Social Learning Theory

Question 1

what do SLTs believe learning occurs through & how?

Answer 1

experience, by observing & imitating others

Question 2

modelling

Answer 2

done by the person carrying out the attitudes/behaviours

Question 3

live model

Answer 3

parents, teachers, friends

Question 4

symbolic model

Answer 4

a character being portrayed

Question 5

imitation

Answer 5

reproducing the behaviours/attitudes of our models

Question 6

what are people influenced by in models?

Answer 6

• characteristics
• self belief in being able to imitate the behaviour
• observed consequences of the model’s behaviour

Question 7

identification

Answer 7

extent to which we identify with the model - need to feel similar enough so that we can expect similar outcomes in that situation

Question 8

who discovered the link between gender & identification?

Answer 8

shutts (2010) - same sex

Question 9

vicarious reinforcement

Answer 9

learning through observing someone else being reinforced for their behaviour - can make judgements as to the likelihood of experiencing these results ourselves

Question 10

mediational processes - armm

Answer 10

ATTENTION
- stimuli
- focus for learning to occur
RETENTION
- rehearse & encode
- info stored for later use
MOTOR REPRODUCTION
- practice & feedback
- once retained, have to reproduce the behaviour
MOTIVATION
- reward & reinforce
- must be motivated to repeat behaviour

Question 11

EVALUATION - research support

Answer 11

RESEARCH SUPPORT FOR IDENTIFICATION
- greater identification = more learning - easier to visualise yourself in model’s place
- fox & bailensen (2009) = computer gen-d people exercising/loitering - observers more likely to imitate if model resembled themselves
- important effects on education/marketing

Question 12

EVALUATION - applications

Answer 12

USEFUL APPLICATIONS
- akers (1998) = people are more likely to be criminal if exposed to models committing crimes, identify with them & expect pos+ consequences
- strongest cause of violent behaviour in littluns was association with delinquent peer groups where violent was modelled & rewarded

Question 13

EVALUATION - cognitive factors

Answer 13

RECOGNISES THE IMPORTANCE OF COGNITIVE FACTORS
- CC & OC ignore thinking behind learning - humans store info about the behaviour of others & use to make judgements about when appropriate to carry out certain behaviours
COUNTERARGUMENT
- not considering biological factors that may be present
- may be a result of mirror neurons in brain allowing us to empathise & imitate

Question 14

EVALUATION - artificial

Answer 14

ARTIFICIAL EXPERIMENTS
- bandura bobo doll study
- carried out in a lab - low ecological validity
- children may have had demand characteristics & may never have met a bobo before