Bandura: Social Learning Theory Flashcards
What was Bandura’s theory?
Social learning theory
Related to infancy and early childhood
He proposed that children’s behaviour is influenced by environmental factors. Especially the behaviour they see being exhibited around them.
He is a behaviourist and argued behaviour is learnt from society.
They are not born with innate behaviours.
What was the bobo doll experiment?
Rated children on how aggressive children were by observing them in a nursery and judged their behaviour.
Aggressive model shown to 24 children
Non aggressive model shown to 24 children
No model shown to 24 children
Results: children who observed the aggressive model made an imitative aggressive response than those who were in the non-aggressive or controlled groups.
Demonstrated that children are able to learn social behaviours through the process of observation learning - watching the behaviour from another person.
4 stages of children observing and imitating behaviour they see: attention
Child focuses on the person who is showing the aggressive behaviour. Called modelling.
It’s likely to be someone the child knows.
4 stages of children observing and imitating behaviour they see: retention
The child remembers what they see
4 stages of children observing and imitating behaviour they see: reproduction
The child reproduces the behaviour they have witnessed and retained in their own behaviour
4 stages of children observing and imitating behaviour they see: motivation
Children will expect a reward for copying the behaviour of the person who modelled it.
If it is rewarded they will continue to display it.
What is the order of the 4 stages?
ARRM
Attention
Retention
Reproduction
Motivation
Positive and negative reinforcement
Positive reinforcement: behaviour is repeated because it is rewarded or makes them feel good
Negative reinforcement: will not be repeated because they have been told off or no satisfaction from it
Vicarious reinforcement: child will repeat a behaviour if they see it is rewarded
Criticisms of the social learning theory
Bandura does not explain why some children exhibit behaviours they have not observed
His theory does not consider behaviours which could be influenced by genetic inheritance
