Social Learning Approach

• Who made the Social learning theory?

  Albert Bandura
• What is the basis of the social learning theory?

  Modelling
• What does the social learning theory expand on?

  The behaviourist approach
• What can models be?

  They can be symbolic or alive
• What does the social learning theory suggest?

  Behaviour is learnt through imitation and not only through conditioning
• What are the factors that affect likelihood of imitation?

  • Identification - P's might identify with the role model in some way, for example, same age or sex
  • Self efficacy - They must believe that they have the ability to reproduce the behaviour
  • Positive consequences - Imitation happens when the observer sees the model get rewarded in some way from their actions. We may also believe that we get the same reward
• What are the 4 mediational processes for social learning theory?

  1. Attention - The observer must be able to attend and perceive to significant features of the behaviour
  2. The observer needs to be able to code the information into long term memory
  3. The observer must be able to reproduce the behaviour
  4. Motivation - the individual must expect positive consequences for their behaviour
• What is one positive evaluation for the social learning theory approach?


  • Neither operant or classical conditioning can provide an explanation on itself for learning.
  • Humans and animals decide when it is relevant to reproduce the behaviour when it has been stored
  • therefore, it provides a more comprehensive answer by focusing on mediational processes.
  • It is less reductionist than the behaviourist approach
• Who carried out the bobo doll study?

  Albert Bandura
• What was the procedure of the bobo doll study by Bandura?

  • There were 72 (1/2 boys and girls) aged 4 years old
  • There were 3 conditions and they were matched on initial aggression
  • The first condition was with a aggressive model who punched and hammered the bobo doll while saying pow and boom
  • The second condition was with a less aggressive model who played in the corner
  • The third condition was a control group with no model
  • The children were also left for 20 minutes with the bobo doll
• What were the findings of the Bandura experiment?

  They found that one group imitated acts of aggression and the other two showed little aggression
• What was a disadvantage of the "lab experiment" itself?

  • There may have been an over reliance on the lab conditions of the Bandura study
  • This may lack realism and lack ecological validity
  • Therefore, they may not generalise to real world expectations
  • It may have been due to demand characteristics.
  • Durkin also pointed out about when a child would get the opportunity to watch someone knock out a doll and get the chance to do it themselves
• What is an advantage of the Bandura study?

  • There is real life application
  • It can explain criminal behaviour
  • It was found that the strongest cause of violent behaviour was when it was modelled and rewarded
  • It can be used as a way to reduce violence
  • The 9pm watershed is a way of this
  • Age classifications to films as well
  • It has positive implications
• What is a disadvantage of the criminal evaluation point?

  • Causality problem
  • It is thought that deviant adult models will lead to aggressive behaviour
  • However, it could be people with deviant attitudes seek out deviant models
  • this could suggest that these adolescents already have a natural aggressive tendency
  • Therefore, cause and effect cannot be inferred
• What is another disadvantage of the social learning theory?

  • Reductionist
  • This is because it says that learning is due to imitation
  • There are also biological factors like gender
  • In the bobo doll study, boys were more aggressive than the girls
  • this can be explained through hormonal differences such as levels of testosterone