THE INFLUENCE OF ROLE MODELS ON ANOREXIA Flashcards
WHICH THEORY IS THIS DEBATE FROM
LEARNING
EXAMPLES OF OPERANT CONDITIONING
- PRAISED FOR LOSING WEIGHT - POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
- AVOID BEING TEASED TO BECOME THIN, NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT
- TEASED FOR BEING FAT, PUNISHMENT
EXPLAINING ISSUE USING LEARNING APPROACH
- SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY STATES PEOPLE LEARN BY IMITATING ROLE MODELS THEY SEE AS IMPORTANT
- LIKELY TO BE SIMILAR TO THEM EG SAME GENDER
- ROLE MODELS HAVE PRESTIGE EG FAME, MONEY, POWER
- BEHAVIOUR BY THOSE PERCEIVED AS IMPORTANT LIKELY TO BE COPIED
- EVEN MORE LIKELY IF OBSERVED BEHAVIOUR IS REWARDED EG. THIN CELEBRITIES
EVIDENCE OF THEORY ?
BANDURA
GIVE BANDURA EVIDENCE
A - ATTENTION (TO ATTRACTIVE HIGH STATUS SIMILAR MODELS)
R - RETENTION (OBSERVED BEHAVIOUR MEMORISED)
R - REPRODUCTION (IMITATION OCCURS)
M - MOTIVATION (DIRECT/INDIRECT REINFORCEMENT)
ADDITIONAL EXAMPLE OF HOW SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY APPLIES IN THIS SITUATION
- LEARNING VIA MEDIA GIVES INDIRECT REINFORCEMENT.
- BEHAVIOUR IMITATED (VICARIOUS LEARNING)
- MEDIA SHOW +/- CONSEQUENCES
EVALUATION
AGAINST PSYCHODYNAMIC AND BIOLOGICAL
-
PSYCHODYNAMIC - OCCURS WHEN PEOPLE WANT TO BE CHILD SELF AND NOT ADULT SEXUAL SELF, MORE COMMON IN FEMALES DUE TO LARGEST CHANGES
-
BIOLOGICAL - GENETIC FACTORS, MZ TWINS LIKELY TO BOTH BE ANOREXIC, CHEMICAL IMBALANCE OF HORMONES
+
BANDURA SUPPORTED
BUT STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT IN AN UNNATURAL SETTING SO FINDINGS NOT VERY VALID
+
THIN MALES CAUSED AN INCREASE IN MALE ANOREXIA
+
CROSS-CULTURAL - MORE COMMON IN WESTERN SOCIETIES WHICH HAVE ACCESS TO ROLE MODELS/MEDIA
-
MANY PEOPLE HAVE CELEB ROLE MODELS BUT FEW HAVE ANOREXIA
-
TOO SIMPLISTIC, OTHER FACTORS
+ THIN MODELS BLAMED FOR CHILD ANOREXIA
POTENTIAL APPLICATION
IF ROLE MODELS ARE PUNISHED FOR BEHAVIOUR THEN IT IS LESS LIKELY TO BE COPIES EG ADVERTISERS BANNING SIZE 0 MODELS SEEN AS PUNISHMENT SO MAYBE THEY MAY NOT BE IMITATED IN THE FUTURE
