Social Learning Theory Flashcards
what is the social learning theory?
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a social psychological approach to aggressive behaviour
learning takes place through observing others and imitating behaviours that are seen to be rewarded
Bandura (1963) argued that children learn to be aggressive because they are directly rewarded for their aggressive behaviour OR they observe someone else being rewarded for their aggression
through observing others, we learn the specifics of aggressive behaviour including the form it takes, how often it is in enacted, the situations that produce it and the targets towards which it is directed
features of the social learning theory of aggression
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observation
vicarious reinforcement
mental representation
maintenance through direct experience
self-efficacy expectancies
observation
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children primarily learn their aggressive responses through observation
they watch the behaviour of role models and then imitate that behaviour
Bandura suggested that children also learn by observing role models with whom they identify, rather than just learning through direct reinforcement
vicarious reinforcement
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children observe and learn about the consequences of aggressive behaviour by watching others being reinforced or punished
this is called indirect or vicarious reinforcement
children witness many examples of aggressive behaviour at home and at school as well as on television and in films
by observing the consequences of aggressive behaviour for those who use it, a child gradually learns about what is considered appropriate and effective conduct in the world around them
thus, they learn the behaviours through observation and they also learn whether and when such behaviours are worth repeating through vicarious reinforcement
for example, if they see that aggressive behaviour is being rewarded they are more likely to participate in aggressive behaviour themselves
mental representation
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Bandura (1986) claimed that in order for social learning to occur, the child must form mental representations of events in their social environment
the child must also mentally represent possible rewards and punishments for their aggressive behaviour in terms of expectancies of future outcomes
when appropriate opportunities arise in the future, the child will display the learned behaviour as long as the expectation of reward is greater than the expectation of punishment
the social learning theory includes a cognitive schema called the script — children learn rules of conduct from those around them, such as when and how to be aggressive
these rules form the script which then becomes internalised and once established in childhood, this pattern of aggression can become a way of life
maintenance through direct experience
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if a child is rewarded (gets what they want or is praised by others) for a behaviour such as aggression, they are more likely to repeat the same action in similar situations in the future
therefore, a child who has a history of successfully bullying other children will come to attach considerable value to aggression because in the past, aggression has been successfully used to get what he or she wants
self-efficacy expectancies
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in addition to forming expectancies of the likely outcomes of their aggression, children also develop confidence in their ability to carry out the necessary aggressive actions
children whose aggressive behaviour has been particularly disastrous or unsuccessful in the past tend to have less confidence (lower sense of self efficacy) in their ability to use aggression successfully to resolve conflicts
they may therefore turn to other means, making them less likely to be aggressive in the future
key study: procedure
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Bandura et al (1961) conducted a study using male and female children ranging from 3 to 5 years
half were exposed to adult models interacting aggressively with a life-sized inflatable Bobo doll and a half were exposed to models that were non-aggressive towards the doll
the aggressive model displayed distinctive physically aggressive acts towards the doll, such a striking it on the head with a mallet and kicking about the room
this was accompanied by verbal aggression such as saying POW
following exposure to the model, children were frustrated by being shown attractive toys which they were not allowed to play with
they were then taken to a room, where among other toys, there was a Bobo doll
key study: findings
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children in the aggression condition reproduced a good deal of both physically and verbally aggressive behaviour resembling that of the model
children in the non-aggressive group exhibited virtually no aggression towards the doll
approximately 1/3 of the children in the aggressive condition repeated the model’s verbal responses but none of the children in the non-aggressive group made such remarks
boys reproduced more imitative physical aggression than girls, but they did not differ in their imitation of verbal aggression
x4 evaluation points
research support for the social learning theory
can be used to explain cultural differences in aggression
real life applications
lack of realism in research
EVALUATION
research support for the social learning theory
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Gee and Leith (2007) carried out a study of ice hockey players that provides support for the social learning theory of aggression
they analysed penalty records from 200 games of the National Hockey League (NHL) in North America
the NHL is the main professional ice hockey league in the US and includes top players from many different countries
Gee and Leith believed that when they were young, players born in North America were more likely to have been exposed to aggressive models and less likely to have been punished for their aggression compared to players born in Europe
in line with these beliefs, and the predictions of the socks learning theory, they found that players born in North America were much more likely to be penalised for aggressive play and fighting than players born in other countries
in other words, US ice hockey players who had been exposed to aggressive models during their childhood behaved more aggressively during ice hockey matches compared to those from outside the US
suggests that aggression is learned and supports the view that reinforcement plays a role in aggressive behaviour
EVALUATION
can be used to explain cultural differences in aggression
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the social learning theory can be used to explain cultural differences in aggression
among the Kung San of the Kalahari Desert, aggression is comparatively rare compared to Western populations
this may be due to the child rearing practices of the Kung San — when two children argue or fight, the parents neither reward nor punish them, but physically separate them and try to distract their attention on to other things
additionally, parents do not use physical punishment and aggressive postures are avoided by adults and devalued by the society as a whole
the absence of direct reinforcement of aggressive behaviour as well as the absence of aggressive models means there is little opportunity or motivation for Kung San children to acquire aggressive behaviours
EVALUATION
real life applications
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the social learning theory emphasises the idea that aggressive behaviour is learned and can remain persistent throughout life
this has raised concerns about the widespread availability of aggressive models in young people’s lives and has been usefully applied to real life
for example, the American Psychological Association (APA) believes that if aggression can be learned then it can also be modified
APA sponsors an intervention programme called ACT Against Violence that aims to educate parents and others about the dangers of providing aggressive role models (“you’re always teaching. teach carefully”)
it seeks to encourage parents to provide more positive role models in order to prevent children learning violent and aggressive behaviour
Weymouth et al (2011) found that after completing the programme, parents demonstrates increases in positive parenting and a discontinuation of physical punishment
thus demonstrating the usefulness of social learning theory in decreasing aggressive behaviour
EVALUATION
lack of realism in research used to test this theory
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early research on social learning such as Bandura et al (1961) relied heavily on experimental studies
but there are significant methodological problems with such Bobo doll studies
firstly, a doll is not a living person and does not retaliate when hit, therefore not reflecting real life situations
this raises questions about whether these studies actually tell us about the imitation of aggression toward other human beings, who may well retaliate
HOWEVER — Bandura responded to this criticism by having children watch a film of an adult model hitting a live clown
when the children were subsequently let into the room with the clown, they proceeded to imitate the same aggressive behaviours they had seen in the film
