P2 Approaches: Social Learning Theory Flashcards
What is social learning
Learning through observation and imitation. An observer Learns new behaviour by watching and imitating another person (role model. This process is called modelling
What is vicarious reinforcement
Learning that occurs through observing the consequences of a model’s actions in terms of reward and punishment
Behaviour that brings reward is more likely to be imitated
What are the mediational processes
The mental cognitive factors involved in leaning
- Attention
- Retention (capacity to remember)
- Reproduction (capability to reproduce)
- Motivation (observed the likely consequences of the behaviour)
What did Robert bandura want to find out
How just watching someone else could influence our behaviour
How many and what were the ages of the kids of the bobo doll study?
72 3-5 year olds
Describe the procedure of the bobo doll study
One group of Children were placed in a room full of toys and a bobo doll. They observed the adult hitting the bobo doll aggressively. Another group were placed in the same room and observed and adult treating the doll gently
What were the findings of the bobo doll study
The children who observed the adult playing aggressively imitated aggressive behaviours. The neutral group weren’t aggressive. The effect was stronger if the children had the same gender as the adult
What are the advantages of the social learning theory
Real life application - to increase understanding on human behaviour such as criminal behaviour
Recognises the importance of cognitive factors in learning- SLT provides a more comprehensive explanation of human learning by recognising the role of meditational processes
What are the disadvantages of the SLT
SLT sees behaviour as environmentally determined (nurture) but some behaviours may be innate (nature) and better explained by biological explanations
