Social Learning Theory

Question 1

Who invented SLT and in what year?

Answer 1

Bandaranaike (1972)

Question 2

What is SLT similar to?

Answer 2

Behaviourism- people are shaped by their environments

Question 3

What does behaviourism focus on?

Answer 3

How people (mainly children) learn from others

Question 4

What do children learn via?

Answer 4

The observation of models- e.g. parents, teachers, older siblings, celebrities

Question 5

What do children do with behaviour they like?

Answer 5

Imitate the behaviour- learning is not innate but learnt from the environment

Question 6

What is modelling?

Answer 6

The imitated behaviour is performed in different contexts

Question 7

What happens if behaviour is reinforced?

Answer 7

We understand it is the correct behaviour to adopt- therefore we continue with it

Question 8

What is vicarious/indirect reinforcement?

Answer 8

We observe another person being reinforced for a behaviour, we are motivated to imitate that behaviour to receive similar reinforcement

Question 9

What does vicarious/indirect reinforcement highlight about SLT?

Answer 9

Highlights the more sophisticated nature of SLT compared to behaviourism as it involves cognition

Question 10

How does SLT involve cognition?

Answer 10

People are required to process what they have seen and imagine themselves gaining a similar reward for the specific behaviour

Question 11

What are the 4 mediational processes?

Answer 11

Attention (noticing the behaviour)- retention (remembering the behaviour)- reproduction (imitating the behaviour)- motivation (desire to perform the behaviour)

Question 12

Nature or nurture?

Answer 12

Nurture

Question 13

Strengths of SLT: reductionism?

Answer 13

Less reductionist than behaviourism

Question 14

Strengths of SLT: determinism?

Answer 14

Less deterministic than behaviourism- mediational processes imply the individual has choice over their behaviour

Question 15

Strengths of SLT: practical application?

Answer 15

Good practical application- token economies in prison/health settings
The prisoner is rewarded for good behaviour- observation from other inmates encourages good behaviour- therefore good external validity

Question 16

Limitations of SLT: behaviour that is not imitated?

Answer 16

SLT cannot account for behaviours which are observed frequency and not imitated- e.g. a child who experiences domestic violence may never be violent

Question 17

Limitations of SLT : individual differences?

Answer 17

Doesn’t account for them

Question 18

Limitations of SLT: lab experiments?

Answer 18

Lacks ecological validity

Question 19

What does identification mean?

Answer 19

Liking someone and wanting to be the same as them

Question 20

What was Bandura testing?

Answer 20

To see if children would imitate an aggressive role model

Question 21

What was the aim of bandura’s experiment?

Answer 21

To investigate the effect of observed aggression on children’s behaviour
Investigate the effect of same-sex modelling on children’s aggressive behaviour

Question 22

How many participants were there and what ages were they?

Answer 22

72 participants- 36 girls and 36 boys
Aged between 37-69 months

Question 23

Were matched pairs used?

Answer 23

Yes

Question 24

What nursery were the children from?

Answer 24

Stanford University Nursery

Question 25

What were the 3 conditions?

Answer 25

Aggressive model Non-aggressive model Control group- no model present

Question 26

Findings: Children who had observed aggressive behaviour….

Answer 26

Were more likely to be aggressive towards the Bobo doll

Question 27

Findings: boys were more…

Answer 27

Physically aggressive

Question 28

Findings: girls were more…

Answer 28

Verbally aggressive

Question 29

Findings: what were children more likely to do?

Answer 29

Imitate the behaviour of the same-sex role model Aggression may be observed in one setting and imitated in a different setting

Question 30

Strength of SLT: cognitive?

Answer 30

Recognises the importance of cognitive factors in learning Classical and operant conditioning are not enough to explain about learning Humans and animals store information about when it is appropriate to perform certain actions SLT provides a more comprehensive explanation of human learning due to mediational processes

Question 31

Limitation: SLT criticised about biological factors?

Answer 31

SLT has been criticised for making too little reference about the influence of biological factors on social learning Recent research suggests that observational learning may be the result of mirror neurons in the brain which allow us to empathise with and imitate other people Suggests biological influences on social learning were under emphasised in SLT

Question 32

Lab studies: limitation?

Answer 32

Many of Banduras studies were developed through observation of young children in labs PPTS may have responded to demand characteristics- social desirability bias Also, main point of the Bobo doll is to strike it- the children were behaving in a way that was expected Suggests the research may tell us little about how children actually learn aggression in everyday life

Question 33

Real- world application: SLT?

Answer 33

Can explain cultural differences in behaviour SLT principles can account for how children learn from others around them- including the media- this explains how cultural norms are transmitted through particular societies Proves useful in behaviours like how children come to understand their gender role