SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY

• What is availability?


  Is the behaviour available in the environment for us to learn?
• What is attention?


  Do we actually notice/see the behaviour to be able to imitate it?
• What is retention?

  Do we remember the observed behaviour?
• What is reproduction?

  Are we able to carry out the behaviour ourselves? Do we have the skills or know how?
• What is motivation?


  Do we want to repeat the behaviour? Role model and consequences for others are important here.
• What is social learning theory?


  The idea that people learn through observation and imitation of others within a social context. It can occur directly, or through classical and operant conditioning.
• What is vicarious reinforcement?

  Involves learning through observation of the consequences of actions for other people.  When a learner observes someone and the role model receives reinforcement, the learner is motivated to imitate the behaviour as if they had been reinforced themselves.
• Bandura - Bobo doll

  Shows that behaviour is learnt from the role model through observation and imitation.

  Condition 1 - adult gets praised

  Condition 2 - adult gets punished

  Condition 3 - adult doesn't get praised/ punished.
• What are the 4 meditational processes?


  Attention, retention, motor reproduction and motivation.
• Does Bandura's work support or refute the social learning theory?


  Demand characteristics - doll was designed to be hit

  Low ecological validity - natural environment

  Cultural differences - ignores biological factors
• What are mediational processes?


  These cognitive factors interventions in the learning process to determine whether a new response is learnt or not

  Key difference between SLT and behaviourism.
• What is a role model?


  People are more likely to imitate the behaviour of people with whom they identify.

  This process is called modelling.
• What is modelling?


  A person becomes a role model if they are seen to possess similar characteristics to the observer and have high status.
• What is a strength of SLT?

  The importance of cognitive factors in learning

  Comprehensive explanation of human learning by recognising the role of mediational processes - CC or OR cannot offer adequate amount of learning of their own.

  Internal to each person and serve to modulate behavioural responses to external stimuli e.g. stress
• What is a weakness of SLT?


  Over reliance on lab studies

  E.g. Bandura - ppts may exhibit demand characteristics in artificial nature - primary feature of doll is to hit it

  Lacks external validity - not representative of real life
• What is a weakness of SLT?


  Underestimates the influence of biological factors

  Bandura - little reference to biological factors for learning

  e.g. testosterone level in boys are higher than in girls - ginned by SLT

  not reliable.
• What is a strength of SLT?


  Less determinist than the behaviourist approach - exert an influence on the external environment - free will in the way we want to behave

  Expressed reciprocal determinism