Social learning theory- chapter 2

Key assumptions of SLT

• Albert Bandura agreed with the behaviourists that behaviour is learned from experience

• he believed that behaviour is learnt through observation + imitation of others

• suggested that learning occurs directly through classical and operant conditioning but also indirectly (vicarious reinforcement)

vicarious reinforcement?

learning that occurs through observing another person being rewarded or punished (indirect learning)

what are the 4 meditational processes + define the term

• attention- individual notices someone in their environment

• retention- the individuals remembers what they have observed

• motor reproduction- the individual replicates the behaviour shown by the model

• motivation- the individual seeks to demonstrate the behaviour they have observed

cognitive factors that influence learning and come between stimulus and response

identification?

people (children) are more likely to imitate behaviour of people who they identify with (role models). Imitation of their behaviour is called ‘modelling’

The Bobo Doll experiment - 1961

what is the purpose of the study?

To see if aggression can be learned by observation + imitation

The Bobo Doll experiment - 1961

what is the information about the participants?

• 72 children

• 24 in each group

• 24 had an aggressive model

• 24 had a non-aggressive model

• 24 had no model (control group)

• tested 36 boys + 36 girls from Stanford Nursery School ages 3-6

The Bobo Doll experiment - 1961

what is the procedure?

aggressive model

the children were taken into a room with toys in it + watched an adult hitting the Bobo Doll with a hammer and shouting at it. The group was further subdivided by the gender of the child + the adult model creating 4 conditions

non-aggressive model

the children were taken into the room with toys in it + watched an adult play non-aggressively with the Bobo Doll and other toys. The group was further subdivided by the gender of the child + the adult model creating 4 conditions.

control group

the children were taken into a room with toys and the Bobo Doll but did not have an adult model

The Bobo Doll experiment - 1961

what were the findings?

• Boys appeared more aggressive than girls

• Children who had the aggressive model acted more aggressively  towards the toys and the Bobo Doll than those who had the non-aggressive model

• Girls who had an aggressive model showed more physical aggression if the model was a male

The Bobo Doll experiment - 1961

what were the conclusions?

• The findings support Bandura’s SLT

• Children learn social behaviour through the process of observational learning

• there are important consequences for the effects of media violence on children (1963)

Evaluation of SLT - strengths

• SLT can explain differences in behaviour across cultures or gender roles

• SLT provides a more comprehensive explanation of learning operant and classical conditioning by recognising the role of meditational processes

• reciprocal determinism- we are influenced by our environment and we influence it