Social Learning Theory Flashcards
What do Social Factors Do
Shape People’s behavior
Social Learning theory suggested by who
Bandura 1960
SLT developed by who
Akers and Burgess 1966
Process of social learning
Observe > attention > Retain > Reproduction
How is serial killing learned through SLT
observation, reinforcement of award and repetition of instructions
What does SLT do to individuals to carry out these serial killings
Dehumanize people and lack of empathy
Study example of using SLT in serial killing
Grossman 1966
Grossman 1966
Japanese army trained for WW2. Killings were reinforced by associating those who cheered on the killings with good meals. thus, pleasure was associated with death and suffering
Limitation of serial killing SLT
Does not account for individual and biological differences, also does not consider thought processes
SLT in Michael Ross’s case
Animal Cruelty through killing chickens his mum demanded. At first he was hesitant but then became pleasurable. This allowed him to dehumanize the chickens and become desensitized.
Process that made it easier for Michael Ross to kill the chickens
Repetition through performing the act again, instructions from his mother - it became reinforced. He also used the same technique to kill his victims.
Graduation Hypothesis
Killings went from killing animals to killing humans as this progressed.
Who suggested the graduation hypothesis
Wright and Hensley (2003)
Animal Cruelty supports what Triad?
McDonald Triad: bedwetting, animal cruelty and firesetting are characteristics that are likely to predict future killings
Merz Perezetal (2001)
Interviewed 45 violent and non-violent offenders. Violent offenders were more likely to have been cruel to animals as children than non-violent. They also used the same killing method.
Study to show how animal cruelty can contribute to future serial killings
Merz-Perezetal (2001)
Limitation of Animal Cruelty
Based off childhood, remembering and relying on memory. Cultural norms in family is not considered what may be seen as cruel or not. Social Desirability effects too. Not everyone who is cruel to animals is more likely to go on to kill
Another Killer other than Michael Ross who was cruel to animals?
Jeffery Dahmer
Jeffery Dahmer
Saw his dad carrying bones of dead animals and began doing the same. He removed skin of animals which he did the same to when killing animals.
Another way of social learning
Copycat effect through media, movies, and news. May be method or pilgrimage. Reproduce the killings. (Langman, 2018)
Who suggested copycat
Langman 2018
Example of copycat killer
Mark Twitchell watched Dexter who is a serial killer that kills serial killers. He attempted to re-enact his killings through posing as a woman on a dating site and trapping two men. He managed to kill one but not the other.
Serial Killer from the military
Jeffery Dahmer
Imitation Serial Killer
Can be reinforces and learned such as Jefferey Dahmer from his dad
Expectancy
Social learning allows learning of expectancy in future experiences such as learning pleasure through killings which is built on social scripts
What is pleasure with killing an example of
Classical conditioning
Castle and Hensley 2002
7% of serial killers among 354 were in the military
Another military study
Castle and Hensely 2002
