Learning Approaches

What is The social learning theory?

• Created by Albert bandura

• Learning through observation imitation and modelling another person (role model)

• His benaviourist therefore cognitive

What is identification (modelling)

. People, especially children are more likely to imitate someone they identify with, these are called role models. This process is modelling.

Identification acronym

Mediational process (modelling)

Research to support social learning theory (bandura)

• Experiment on children

• Bobo doll (1961)

• 36 boys, 36 girls tested

• Procedure → 2 groups, one known with an aggressive role model in a film, other no film

• Results → there are no gender differences in aggressive benaviour. AIl who were in a film group played with a toy gun.

Appıying social learning theory to aggression.

• A later experiment (bandura and waiter’s 1963)

• Snowed children consequences of the adults behaviour

• In the findings, boys were more influenced by rewards and girls were more influenced by punishment,

STRENGTH AO3 of bandura(1961) and bandura and waiters (1963)

• Good sample size

• Video evidence

• Generalisable to both boys and girls

• Demonstrates power of role models

WEAKNESS AO3 of bandura(1961) and bandura and waiters (1963)

1. Video evidence is a potential breech in confidentiality even though parents gave consent

2. Ethics - they watched an aggressive role model which could cause aggressive behaviour in the long term

3. Cant be represented- all white Americans aswell as the researchers (historical context/ segregation)

4. Low temporal validity- has the data stood the test of time?