Social Learning Explanations Flashcards
(32 cards)
What does SLT agree with?
Social learning theory agrees with behaviourist learning theories, such as classical and operant conditioning.
(Particularly the role of reinforcement and punishment in the learning of aggressive behaviour).
What are the two important ideas within neo-behaviourism?
Mediating processes between stimuli & responses.
Observational learning, especially through identification.
Social learning theorist say that what occurs in the organism between stimulus and response.
Cognitive factors/ mediating processes.
A stimulus causes a response. What would a social learning theorist say about this statement? What evidence is there?
You need to know about the mental processes that occur between stimulus and response.
Processes such as imitation do not happen automatically, they require conscious effort.
What is SLT, in the context of aggression?
(Applying aggression to SLT, AO1)
The observational learning that an individual has had, as a result of past experiences.
Outline the process of modelling and imitation, incorporated within aggression.
(Applying aggression to SLT, AO1)
One of the methods SLT may manifest within aggression is through processes of modelling.
This is generated by a model: someone who behaves in an influential way, e.g. winning a fighting.
This may cause an individual to imitate the aggressive models actions, in turn causing them to behave more aggressively, e.g. trying to win fights.
The process of identification with the aggressive model relies on mutual factors, e.g. they may be similar in gender.
Outline vicarious reinforcement and punishment, within the context of aggression.
(Applying aggression to SLT, AO1)
Vicarious reinforcement and punishment refers to the reinforcement an observer sees a potentially aggressive model receiving.
The individual does not receive the reward themselves; instead they observe someone else getting it, e.g. a crowd cheering during a boxing fight.
This may influence whether the actions are imitated in the future.
What are the mediating processes? Explain them and link them to aggression?
(Applying aggression to SLT, AO1)
The mediating processes are: attention, retention, production, and imitation.
If a child has paid attention to a model behaving aggressively, they may then retain this in their memory.
The child may then produce the behaviour themselves (this could be playing out scenarios in their head) and then engaging in the behaviour when the motivation arises.
Humans are not born aggressive. Explain this statement from a social learning theorist, linking your answer to aggression.
Humans acquire aggressive behaviour in the same way as other social behaviours: through indirect experience of observing the actions of others.
In the case of aggression, if a behaviour becomes associated with a reward through observation (vicariously) then the person is more likely to imitate (i.e. be aggressive) in the future.
How can aggression be reinforced as rewarding?
Aggressive behaviour can be observed initially to test the likelihood of a reward and then adopted if it appears to be rewarding.
For example, if a child observes two people fighting and sees other people cheering - then they are more likely to imitate the models behaviour after the event.
What are the mediating processes?
Attention.
Retention.
Reproduction.
Motivation.
Outline ‘attention’ as a mediating process, linking to aggression.
When a person pays attention to someone else’s aggressive behaviour.
Outline ‘retention’ as a mediating process, linking to aggression.
When someone memorises the aggressive behaviour they have observed.
Outline ‘reproduction’ as a mediating process, linking to aggression.
When someone practises the aggressive behaviour they have observed.
Outline ‘motivation’ as a mediating process, linking to aggression.
When someone is given a reason to execute the aggressive behaviour, they may use it.
Outline the aims of Bandura, Ross and Ross’ study from 1961.
To examine the effect of the continual influence of the model.
To examine if the sex of the model influenced same-sex and opposite-sex participants to a differing degree.
Outline the procedure of Bandura, Ross and Ross’ study from 1961.
36 male and 36 female participants in the study.
Two adults, a male and a female, served in the role of model for the experiment.
Half the groups observed an aggressive role model and the other half saw non-aggressive behaviour from their role model.
Participants were put into a room one at a time and observed the adult role model’s behaviour (either aggressive or non-aggressive).
The aggressive model had to hit the Bobo doll with a hammer and shout abuse at it at the same time.
Initially there was aggression arousal, whereby the participants were taken straight to a room where they were told they couldn’t play with the toys (mild stress situation) as they were being saved for other children, but that they could play with the toys in a neighbouring room.
They were then allowed to go into that room with the experimenter (about 2 minutes later), that contained a range of toys: the 3ft Bobo doll, a mallet, dart guns etc. as well as ‘non-aggressive’ toys such as a doll, crayons and a plastic farm.
The participants were observed in that room for 20 minutes and rated for the extent they imitated the behaviour they had just seen.
Outline the findings from Bandura, Ross and Ross’ study from 1961.
They found that the children who had observed aggressive behaviour acted more aggressively when observed.
Boys acted more aggressively than girls.
There was also a greater level of imitation of behaviour if the role model was the same gender as the participant.
Outline the conclusions from Bandura, Ross and Ross’ study from 1961.
There is a behavioural effect from observing aggressive behaviour and that this behaviour continues after delay.
Children learn aggressive behaviour vicariously from observing role models.
Outline two evaluative points from Bandura, Ross and Ross’ study from 1961.
The effects of social learning are still only short term in this experiment and it is difficult to see whether there are any long-term effects on the children.
There are issues with interpreting the behaviour as all being influenced by social learning.
Most people would hit a Bobo doll as it is designed for this purpose. This affects the validity of the experiment.
Outline the aims of Bandura and Walters’ study from 1963.
To see whether children learn aggressive behaviour from observing a film of people behaving aggressively.
To see whether they are selective in using the behaviour they have witnessed.
Outline the procedure from Bandura and Walters’ study from 1963.
Children watched a film which included aggressive behaviour.
It had three conditions: ‘Model reward condition’, ‘Model punished condition’, ‘No consequences –control condition’.
After watching the film children were subject to the mild arousal, then taken to a room where there were toys to play with as before.
They were also offered a reward for imitating the behaviour they had seen.
Outline the findings from Bandura and Walters’ study from 1963.
If the model was punished; there was significantly less aggressive behaviour demonstrated than in the other two conditions.
After a reward was offered for demonstrating the behaviour modelled, children in all three groups performed the actions to the same extent.
Outline the conclusions from Bandura and Walters’ study from 1963.
Social Learning does occur in children.
Punishment is a good indicator for the likelihood of children choosing to use the behaviour.
Aggression in the media can affect its audience.
Bandura believed both the family and the mass media should provide positive role models for children and the general public.
