Social Learning Theory Flashcards
Outline SLT of aggression
Bandura and Walters believed aggression could be explained through SLT, suggesting we learn aggression through direct reinforcement (being punished or rewarded for aggression) and by observing others
Describe the role of direct reinforcement in aggression
If a child is rewards for aggression, they’re more likely to repeat it in similar situations in the future. Meanwhile, if a child is punished, they’re less likely to repeat it
Describe the role of observation in aggression
Children learn their aggressive responses through observation of their role models and then imitating that behaviour. Bandura suggests that this is most effective when the aggressive role model is someone they identify with
Describe the role of vicarious reinforcement in aggression
- Children observe and learn about the consequences of aggression by watching others being reinforced or punished.
- Children may witness examples of aggression at home or school, or on TV, as they observe consequences of that behaviour, they gradually learn what’s appropriate conduct, and whether and when aggression is worth repeating.
Describe the role of mental representation in aggression
- Bandura claims that for social learning to happen, the child must form mental representations of event in their environment, which consists of possible rewards and punishments of their aggressive behaviour. This means that in the future, the child will display the learned aggression if the expectation of reward is greater than that of punishment.
- Children also learn rules of conduct from others, such as when and how to be aggressive. These rules (scripts) become internalised and then the pattern of aggression can become a way of life
Describe how is behaviour maintained through self-efficacy expectancies?
- Children develop confidence in their ability to carry out aggression.
- Children whose aggression wasn’t successful in the past have less confidence in their ability to use aggression successfully so turn to other means to resolve conflicts
Describe the procedure of the Bobo doll study
- Bandura had girls and boys, aged 3-5 years old, either exposed to adult models interacting aggressively with the Bobo doll and the other half exposed to models that were non-aggressive to the doll.
- The aggressive model was physcially aggression to the doll (hitting and kicking it) and was also verbally aggression (saying ‘POW’)
- After this exposure, children were frustrating by being shown toys they couldn’t play with. Then they were taken to a room with toys, including the Bobo doll
Describe the findings of the Bobo doll study
- Children in the aggressive condition were physically and verbally aggression to the doll, resembling the model.
- Children in the non-aggressive group showed no aggression to the doll.
- A third of the children in the aggression condition repeated the model verbal aggression and boys were more physically aggressive than girls, but they didn’t differ in their imitation of verbal aggression
Describe evaluation for SLT (research support)
- Gee and Leith studied ice hockey players and analysed penalty records from 200 games of the National Hockey League, North America’s main ice hockey league. They believed players born in North America were exposed to more aggressive models when young and less likely to have been punished for their aggression compared to those born in Europe.
- They found that North American players were more likely to be penalised for aggressive pay than players born in other countries
- As these are the conditions that SLT predicts that aggressive behaviour would occur, this increases the validity of the social learning explanation
Describe evaluation for SLT (support from cultural differences in aggression)
- In the !Kung San tribe, aggression is rare which is, in part, due to their child-rearing practices. When children fight, parents don’t reward or punish them, but physically separate them and distract their attention onto other things
- Parents also don’t use physical punishment and aggressive postures are avoided by adults and devalued by the society
- This means that the lack of direct reinforcement and aggressive models means there’s little motivation for the children to be aggressive. This supports SLT as it highlights the importance of modelling and direct reinforcement in the acquisition of aggression
Describe evaluation for SLT (knowledge of the role of SLT in aggression has led to practical applications )
- The belief that aggression can be learned through social learning has raised concerns about the availability of aggressive models.
- The American Psychological Association (APA) believes if aggression can be learned, it can be modified. ACT Against Violence is a programme sponsored by the APA that aims to educate parents about the dangers of aggressive models and to encourage positive role models
- Weymouth and Howe found that after the programme, parents increased positive parenting and discontinued psychical punishment, this shows that understanding the causes of aggression through SLT, has been useful to decrease aggression
Describe evaluation for SLT (lack of realism in research)
- e.g. there are methodological issues in studies like Bandura’s Bobo doll study. As a doll isn’t a person and doesn’t retaliate when hit, the study doesn’t show an important feature of social learning which is the consequences of our actions may affect the likelihood of aggression
- This raises questions as to whether these studies tell us much about the importance of imitation of aggression towards other humans
- However, Bandura did a follow-up study and had children watch a film of an adult model hitting a live clown. When the children were let into the room with the clown, they still imitated the same aggression as that in the film, suggesting there’s still a place for SLT in explaining aggression to other humans
