Week 2 (Social learning theory)

Question 1

What is behaviourism and when was it developed

Answer 1

-Developed in the 1920s
-Focuses on the measurable aspects of behaviour (behaviour that can be observed)

Question 2

What does classical conditioning prove we learn by?

Answer 2

We learn through association (AKA associative learning)

Question 3

Little Albert basic outline

Answer 3

-Watson and Raynor (1924)
-Age 8 months 26 days, Little Albert shows a fear response to hammer hitting metal bar)
-Age 11 months & 3 days: Shown white rat, and then shown white rat with loud noise
-After repeated exposure to rat at the same time as loud banging, Albert shows same response to white and fluffy items, conditioned

Question 4

What are the ethical issues with Little Albert study

Answer 4

Albert was removed from the study before deconditioning / extinction could occur

Question 5

What are the methodological issues with Little Albert study

Answer 5

Lacked control - study would not be published today

Question 6

What are the measurement issues with Little Albert study

Answer 6

Lack of objective / clearly operationalised dependent variable

Question 7

What is operant conditioning

Answer 7

-AKA instrumental learning
-Involves learning from the consequences of our behaviour
-Originates from Thorndike’s law of effect, that the likelihood of a behaviour being repeated is increased f it receives a positive reaction, and reduced if the reaction/ outcome is negative

Question 8

What are the variants of operant conditioning

Answer 8

-Positive Reinforcement
-Negative Reinforcement
-Positive Punishment
-Negative Punishment

Question 9

What is positive reinforcement (operant conditioning)

Answer 9

Desirable stimulus is presented (e.g, provision of a reward.) Behaviour increases.

Question 10

What is negative reinforcement (operant conditioning)

Answer 10

Stimulus (normally negative) is removed (e.g, washing dishes to stop housemates nagging. Behaviour increases

Question 11

What is positive punishment (operant conditioning)

Answer 11

Negative stimulus is presented (e.g, Child an earlier bedtime for bad behaviour). Behaviour decreases.

Question 12

What is negative punishment

Answer 12

Stimulus is removed (e.g, toy is taken away from children for squabbling.) Behaviour decreases

Question 13

Main finding of Bobo Doll study (1961)

Answer 13

Children who saw aggressive models engaged in more imitative and non-imitative aggressive acts than those who saw the non-aggressive model or no model.

Question 14

Who conducted the Bobo Doll study and when

Answer 14

(Bandura, Ross & Ross, 1961)

Question 15

What is the outline of the social learning theory

Answer 15

Bandura 1977
-Children learn through conditioning
-Also learn through watching and listening to others, this is known as observational learning or modelling.
-Vicarious learning is a specific type of learning which involves learning from the experiences of others without experiences the event ourselves.

Question 16

What is the definition of socialisation (social learning theory)

Answer 16

The process by which society attempts to each children to behave like the ideal adults of that society.

Question 17

What are the four key stages of modelling / observational learning (Social cognitive learning theory)

Answer 17

(1) Attention: We must first pay attention to the model
(2) Retention: We must be able to remember the observed behaviour.
(3) Reproduction: We must be able to replicate the behaviour demonstrated.
(4) Motivation : We must be motivated to demonstrate what we have learned.

Question 18

Triadic Reciprocal Determinism of the social cognitive learning theory

Answer 18

1. Environment (i.e, modelling, instructions)
2. Behaviour (i.e, actions, effort, choices)
3. Person (i.e, cognitive/ personal, biological factors)

Question 19

What is self-efficacy

Answer 19

Refers to an individual’s domain-specific beliefs about their abilities and characteristics.
-Affects behaviour, determines how and wether individuals put into action the knowledge they have.

Question 20

Why does imitation occur

Answer 20

Mirror neurons
-Activates when individuals carry out actions
-And when observing another individual carry out an action