Social learning theory

Question 1

What did Bandura believe?

Answer 1

Children learn to be aggressive through observational learning

Question 2

Who are children most likely to learn from?

Answer 2

Same gender, same age, high status

Question 3

What are the 4 criteria needed for children to learn behaviours?

Answer 3

Attention, retention, reproduction, motivation

Question 4

What happens in the ‘attention’ stage of learning?

Answer 4

Children pay attention to role models in order to learn what behaviours to imitate - may be impacted by gender

Question 5

What happens in the ‘retention’ stage of learning?

Answer 5

Information learned is retained so it can be used at the appropriate time - behaviours carried out in a similar situation

Question 6

What happens in the ‘reproduction’ stage of learning?

Answer 6

Children will physically copy the observed behaviours

Question 7

What happens in the ‘motivation’ stage of learning?

Answer 7

Children need to have the incentive to want to copy a behaviour - if a reward is offered, a behaviour is more likely to be reproduced due to motivation to get the reward increasing

Question 8

What is intrinsic motivation?

Answer 8

Reward is self satisfaction

Question 9

What is extrinsic motivation?

Answer 9

Reward is tangible such money or a medal

Question 10

Strengths

Answer 10

• Validity - Bandura proved that children imitate behaviours in his 1961 study where there was a significant increase in aggressive imitation in the aggressive model group
• Usefulness - has helped to develop modelling based therapy which has proven to be effective and efficient for learning skills and behaviours

Question 11

Weakness

Answer 11

Reductionist - only acknowledges the nurture side of the nature nurture debate and ignores biological influences on behaviours