Social Learning Theory Flashcards
What are 2 assumptions of social learning theory?
- people are active manipulators of their own environment rather than passive recieves of experiences
- learning can occur through observation of role models
Who came up with social learning theory?
Bandura
Did Bandura agree with behaviourism?
yes
What did Bandura believe about how people learnt?
behaviour is learnt through observation & imitation of others
What is vicarious reinforcement?
where an individual observes the behaviour of others & imitation occurs is seen to be rewarded rather than punished
Which two approaches is SLT described as being the ‘bridge’ between?
Behaviourism & cognitive approach
What is meant by the 4 mediational processes?
4 factors which intervene in the learning process to determine whether a new response is acquired
What are the 4 mediation processes?
- attention
- retention
- motor reproduction
- motivation
What is meant by the mediational process of ‘attention’?
the extent to which we notice certain behaviour
What is meant by the mediational process of ‘retention’?
how well the behaviour is remembered
What is meant by the mediational process of ‘motor reproduction’?
the ability of the observer to perform the behaviour
What is meant by the mediational process of ‘motivation’?
the will to perform the behaviour, which is often determined by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punishment
what is ‘identification’?
when an observer associates themselves with a role model & wants to be like the role model
How does a person become a role model?
seen to possess similar characteristics to the observer and/or are attractive & have high status
What happened in Bandura’s Bobo doll study?
Bandura recorded the behaviour of young children who watched an adult behave in an aggressive way towards a Bobo doll
What were the results of Bandura’s Bobo doll study?
the children played with the various toys, including the Bobo doll, much more agressively than the children who has observed a non-agressive adult
Which aspect of SLT does Bandura’s Bobo doll study illustrate?
identification
What happened in Bandura’s Bobo doll study with Walters?
3 groups of children were shown videos where an adult behaved agressively towards the Bobo doll
- one group saw the adult praised for their behaviour
- second group saw the adult was told off for their behaviour
- control group saw the adult reciveved no response
What were the results of Bandura’s bobo doll study with Walters?
when the children were given their own Bobo doll to play with, the 1st group showed more aggression, then the 3rd & then the 2nd
What are 3 strengths of social learning theory?
- recognises importance of cognitive factors instead of just behaviourism
- real world applications - can explain the influence of social media of behaviour
- Bandura’s research = lab study, high control over extraneous variables
What are 3 limitations of social learning theory?
- Ignores role of biology in learning behaviour
- Concentrates mostly on external behaviour
- bandura’s research = lab study & so low ecological validity
