Approaches - Social Learning Theory

Question 1

What are the 3 assumptions of the Social learning theory?

Answer 1

1. Our behaviour is learned from the experience and our environment and people learn by observing people as well as punishment and reinforcement that other people recieve.
2. Learning occurs directly through conditioning and indirectly, vicarious conditioning. Mediational processes also are essential for learning. They only study human learning
3. Scientific lab experiments are used to study behaviour in an objective way

Question 2

Explain modelling

Answer 2

• For learning to take place, someone must carry out the behaviour or attitude to be learned
• The individual who performs this role is called a model
• Live model: parent or teacher
• Symbolic model: someone portrayed in the media like an actress
• Models provide examples of behaviour that can be observed and then later imitated

Question 3

Explain identification

Answer 3

• The extent to which an individual relates to a model and wants to be like them
• More likely to happen if the individual feels they and the rolemodel are similar (sex)
• If an individual can identify with the model, they are more likely to imitate their behaviour

Question 4

Explain imitation

Answer 4

• Much of what children learn is through imitation of attitudes and behaviours modelled by parent
• Factors that determine whether a behaviour is imitated: - characteristics of model - observer’s ability to perform that behaviour - consequences of that behaviour

Question 5

What is vicarious reinforcement?

Answer 5

• Reinforcement that is not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced
• An individual who observes a model being positively reinforced is more likely to want to imitate their behaviour
• People observe the consequences of behaviour experienced by models and then make judgements to the likelyhood of experiencing the outcomes themselves

Question 6

Explain the role of mediational processes

Answer 6

• These processes lie between the stimulus and response and allow us to be able to think about what we are going to do before we do it
  1. Attention - In order to learn we must first notice someone (model) in their environment and pay attention to what they’re doing (learning behaviour)
  2. Retention - Individual must remember what they’ve observed (learning behaviour)
  3. Motor reproduction - Observer must know they have the ability to perform the behaviour (performing behaviour)
  4. Motivation - Individual must have a reason to demonstrate the behaviour they’ve observed (performing behaviour)

Question 7

Descibe how the SLT do research

Answer 7

• They use lab experiments for investigating observational learning
• Research done on people, not animals
• Much research focused on agression and how children learnt to be aggressive

Question 8

Explain Bandura’s study
1961

Answer 8

• Aim: An experiment with young children from USA to demonstrate observational learning
• Method: Group A: Children were in a room one at a time with an adult who behaved aggressively towards a bobo doll. The adult hit it with a hammer and shouted at it. Group B: Children were in a room one at a time with a non aggressive adult who reacted in a non aggressive way towards the bobo doll. Then, each child was put into a room with a bobo doll and hammer and researchers recorded the number of aggressive behaviours each child made towards the doll.
• Results: More aggressive acts were recorded for the children who observed the aggressive adult and boys were more aggressive than girls
• Conclusion: Exposure to a model behaving aggressively results in observational learning and aggressive behaviour