The Social Learning Theory Flashcards
what is the main assumption of social learning theory?
we learn through observation and imitation of others behaviour, rather than just conditioning
how does social learning theory differ from pure behaviourism?
it considers mental processes involved in learning, not just observable behaviour
what are meditational processes in social learning theory?
cognitive factors that influence learning, which include attention, retention, motor reproduction and motivation
what is the first stage of social learning theory?
attention: the individual must pay attention to the behaviour and its consequences .
what happens during the retention stage?
the observed behaviour is stored in long term memory for later recall
what does the reproduction stage require?
the individual must have the ability and skills to reproduce the observed behaviour
what role does motivation play in social learning theory?
individuals must expect to receive positive reinforcement (vicarious reinforcement) for imitating the behavior
what is vicarious reinforcement?
when an individual is more likely to imitate behaviour if they see the model receiving positive reinforcement for it
how does identification with a model affect imitation?
imitation is more likely if we see the model as similar to ourselves (age, gender, social status)
what was the focus of banduras bobo doll study?
to investigate whether children imitate aggressive behaviour observed in models
how were the children divided in the bobo doll study?
into three groups: aggressive model, non aggressive model and a control group (no model)
what did group 1 observe in the bobo doll study?
a model hitting a bob doll with a hammer and shouting at it
what were the results of the bobo doll study?
children who observed the aggressive model (group 1) were more aggressive than those in the other groups
what does the bobo doll study support about social learning theory?
it shows that children imitate the behaviours of role models, even if that behaviour is aggressive
