Learning approaches: Social learning theory

Assumptions

• Bandura agreed with behaviourists that behaviour is learned from experience. However, social learning theory proposed a different way in which people learn- through observation and imitation of others. SLT suggested that learning occurs directly, through classical and operant conditioning, but also indirectly.

Vicarious reinforcement

• For indirect learning to take place an individual observes the behaviour of others. The learner may imitate this behaviour but, in general, imitation only occurs if the behaviour is seen to be rewarded (reinforced) rather than punished. Thus, the learner observes a behaviour but most importantly also observes the consequences of a behaviour.

The role of mediational processes

• SLT is often described as the 'bridge' between behaviourist learning theory and the cognitive approach because it focuses on how cognitive factors are involved in learning. These mental factors mediate (intervene) in the learning process to determine whether a new response is acquired.

• Attention, retention, motor reproduction, motivation.

Mediational processes- Attention

• The extent to which we notice certain behaviours. It relates to the learning of behaviour.

Mediational processes- Retention

• How well the behaviour is remembered. It relates to the learning of behaviour.

Mediational processes- Motor reproduction

• The ability of the observer to perform the behaviour. It relates to the performance of behaviour.

Mediational processes- Motivation

• The will to perform the behaviour, which is often determined by whether the behaviour was rewarded or punished. It relates to the performance of behaviour.

Identification

• People are more likely to imitate people they identify with. The person they identify with is called a role model and the process of imitating a role model is called modelling. A person becomes a role model if they are seen to possess similar characteristics to the observer and/or are attractive and have high status. Role models may not necessarily be physically present in the environment, and this has important implications for the influence of the media on behaviour

Strengths

• SLT recognises the importance of cognitive factors in learning. Neither classical nor operant conditioning can offer an adequate account of learning on their own. Humans and animals store information 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 mediational processes.

• SLT has been criticised for making too little reference to the influence of biological factors on social learning. Although Bandura claimed that biological differences influenced our learning potential, he thought that the learning itself was determined by the environment. Research shows that observational learning may be the result of mirror neurons in the brain which allows us to empathise with and imitate other people. This suggests that biological influences on social learning were under-emphasised in SLT.

• SLT principles have been applied to a range of real-world behaviours. Social learning theory has the advantage of being able to explain cultural differences in behaviour. SLT principles, such as modelling, imitation, and reinforcement can account for how children learn from others around them, including the media, and this can explain how cultural norms are transmitted through particular societies. This has proved useful in understanding a range of behaviours, such as how children come to understand their gender role. This increases the value of the approach as it can account for real-world behaviour; there is real-world application.

Limitations

• The evidence on which SLT is based on was gathered through lab studies. Many of Bandura's ideas were developed through observation of young children's behaviour in the lab. Lab studies are often criticised for their artificial nature where participants may respond to demand characteristics. It has been suggested, in relation to the Bobo doll research, that because the main purpose of the doll is to strike it, the children were simply behaving in a way that they thought was expected. This suggests that the research may tell us little about how children actually learn aggression in everyday life

Bandura's research

• Bandura et al (1961) recorded the behaviour of children who watched an adult behave in an aggressive way towards a Bobo doll.

• The adult hit the doll with a hammer and shouted abuse at it. When these children were later observed playing with various toys, including a Bobo doll, they behaved much more aggressively towards the doll and the other toys than those who had observed a non-aggressive adult.

Bandura's research study B

• Bandura and Walters (1963) showed videos to children where an adult behaved aggressively towards the Bobo doll. One group of children saw the adult praised for their behaviour. A second group saw the adult punished for their aggression towards the doll, by being told off. The third group (control group) saw the aggression without any consequence.

• When given their own Bobo doll to play with, the first group showed much more aggression, followed by the third group, and then the second