Social Psychological Explanations of Aggression: Social Learning Theory

Question 1

What is the link between the social learning theory and aggression?

Answer 1

• In SLT Albert Bandura acknowleged that aggression can be learned through mechanisms of operant conditioning
• Involving positive & negative reinforcement & punishment

e.g. a child who angrily snatches a toy off of another child will learn that aggressive behaviour is rewarding- this direct reinforcement makes it more likely that the child will act aggressively again in a similar situation

Question 2

What were the 4 cognitive conditions Bandura Identified for social learning?

Answer 2

• Attention- basic cognitive requirement- observer must pay attention to models aggressive actions
• Retention- Observer needs to be able to remember the models aggressive actions to form a symbolic representation of how the behaviour is performed
• Reproduction- Observer must be able to transform the mental representation of the aggressive behaviour into physical action- involves individual mentally appraising their ability to do this.
• Motivation- Observer needs a reason to imitate behaviour, which will depend on their expectations that behaving aggressively in a specific situation will be rewarding.

Question 3

Define self efficacy.

Answer 3

• Self efficacy is the extent to which we believe our actions will achieve a desired goal

Question 4

What was the procedure for Bandura et als research?

Answer 4

• Young children individually observed an adult model assaulting an inflatable toy (Bobo doll).
• The aggressive behaviours included throwing, kicking, & hitting with a mallet & were accompanied by verbal outbursts
• There followed a short period during which the children were not allowed to play w some attractive toys, creating a degree of frustration.
• They were then taken to another room where there was a bobo doll, plus some other toys including ones the adult model had used

Question 5

What were the findings for Bandura et als research?

Answer 5

• Without be told to do so many of these children imitated the behaviour they had seen performed by the model, physically & verbally
• The closeness of the imitation was remarkable in some cases- virtually a direct copy of what the children had observed, including use of specfic objects & verbal phrases
• Boys imitated physical aggression more than girls, but was no difference in imitating verbal aggression
• Boys were also more likely than girls to imitate a same sex model.
• There was also another group of children who had observed an adult interacting non-aggressively w the doll- aggressive behaviour towards the Bobo Doll by these children was almost non existent.

Question 6

Give one strength of the SLT as a social psychological explanation of aggression.

Answer 6

• OS: Is research supporting its explanation of aggression
• Francois Poulin & Micheal Bovin (2000) found that aggressive boys aged between 9 & 12 years formed friendships w other aggressive boys - these friendships mutually reinforce each boys aggressive behaviours through modelling
• e.g. the boys would observe each other successfully using proactive aggression (to get what they wanted from peers), which provided reinforcement from the rewarding approval of the rest of the ‘gang’. These social learning processes made imitation of aggressive behaviour by the boys much more likely as predicted by SLT

Question 7

What is the counterpoint to the SLT as a social psychological explanation of aggression?

Answer 7

• However, Poulin & Bovin study did not find similarity between retaliation & heat of the moment
• Reactive aggression is much less likely to influence each other’s reactive aggressive outbursts.
• They observed them but generally didn’t imitate them
• Was perhaps because the consequences of reactive aggression are unpredictable & not as often as positive as they are for planned, proactive aggression (so less reinforcing)

Therefore SLT is limited because it is a relatively weak explanation of reactive aggression

Question 8

Give another strength of the SLT as a social psychological explanation of aggression?

Answer 8

• OS: Real world application
• SLT can help to reduce aggression
• Children imitate models when they observe them being rewarded for any behaviour especially when they identify w them
• One way to reduce aggression is to provide rewarded non-aggressive models-
• The same learning processes that can lead children to form friendships w children rewarded for non-aggression/ive behaviour

Therefore, SLT offers practical steps to reduce the development of aggressive behaviour in children

Question 9

Give another limitation of the SLT as a social psychological explanation of aggression.

Answer 9

• OL: It underestimates the influence of biological factors
• Bandura recongised the role of biology because he accepted that there is an urge to be aggressive that is instinctive in nature
• But he was equally clear that the form of aggression takes is primarily learned & is the outcome of ‘nurture’.
• However despite the establishment of powerful genetic, evolutionary, neural & hormonal influences on aggression.
• SLT barely acknowleges these & certainly does not explain them.

Therefore SLT is an incomplete explanation of aggression because it underplays the role of biological factors.