Social Learning Theory

• Social learning theory rests on the idea of observational learning - learning that rests on the observation and imitation of behaviour performed by role models who model behaviour in a social environment.
• SLT recognises the importance of cognitive processes - meditational processes - and rejects the notion that learning is purely the outcome of a stimulus response loop
• Bandura believed behaviour could be acquired not only through direct experience but also by observing one's own behaviour and other's behaviour
• There are five key areas of Social Learning Theory:

  Modelling

  Imitation

  Identification

  Vicarious reinforcement

  Mediational process
• SLT Modelling - someone must showcase behaviour, these are " models "

  These models provide examples of behaviour that can be reproduced

  Types of model - live and symbolic
• SLT Live models - parent, teacher, peer

  someone in real life
• SLT Symbolic models - someone portrayed in media, a character
• SLT Imitation - imitation is when a behaviour is copied from a model

  Learning is much more rapid when a model is provided
• SLT Identification - The extent to which an individual relates to a model.

  The person would identify with a model if they felt they would have the same outcomes in situations
• SLT Vicarious Learning - Bandura + Walters noted that children who observed a model being rewarded are more likely to repeat the action.

  Individuals do not need to experience rewards and punishments personally. They can observe and make adjustments. This is indirect learning
• SLT Mediational process:

  Thinking through the entire process at the time and when they may repeat that behaviour. When the opportunities arise for that behaviour, the individual balances the negatives and positives
• SLT There are four mediational processes:

  Attention

  Retention

  Motor reproduction

  Motivation
• Bandura ( 1961 ) Bobo doll study: to investigate whether aggression can be learned through social learning theory principles
• Bandura ( 1961 ) had 72 children, equally male and female, aged 3 - 6 put into one of three groups for ten minutes:

  Aggressive model

  Non-agressive model

  Control
• SLT Bandura ( 1961 ) Aggressive model group:

  The child played in a room while an adult hit and shouted at a Bobo doll. This group was divided again by the gender of the child and the adult model
• SLT Bandura ( 1961 ) Non-aggressive model group:

  The child played in a room while an adult played quietly with a construction set. This group was divided again by the gender of the child and the adult model
• SLT Bandura ( 1961 ) control group:

  the children did not see a model
• SLT Bandura ( 1961 ) After being in one of the groups, the children were deliberately frustrated by being taken into another room where they were told they could not play with any toys. They were placed alone in a room with a range of aggressive toys and non-aggressive toys and the Bobo doll for twenty minutes whilst being observed
• SLT Bandura ( 1961 ) results:

  Children who saw the aggressive model were more aggressive in acts than those in the other groups. Boys imitated same sex models more than girls. Girls imitated more physical aggression if they saw male models, and more verbal aggression if they saw female models
• SLT AO3. There is plenty of research support for social learning theory. For example, Fox ( 2009 ) found that humans were more likely to imitate computer generated " virtual humans " who were similar to themselves. Myers ( 2015 ) confirmed the importance of vicarious learning for the effectiveness of of workplace teams. These studies demonstrate support for different aspects of SLT, adding credibility.
• SLT AO3. The methodology used in related research has been criticised. Bandura used the experimental laboratory method, which is artificial and strictly controlled. This means that there were possible demand characteristics in the children, affecting the internal validity of the study. Children may have acted aggressive towards the Bobo doll because that's what they thought was expected, not because it was a real newly learned behaviour
• SLT AO3. A strength of SLT is its application to real world issues. It has been used in the explanations of criminal behaviour. It has also been used to evaluate the effectiveness of advertising. This means that SLT can be used to provide positive impact on promotional health campaigns, and indirectly help combat problem behaviours.
• SLT AO3. SLT has an issue of causality. We are unsure whether people learn behaviour from models, or if they seek out models who exhibit behaviour or attitudes they already favour. It can be argued that young people that hold deviant attitudes are more likely to associate with similar peers because they are more fun to be with. This means that we can not be sure what the cause is.