social learning approach

• what is modelling?


  when an individual (model) carried out a behaviour and we observe them doing it
• what are live and symbolic models?


  live models - real people eg family, teachers

  symbolic models - people/characters in media
• what is identification?

  when an observer associated themselves with a model because they want to be like them. this is more likely to happen if the models similar to the person, attractive or high status
• what sex models are we more likely to imitate?

  same sex
• what are meditational processes?


  thought before imitation takes place
• what is reinforcement?


  direct experience of receiving positive consequences after a behaviour is performed
• what is vicarious reinforcement?


  a model’s observed being rewarded for their behaviour so an individual will expect the same outcome performing the behaviour
• what happens when an individual receives vicarious reinforcement?


  provides feedback on the consequences of the behaviour and judge for themselves the likelihood of experiencing those same outcomes if they imitate the behaviour
• what are the four meditational processes?


  attention

  retention

  reproduction

  motivation
• what is attention?


  a behaviour has to be noticed to be imitated. more interesting models/behaviours are likely to be noticed
• what is retention?


  an observers behaviour has to be remembered. complex behaviours are less likely to be observed
• what is reproduction?


  an individual must believe they’re capable of imitating an observed behaviour in terms of skills/resources
• what is motivation?


  anticipated rewards/punishments determine whether an individual will imitate observed behaviour
• who were the participants?

  36 boys and 36 girls aged 3-6 years from stanford university nursery school
• what are the three assumptions of the social learning approach


  •we learn by observing and imitating others in social contexts

  •learning occurs as a result of indirect experiences

  •we need to focus on meditational processes between a stimulus and a response
• when did this approach emerge?

  1960s