Social learning theory (social psychological explanations)

What is direct learning?

1. Bandura acknowledged that agg can be learned directly, through mechanisms of operant conditioning involving pos/neg reinforcement and punishment

2. So, child who angrily snatches toy off another child will learn that agg behaviour = rewarding

3. This direct reinforcement makes it more likely that child will behave agg again in similar situation

What is indirect learning?

1. However, Bandura also realised that agg behaviour often can’t be explained by such direct forms of learning, especially in humans

2. So argued that indirect mechanism - observational learning - accounts for SL of most agg behaviours

What is observational learning?

1. Children acquire specific agg behaviours through observing agg models; siblings, parents, peers/characters in the media

2. In this way, child has learned about agg behaviour, but doesn’t mean that they’ll behave agg themselves

What is vicarious reinforcement?

1. Child also observes consequences of models behaviour

2. If model’s agg behaviour rewarded, then child learns that agg can be effective in getting what they want

3. Known as vicarious reinforcement; makes it more likely that observing child will imitate model’s agg behaviour

4. Parallel form of indirect learning called vicarious punishment - if model’s use of agg to achieve a goal = punished, observing child less likely to imitate that specific behaviour

What are the cognitive conditions for learning?

1. Bandura identified 4 cog conditions for SL; ARRM

2. Attention

3. Retention

4. Reproduction

5. Motivation

What is attention?

Observer must pay attention to model’s agg actions

What is retention?

Observer needs to be able to remember model’s agg actions, to form symbolic mental representation of how behaviour performed

What is reproduction?

1. Observer must be able to transform mental representation of agg behaviour into actual physical action

2. Involves individual mentally appraising their ability to do this

What is motivation?

1. Observer needs reason to imitate behaviour

2. Depends on expectations that behaving agg in specific situation will be rewarding

What is self-efficacy?

1. Extent to which we believe our actions will achieve desired goal

2. Child’s confidence in their ability to be agg, grows as learn that agg can bring rewards

3. E.g. child who always hits other children to get hold of toy learns that they have necessary motor skills to force another child to hand over toy, ability comes easy to them

4. Child’s sense of self-efficacy develops with each successful outcome

5. He/she confident that, as agg effective in past, will continue to be so in future - agg works/they’re good at it

What was the aim of Bandura’s (1961) research?

Bobo doll study illustrates many SLT features discussed

What was the procedure of Bandura’s research?

1. Young children individually observed adult model assaulting inflatable plastic toy called ‘Bobo doll’

2. Agg behaviours; throwing, kicking/hitting with mallet - accompanied by verbal outbursts; “Sock him in the nose!”

3. Followed short period during which children not allowed to play with some attractive toys; created degree of frustration

4. Then taken to another room where Bobo doll + other toys including ones adult model had used

What were the findings of Bandura’s research?

1. Without instruction, many children imitated behaviour seen performed by model; physically/verbally

2. Closeness of imitation remarkable in some cases, virtually direct copy of what children had observed, including use of specific objects/verbal phrases

3. Boys imitated physical agg more than girls, but no difference in imitating verbal agg

4. Boys more likely than girls to imitate same-sex model

5. Another group of children who’d observed adult acting non-agg with doll; agg behaviour towards Bobo doll by children almost non-existent

AO3: Research support

1. Strength; research supporting its explanation of agg

2. Boivin (2000) found that agg boys aged 9-12 formed friendships with other agg boys

3. Friendships mutually reinforced each boy’s agg behaviour through modelling

4. E.g. boys would observe each other successfully using proactive agg (to get what want from peers), provided reinforcement

5. TMT exposed frequently to models of physical agg (each other)/to its positive consequences

6. Boys also gained reinforcement from rewarding approval of rest of ‘gang’

7. These SL processes made imitation of agg behaviour by the boys much more likely, as predicted by SLT

AO3: RWA

1. Strength; SLT helps reduce agg

2. Children readily imitate models when observe them being rewarded for any behaviour/especially when identify with them; applied to modelling agg behaviour

3. One way to reduce agg is to provide rewarded non-agg models; same learning processes that can lead to agg behaviour can produce non-agg

4. E.g. encouraging children to form friendships with children rewarded for non-agg gives them more opportunities to model non-agg behaviour

5. TMT SLT offers practical steps to reduce development of agg behaviour in children

AO3: Biological influences

1. Limitation; underestimates influence of bio factors

2. Bandura recognised role of biology as accepted urge to be agg that’s instinctive in nature

3. But equally clear that form agg takes = primarily learned/outcome of ‘nurture’

4. However, well established that powerful genetic, evol, neural/hormonal influences on agg

5. SLT barely acknowledges these/doesn’t explain them

6. TMT SLT incomplete explanation of agg as underplays role of bio factors

AO3: Research methods

1. Many SLT/agg studies conducted in controlled conditions; researchers can manipulate IV while controlling potential CV’s

2. Control allows researchers to establish that SL processes may cause agg behaviour

3. However, such studies unlike R-W SL situations; create ‘ideal’ testing conditions which generally don’t exist in reality

4. E.g. Bobo doll couldn’t retaliate to being hit + also DC’s? Bobo doll designed to be hit