Social learning theory

Question 1

What is the social learning theory?

Answer 1

Social learning theory (SLT) states that behaviours are learned in a social context; that learning occurs through observation of the behaviour of others and consequences of this behaviour

Question 2

Who discovered the social learning theory?

Answer 2

Bandura

Question 3

What is vicarious reinforcement?

Answer 3

• If an observed behaviour is reinforced, it is likely to be imitated
• If an observed behaviour is punished, it is not likely to be imitated.

Question 4

What do mediational processes do in the SLT?

Answer 4

SLT states that mediational processes occur between the stimulus- response
link. These mediational processes are important in determining whether an observed
behaviour will go on to be imitated.

Question 5

What are the 4 mental mediational processes?

Answer 5

Attention, retention, motor reproduction and motivation

Question 6

What is attention as an SLT mediational process?

Answer 6

The extent to which a behaviour is noticed.

Question 7

What is retention as an SLT mediational process?

Answer 7

How well we remember the behaviour

Question 8

What is motor reproduction as an SLT mediational process?

Answer 8

The ability of the learner to perform the behaviour

Question 9

What is motivation as an SLT mediational process?

Answer 9

The will to perform the learned behaviour is dependent on whether it will lead to positive or negative consequences.

Question 10

Why are role models important in the SLT?

Answer 10

Bandura states that for social learning to take place a role model should carry out the behaviour/attitude to be learned

Question 11

How should the learner be able to identify with the role model?

Answer 11

This is most likely to happen if the model displays desirable characteristics
(attractive, high status etc) and is more likely if they are the same sex

Question 12

Who was tested in Bandura’s Bobo doll study?

Answer 12

36 boys and 36 girls from the Stanford University Nursery School aged 3-6 years old

Question 13

What experiment method was used in Bandura’s Bobo doll study?

Answer 13

A lab experiment

Question 14

What experimental design was Bandura’s study?

Answer 14

Matched pairs

Question 15

What was the independent variable in Bandura’s study?

Answer 15

The type of model

Question 16

What was the dependent variable in Bandura’s study?

Answer 16

The child’s behaviour

Question 17

How did the researchers pre-test the children?

Answer 17

They tested how aggressive they were by observing the children in the nursery and judged their aggressive behaviour on four 5 point rating scales. It was then possible to match the children in each group so that they had similar levels of aggression in their everyday behaviour

Question 18

What three conditions was the independent variable manipulated in?

Answer 18

• Aggressive model shown to 24 children
• Non aggressive model shown to 24 children
• No model shown (control condition) to 24 children

Question 19

What did the aggressive model do in the experiment?

Answer 19

The aggressive model displayed distinctive physically aggressive acts towards the bobo
doll, for example, striking it with a mallet, and shouted verbally aggressive words like
‘Pow!’

Question 20

What did the non aggressive model do in the experiment?

Answer 20

Played in a quiet and subdued manner for 10 minutes (playing with a tinker toy set and ignoring the bobo-doll)

Question 21

What happened to each group after the modelling?

Answer 21

After the experiment, the children were deliberately frustrated by showing them attractive toys which they were not allowed to play with. They were then taken to a room where among other toys was a bobo doll

Question 22

What happened after the children had the toys taken from them?

Answer 22

The next room contained some aggressive toys and some non-aggressive toys. The non-aggressive toys included a tea set, crayons, three bears and plastic farm animals. The aggressive toys included a mallet and peg board, dart guns, and a 3 foot Bobo doll. The child was in the room for 20 minutes, and their behaviour was observed and rated though a one-way mirror. Observations were made at 5-second intervals, therefore, giving 240 response units for each child

Question 23

What were the findings for the group of children with the aggressive model?

Answer 23

Children who observed the aggressive model reproduced physical and verbal aggressive responses

Question 24

What were the findings for the group of children with the non-aggressive model?

Answer 24

Children in the non-aggressive model group displayed no physical or verbal aggressive responses

Question 25

In a follow up study, what did Bandura and Walters find when a child observed a model being rewarded for aggressive acts?

Answer 25

They were most likely to show high levels of aggression in their own play

Question 26

What are 4 evaluation points for the social learning theory?

Answer 26

• The theory is supported by research
• The theory has real world implications
• The theory is falsifiable
• SLT is deterministic