SLT Flashcards
(3 cards)
AO1
Social learning theory (SLT) proposes that behaviour, including gender-related behaviour, is acquired through observation within the social context. It emphasises the role of the environment, encompassing influential figures like parents, peers, and media, in shaping gender development. Differential reinforcement, where gender-appropriate behaviour is rewarded, aids in the formation of gender identity. Direct reinforcement, through praise or encouragement, and indirect reinforcement, by observing others’ favourable outcomes, both contribute to behaviour repetition or avoidance based on consequences.
Identification involves attaching to individuals perceived as desirable role models, typically of the same gender, within immediate or media environments. Modelling, demonstrated by role models and imitated by observers, solidifies learned behaviours. Mediational processes, including attention, retention, motivation, and motor reproduction, facilitate the acquisition and replication of gender behaviours. For instance, a boy may emulate his favourite athlete, attentively observing, remembering, desiring to imitate, and physically reproducing their actions. Thus, SLT highlights the intricate interplay between observation, reinforcement, identification, and cognitive processes in gender development.
AO3(strengths)
Point: A strength of the social learning approach is that key principles are supported by evidence.
Evidence: For example, Smith and Lloyd (1978) dressed babies aged 4-6 months alternately in boys’ and girls’ clothes, irrespective of their actual sex.
Explain: When dressed as boys, they were given hammer-shaped rattles and encouraged to be active, while when dressed as girls, they were handed cuddly dolls and reinforced for being passive
Link: Therefore, this suggests that gender-appropriate behaviour is ingrained at an early age through differential reinforcement, supporting social learning theory.
Point: Another strength is that social learning can explain cultural changes in stereotypically gender-appropriate behaviour.
Evidence: For example, the reduction in clear-cut distinctions between masculine and feminine behaviours in recent decades can be better explained by social change than by biological factors.
Explain: This means that shifts in social expectations and cultural norms have led to new forms of gender behaviour being reinforced rather than punished, unlike in the 1950s.
Link: Therefore, this suggests that social learning is effective in explaining cultural changes in gender behaviour, complementing cognitive explanations involving schema and stereotypes.
Point: A limitation is that differential reinforcement may not be the sole cause of gender differences in behaviour.
Evidence: For example, the observation that boys are encouraged to be more active may be influenced by innate biological differences rather than solely by social reinforcement.
Explain: This means that adults might be responding to pre-existing gender differences during interactions with their children, implying that boys are naturally more active due to hormonal factors.
Link: Therefore, this suggests that social learning theory may only partially explain how children acquire gender-related behaviours, as biological factors also play a role.
