and copies it
identification
when an observer associates themselves with a role model, the role model possesses qualities they see as being rewarding
vicarious reinforcement
the person learns by observing the consequences/reinforcement of another person’s behaviour (they do not receive the reward themselves)
modelling
copying the behaviour of a role model
role model
someone who is influential on an individual in some way / similar characteristics to the observer and/or are attractive and have high status
(mustn’t be physically present)
what are mediational processes?
cognitive factors that intervene in the learning process to determine whether a new behaviour is learnt or not
what do mediational processes occur between?
between observing the behaviour (stimulus) and imitating it or not (response)
mediational processes in order
1) attention factors
2) retention factors
3) reproduction factors
4) motivation factors
attention
the individual needs to notice the
behaviour & its consequences
(e.g., if it was entertaining, humorous)
retention
how well the behaviour is remembered, imitation is not always immediate
motor reproduction
the ability of the observer to perform the behaviour, they must have the skill to imitate the observed behaviour
motivation
the desire to perform the behaviour –
often influenced by whether it was seen to be rewarded
attention and retention are…
the mediational processes linked with the learning of a behaviour
reproduction and motivation are…
the mediational processes linked with the performance of a behaviour
aim & year of bandura’s study:
to demonstrate that aggression can be learned through modelling (1961)
method of bandura’s research:
-72 children aged between 3 and 6 years old were split into three groups for 10 minutes
-all groups had equal numbers of boys and girls → half of each gender saw a model of the same gender and half a model of the opposite gender
-later the children were observed while they spent 20 minutes alone in a room with a range of aggressive and non-aggressive toys and the Bobo doll
conditions of the bobo doll experiment:
(aggressive model) an adult hit and shouted at a bobo doll
(non-aggressive model) an adult played quietly with a construction set
(control) did not see a model
the adults could also be rewarded, punished or no consequence
bandura’s research: results
-children who saw the aggressive model produced more aggressive acts than those in either of the other two groups
-boys imitated same-sex models more than girls
-girls imitated more physical aggression if they saw male models, and more verbal aggression if they saw female models
bandura’s research: conclusion
aggressive behaviour can be learned, in children, through observation and imitation of a model. this is more likely if such a behaviour is seen to be rewarded
strengths and limitations of SLT
strength:
takes thought processes into account
limitations:
relies heavily on controlled lab studies
little reference to biological factors
ao3 / strength - takes thought processes into account
P - approach takes thought processes into account and acknowledges the role that they play in deciding if a behaviour is to be imitated or not
E - neither CC or OC can offer a full explanation ofhuman learning because they do not include cognitive factors / humans store information and decide
when it is appropriate to perform a behvaiour, SLT recognises that more learning takes place than is represented in the behaviour that they perform
L - the SLT approach provides a more complete explanation of human behaviour than the behaviourist
approach
ao3 / limitation - relies heavily on
controlled lab studies
S- A limitation is that SLT relies heavily on controlled lab studies
E - whilst these are scientific and give the approach scientific credibility, lab studies are often criticised for their artificial nature where participants may respond to demand characteristics / many of bandura’s ideas were developed through observations of children’s behaviour in lab settings, the main purpose of the bono doll is to strike it, so the children were simply behaving in a way that they thought was expected
L - therefore, the research may tell us little about how children actually learn aggression in everyday life
ao3 / limitation - little reference to biological factors
P - bandura makes little reference to the impact of biological factors on social learning
E - one consistent finding in the Bobo doll experiments was that boys were often more aggressive than girls, this may be explained by hormonal factors such as differences in levels of testosterone, a hormone which is present in greater quantities in boys than girls and which is linked to aggressive behaviour / SLT sees behaviour as environmentally
determined whereas some behaviours may be innate/biological
L - a weakness as it means that this important influence on behaviour is not accounted for in SLT
