social learning theory

Question 1

what is the social learning theory?

Answer 1

a way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and indirect reinforcement, combining both learning theory with the role of cognitive factors

Question 2

how does the social Learning theory suggest people learn?

Answer 2

through observation and imitation

Question 3

what is imitation?

Answer 3

copying the behaviour of others

Question 4

what needs to be done for indirect learning to take place?

Answer 4

the individual observes the behaviour of others

Question 5

when will an individual repeat behaviour?

Answer 5

when they see that it results in positive reward

Question 6

what is vicarious reinforcement?

Answer 6

reinforcement which is not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour. This is a key factor in reinforcement

Question 7

what are meditational processes?

Answer 7

cognitive factors that influence learning and come between stimulus and response

Question 8

what are the 4 meditational processes?

Answer 8

attention
retention
motor reproduction
motivation

Question 9

explain attention as a meditational process

Answer 9

the extent to which we notice certain behaviours

Question 10

explain retention as a meditational process

Answer 10

how well a behaviour observed is remembered

Question 11

explain motor reproduction as a meditational process

Answer 11

the ability of the observer to perform the observed behaviour

Question 12

explain motivation as a meditational process

Answer 12

the will to perform the observed behaviour, which is often determined by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished

Question 13

what is identification?

Answer 13

a desire to be associated with a particular person or group often because the person/ group possesses certain desirable characteristics. The person they identify with is called the role model and the process of imitating the role model is called modelling

Question 14

explain bandura’s research

Answer 14

Bandura recorded the behaviour of young people who watched an adult behave in an aggressive way towards a bobo doll. When the children were observed playing with various toys including a bobo doll, they were much more violent when compared to children who hadn’t seen the adult.
He also showed one group of children an adult being praised for this aggression and the other saw a punishment and a third group saw no consequence. The first group showed the most aggression, then the third, then the second

Question 15

explain one strength of SLT (cognitive factors)

Answer 15

it recognises the importance of cognitive factors in learning. C+O conditioning can’t offer an adequate account of learning on their own as humans store info about the behaviour of others and use this to make judgements about when it is appropriate to perform certain actions. This suggests that SLT provides a more comprehensive explanation of human learning by recognising the role of meditational processes.

Question 16

explain one limitation of SLT (biological)

Answer 16

been criticised for making too little reference to the influence of biological factors. Although Bandura proposed that biological differences influenced learning potential, he thought learning itself was determined by the environment. However recent research suggests that observational learning may be the result of mirror neurones in the brain which allows us to imitate others. This suggests that biological influences on SL were under emphasised in SLT

Question 17

explain one strength of SLT (real world)

Answer 17

its principles have been applied to a range of real world behaviours. SLT can explain cultural differences in behaviour. SLT principles such as imitation can account for how children learn from others including from the media and this can explain how social norms are transmitted. This is useful when understanding a range pf behaviours such as children understanding their gender. This increases the value of the approach

Question 18

explain one limitation of SLT (lab)

Answer 18

the evidence which its based on was gathered through lab studies. Bandura’s observation of the children’s behaviour research was conducted in a lab setting so are criticised for their contrived nature where ppt may respond to demand characteristics. Its been suggested that the children only hit the bobo doll as that’s what they thought was expected for the study. This suggests that the research may tell us little about how children actually learn aggression in everyday life

Question 19

Give 2 assumptions of the SLT

Answer 19

-people learn through observation and imitation
-learning occurs directly but also indirectly