Social Learning Theory (Approaches) Flashcards
The development of behaviourism
- Operant and classical conditioning could not account for all human learning
Who proposed the social learning theory
Bandura
How do we learn through others
Observation, modelling, imitation
Importance of environmental and cognitive factors
- environmental and cognitive factors interact to influence human learning and behaviour
- mental process between the stimulus and response
- SLT forms a bridge between traditional behaviourism and the cognitive approach
Role models
- people more likely to imitate models they relate to/identify with
- modelling is a process that occurs during social learning
Vicarious reinforcement
- indirectly reinforced
- observation of the consequences of actions for other people
- role model is reinforced = learner motivated to imitate
Mediational processes
Do not automatically observe the behaviour of a model and imitate it. There is some thought prior to imitation.
- occurs between observing the behaviour and imitating it or not
ARMM
Attention
Retention
Motor reproduction
Motivation
What was Bandura’s research called
Bobo Doll(s)
Bandura’s finding
- males were more verbally aggressive
- females were more physically aggressive
- males more likely to imitate same sex role model
Bandura’s conclusion
Aggressive behaviour can be learned, in children, through observation and imitation of a model
STRENGTH of social learning theory PEEL
P- supportive empirical evidence for role models
E- Fox & Bailenson (2009) - humans are more likely to imitate computer generated ‘virtual humans’ who were similar to themselves
E- Ruston & Campbell - same sex modelling increases number of females donating blood
L- increases validity
STRENGTH of social learning theory PEEL
P- holistic approach
E- meditational process
E- comprehensive
L- explains complex behaviours E.g. gender roles/morality
LIMITATION of social learning theory PEEL
P- ignores biological factors
E- more aggressive due to high levels of testosterone rather than observational learning - or more anxious due to low levels of serotonin
E- particularly the case when no apparent role model in the persons life
L- does not offer a full comprehensive explanation
LIMITATION of the social learning theory PEEL
P- methodological issues, artificial lab experiment
E- in Bandura’s BoBo doll experiment - children may have been acting due to them thinking that was expected
E- possibly demand characteristics
L- lowers the internal validity of results which theory is based upon
