Social Learning Theory

• Imitation - mimicking the behaviour of a role model but not taking on the attitudes and beliefs (temporary)
• Identification - Taking on the behaviour and beliefs of the role model
• Modelling - role model showing how to behave
• Vicarious reinforcement - observing a role model being rewarded for a behaviour so imitating in hope of the same consequence
• Vicarious punishment - doing a behaviour less after observing a role model receive negative consequences for the behaviour
• Mediational processes:

  Attention - have to pay attention to the behaviour to copy it

  Retention - have to have a good enough memory to copy

  Reproduction - have to be physically capable of repeating it

  Motivation - have to want to copy them
• Social learning theory - idea that stimulus + mediational processes = response
• Bandura: Procedure - 36 male kids and 36 female kids (3-5 years old); participants put in a room with model, a bobo doll, hammer and other toys; aggressive model shouts and attacks bobo doll; non-aggressive model sits passively and does nothing with doll; after 10 mins, ppts kept in separate room with no toys for 2 mins (aggression arousal stage); ppts then left in a room with toys for 20 mins and observed
• Bandura: Results - children who observed aggressive model made far more imitative aggressive responses; girls in the aggressive model condition showed more physical aggression if model was male and more verbal aggression if model was female; boys more likely to imitate same-sex models than girls; boys imitated more physically aggressive acts than girls; little difference in the verbal aggression