Social Learning Theory

Question 1

What are three types of model?

Answer 1

• live
• verbal
• symbolic

Question 2

What is an live model?

Answer 2

• actual individual demonstrating or acting out a behaviour

Question 3

What is an verbal model?

Answer 3

• instructional model descriptions and explanations of a behaviour.

Question 4

What is an symbolic model?

Answer 4

• real or fictional characters, displaying behaviours in books, films, TV programs

Question 5

What did Pennington (1968) identify the three variables which affect imitation?

Answer 5

• characteristics of role, such as gender, age and status
• characteristics of the observer, self-esteem, self efficacy
• consequences of the behaviour for the model, they are rewarded or punished

Question 6

What is vicarious learning?

Answer 6

• we learn through other’s mistakes or successes

Question 7

What is vicarious reinforcement?

Answer 7

• occurs when you imitate the behaviour of someone who has been reinforced for that behaviour

Question 8

What is vicarious punishment?

Answer 8

• occurs when the tendency to engage in a behaviour is weakened after having observed the negative consequences for another enganging in that behaviour.

Question 9

What is vicarious extinction?

Answer 9

• Occurs when it is noticed that the person who has been observed engaging in the behaviour is no longer rewarded and so the behaviour that was once imitated stops.

Question 10

What are the 4 main stages?

Answer 10

• Observation/Attention
• Retention
• Motor reproduction (imitation)
• Motivation

Question 11

What does it mean by observation/attention?

Answer 11

• Learning starts off with paying attention to the model in order to learn from them
• the role model is likely to be someone the person looks up to

Question 12

What does it mean by Retention?

Answer 12

• The behaviour being modeled needs to be retained by the observer, as the behaviour usually required to be imitated at a later time
• imagery and language assist the process, we tend to be stored as mental images, verbal descriptions

Question 13

What does it mean by Motor Reproduction?

Answer 13

• The behaviour is then performed
• involves reproducing the actions that have been observed and retained, and these actions can be further refined by practice

Question 14

What does it mean by Motivation?

Answer 14

• when the behaviour continues depends on motivation
• behaviour can come from external reinforcement, vicarious reinforcement.

Question 15

What does it mean by vicarious?

Answer 15

• if a behaviour is punished it is likely to be repeated and if rewarded is more likely to be repeated.

Question 16

What does external/extrinsic mean?

Answer 16

• If behaviour is rewarded it will be repeated

Question 17

What does self internal/intrinsic mean?

Answer 17

• behaviour is more motivating is some internal need is satisfied