Social Learning Theory

• Social Learning Theory

  The theory that we learn social behaviour by observing others.
• Assumptions

  Behaviour is learned by observing and imitating behaviour from role models.
• Observation

  We observe others behaviour
• Imitation

  We imitate this behaviour
• Role Models

  People we look up to like parents and celebrities who we are likely to imitate our behaviour from
• Identity

  We are more likely to imitate people we feel we are similar to
• Modelling

  We model our behaviour around role models.
• Vicarious Reinforcement


  When we observe someone being rewarded for behaviour, we are more likely to imitate it to also get a reward.
• Mediational Processes (Cognitive Element)

  Mediational Processes occur during the learning process to determine whether we will learn a new behaviuor or not

  
  

  Attention - Observer pays attention to behaviour

  
  

  Retention - They remember behaviour

  
  

  Motor Reproduction - If behaviour can me imitated or not

  
  

  Motivation - If they want to imitate the behaviour or not
• Case Study - Bobo Doll Experiment - Bandura

  One group of children observed an adult being aggressive to the bobo doll, another group observed an adult playing non-aggressively with toys while the bobo doll was in the room.

  
  

  The children were then placed in rooms with aggressive toys like hammers, mallets and a bobo doll and also some non-aggressive toys like a truck and some crayons.

  
  

  Kids in the non-aggressive group were less aggressive than those in the aggressive group. Also kids who observed the aggressive behaviour acted aggressively towards the toys.
• Case Study - Bobo Doll Pt 2 - Gender

  - kids were more likely to imitate behaviour of adults of the same sex

  - boys acted more aggressively than girls in both groups

  - boys generally physically aggressive and girls were generally more verbally aggressive

  - boys in non aggressive group still tended to act aggressively if the adult role model was a woman
• Evaluation - Strength - Takes Cognitive Factors into Account

  - mediational processes explain how thought process affects decision to imitate behaviour

  - less deterministic than behaviourist approach

  - accepts we have some control over our behaviour
• Evaluation - Weakness - Ignores Some Influences on Behaviour

  - Hormones like testosterone can effect behaviour

  - These may have affected results in Bobo Doll Experiment

  - This isn't taken into account by SLT

  - Doesn't take into account biological factors
• Evaluations - Weakness - Doesn't Reflect Real Life Situations

  - experiments often carried out in lab highly controlled lab environments so may have demand characteristics

  - eg Bobo Doll Experiment - kids may have known they had to hit the bobo doll

  - this means results may not be the same in a real situation