Social learning theory

Question 1

Who is the main psychologist in the social learning theory?

Answer 1

Albert Bandura

Question 2

What is ‘vicarious reinforcement’?

Answer 2

When we see someone rewarded we are more likely to mimic it.

Question 3

What are models?

Answer 3

Individuals we observe and emulate are called models.

Question 4

What is identification?

Answer 4

not all models have the same likelihood of being imitated. We are more likely to imitate someone with similar characteristics to us, for example, gender, age. Or people who are perceived as attractive or of high status

Question 5

What is mediational factors?

Answer 5

Argued that human behaviour couldn’t be fully understood without the role of cognitive processes that happen between stimulus and response. The mediational processes are, attention, retention, reproduction and motivation and must happen between observing someone do that behaviour (stimuli) and imitating that behaviour (response).

Question 6

What are the mediational steps?

Answer 6

Attention, retention, reproduction, motivation

Question 7

What is attention?

Answer 7

In order to learn from a model individuals must pay attention to the model by focusing on specific behaviours

Question 8

What is retention?

Answer 8

The ability to remember the observed behaviours. This involves encoding it into the memory so it can be retrieved later.

Question 9

What is reproduction?

Answer 9

The individual’s belief in their ability to replicate the behaviour the model demonstrated

Question 10

What is motivation?

Answer 10

The willingness to repeat the behaviour, based on the outcome of the behaviour for example, you see someone get a sweet for doing a cartwheel, you’re more likely to do a cartwheel.

Question 11

What is the BoBo doll method?

Answer 11

• children aged 3-6 were split into 2 groups
• 1 group watched an adult be aggressive towards a BoBo Doll in a room full with toys
• The other group watched an adult play with many toys nicely
• Psychologists observed from a one sided mirror and recorded the children’s behaviour

Question 12

What were the findings of the BoBo doll?

Answer 12

• The findings revealed that the children who were exposed to the aggression were more likely to be aggressive towards the doll
• Additionally, the study highlighted the role of identification, particularly among boys, who were more likely to mimic aggression from a male model than from a female model

Question 13

Strengths of the social learning theory

Answer 13

• has a lot of robust evidence. The BoBo Doll study has high internal validity due to its laboratory setting
• Compared to behaviourism, the social learning theory is a less reductionist approach
• Acknowledges the complexity of conscious thought and rationality.
• The concept of ‘reciprocal determinism’ is potentially more valid than simpler deterministic approaches.

Question 14

What are the weaknesses of the approach? SlT

Answer 14

• Bandura’s study only demonstrated short-term imitation, the aggression may not have lasted weeks or months after the study.
• The studies ecological validity, as the aggression shown in a lab may not convert directly to real-life settings. Thesis raises doubts with the applicability of The Social Learning Theory
• Research supporting SLT, including the BoBo Doll Study includes inferences. Processes such as identification, vicarious reinforcement etc cannot be directly observed and therefore they are inferred from the behaviours shown by the participants.

Question 15

How does social learning theory compare with other approaches?

Answer 15

• A lot more complex than the behaviourist approach. It says there is a lot more than just stimulus and response
• 3 similarities between the psychodynamic approach
  Both deterministic
  Both don’t use animals
  Both reductionist