SLT Flashcards
(3 cards)
Practical Applications:
One strength is that the principles of SLT have been usefully applied
to increase our understanding of many areas of human behaviour, including the initiation of
criminal behaviour through differential association theory. For example, Akers (1998) suggests that the probability of someone engaging in criminal behaviour increases when they are exposed to models who commit criminal behaviour, identify with these models and develop the expectations of positive consequences for their own criminal behaviour e.g. wealth and status. This is a strength because we can use the principles of SLT to prevent and reduce undesirable behaviours.
However can lead to self fulfilling prophecy- also mediational processes=a choice
Acknowledges mental processing:
One strength of SLT over the behaviourist approach is
that it acknowledges key mediational processes. Humans store information about the
behaviour of others and use this to make judgements about when it is appropriate to perform certain actions. SLT accounts for this by considering the combination of behaviour and cognitions. This is a strength because by recognising the role of these mediational processes
SLT uses a more holistic approach and therefore offers a more complete explanation of human learning than traditional classical and operant conditioning.
Underestimates the influence of biological factors:
One limitation of SLT is that it makes little reference to the impact of biological factors on social learning. A consistent finding in the Bobo doll experiment was that boys were often more aggressive than girls regardless of the specifics of the experimental situation. This may be explained by hormonal factors, for
example differences in levels of testosterone, which is present in greater quantities in boys and is linked to increased aggressive behaviour. This is a limitation because the influence of important biological factors is not accounted for in SLT therefore questioning the validity of the theory.
