Social learning theory

Assumptions

• People are shaped by their environment through observational learning processes

• We observe the behaviour of role models, identify with them & imitate their behaviour

• Whether we imitate an observed behaviour depends on the observed consequences (vicarious reinforcement)

• Meditational processes stimulate between stimulus & response & play a role in learning

• Bridge between behaviourist & cognitive approach

Identification

When an observer associates themselves with a role model & wants to be like them

Imitation

Copying the behaviours of others

Vicarious reinforcement

Process where an individuals behaviour is influenced by observing the consequences of another person’s actions

Modelling (from observer’s POV)

Imitating the behaviour of a role model

Modelling (from role model’s POV)

Precise demonstration of a specific behaviour that may be imitated by observer

Live model

Role model physically present in the environment eg mother, teacher

Symbolic model

Role models that aren’t physically present in the environment eg tv/book character

When are we more likely to imitate a role model’s behaviour?

• If they’re the same sex as us

• If they’re the same age/similar in age to us

• If they’re likeable/attractive

• If they’re of high status/fame

Mediational processes

Mental processes that occur between stimulus & response that influence our behaviour (ARMM)

Attention

Noticing the behaviour when it’s modelled

Retention

Storing the observed behaviour in long-term memory

Motor reproduction

Translating the memory into a behaviour

Motivation

Considering whether we want to reproduce the behaviour depending on the consequences

Who carried out the Bobo Doll Experiment?

Albert Bandura

What was the aim of the Bobo Doll Experiment?

To demonstrate observational or imitative learning in young children

What was the method of the Bobo Doll Experiment?

• One group of children put in a room with an adult acting aggressively towards bobo doll (hitting it with hammer & shouting abuse)

• Second group of children put in a room with an adult acting non-aggressively towards bobo doll

• Each child then put into playroom containing bobo doll & hammer & recorded number of aggressive behaviours made towards doll

What was the results of the Bobo Doll Experiment?

• Children who observed aggressive model behaved more aggressively than the children who observed the non-aggressive model

• Boys showed more aggression particularly when observing same-sex model

What was the conclusion of the Bobo Doll Experiment?

• Exposure to a model behaving aggressively results in observational learning & aggressive behaviour

• Behaviour continues even after a delay

Strength of the Bobo Doll Experiment

• P - high control over variables due to lab setting

• E - allows more insight as we can manipulate environment & see its impact

• T - can be sure of causation & replicable

Limitations of the Bobo Doll Experiment

• P - lacks ecologhical validity

• E - took place in a lab setting

• T - not reflective of everyday life so children may not react like this outside of experiment

• P - ethical issues due to exposure of aggression at a young age

• P - questions if it was actual aggression or harmless play as dolls were designed to be hit

Strengths of the social learning approach

• P - less deterministic 

• E - unlike strict behaviourist theories, which assume individuals automatically respond to environmental stimuli through conditioning, SLT acknowledges the role of mediational processes such as attention, retention, motivation, and decision-making. Bandura emphasised reciprocal determinism, where behaviour is influenced by both environmental factors and personal agency. This means individuals are not passive recipients of observed behaviour; instead, they actively choose whether to imitate a model depending on factors like expected rewards or identification with the model.

• T - more interactionist form of determinism as it acknowledges some degree of free will. Also gives SLT strong explanatory power, as it accounts for why similar environmental conditions can produce different outcomes in different people, making the theory more credible and applicable to real-world behaviour.

• P - practical applications

• E - watershed uses the SLT theory that behaviour is learnt through observation & imitation of others as it aims to limit children’s exposure to potentially harmful content, such as violence or explicit material, which could be imitated and negatively affect behaviour. The watershed restricts such content to times when children are less likely to be watching, aligning directly with SLT’s emphasis on the power of media figures and the environment in shaping behaviour

• T - SLT has been applied as a powerful tool in influencing social norms and protecting children, showing its strength as a functional theory that can guide real-world solutions in areas such as media and educational interventions

Limitations of the social learning approach

• P - arguably reductionist

• E - reduces complex phenomenon of human behaviour down to simple processes of observing and imitating role models. While Bandura’s Bobo doll study demonstrated that children who observed aggressive adult models were more likely to imitate that aggression, the study focused almost exclusively on environmental influences, ignoring important biological, emotional, and cognitive factors that also contribute to aggressive behaviour. For example, in Bandura’s findings, boys imitated more aggression than girls, even when they observed the same model. This sex difference suggests that biological factors such as testosterone may play a significant role, yet SLT does not account for this. SLT oversimplifies behaviour and fails to consider how innate predispositions, emotional regulation, temperament, or genetic influences might interact with observational learning.

• T - SLT offers only a partial explanation of human behaviour - perhaps a more holistic approach that integrates biological, cognitive, and environmental factors would provide a more complete and realistic understanding of how behaviours occur.

• P - Bandura’s study used a lab setting

• E - The artificial nature of the lab environment means that children may have behaved aggressively not because they had genuinely learned aggression through modelling, but because the situation implicitly encouraged it. The Bobo doll itself is designed to be hit and bounce back, so its presence may have cued children to behave aggressively regardless of whether they observed an aggressive model, creating demand characteristics. Furthermore, real-life aggression typically occurs in emotionally arousing, complex social contexts involving conflict & provocation, conditions not present in Bandura’s simplified, emotionally neutral setup

• T - low ecological validity & generalisability to real life is questionable as it may overestimate the influence of imitation, therefore reducing the SLT’s validity.