Social learning theory

• What is the first stage of the Social Learning Theory?

  Attention
• What must an individual do during the attention stage?

  Pay attention to behavior and consequences
• What happens during the retention stage?

  Storing the observed behavior in LTM
• What is necessary for the reproduction stage?

  The ability and skills to reproduce behavior
• What does motivation involve in Social Learning Theory?

  Expecting positive reinforcement for imitation
• What is vicarious reinforcement?

  Receiving reinforcement by observing others
• What are the stages of the Social Learning Theory?

  1. Attention: Focus on behavior and consequences
  2. Retention: Store behavior in long-term memory
  3. Reproduction: Ability to reproduce behavior
  4. Motivation: Expectation of positive reinforcement
• Who proposed the Social Learning Theory?

  Albert Bandura
• How does Bandura's view on learning differ from behaviorists?

  He emphasizes observation and imitation
• What does the Social Learning Theory focus on besides behavior?

  Mental processes involved in learning
• What are mediational processes in Social Learning Theory?

  Cognitive factors influencing learning
• What are the four mediational processes identified by Bandura?

  Attention, retention, reproduction, motivation
• What is more likely to occur if the model is positively reinforced?

  Imitation
• What is vicarious reinforcement?

  Imitation influenced by observing reinforcement
• How does identification with a model affect imitation?

  It increases the likelihood of imitation
• What characteristics might lead to identification with a model?

  Similar age, gender, and social status
• What was the method used in the Bobo doll study by Bandura et al. (1961)?

  • Lab experiment
  • Sample: 36 boys and 36 girls
  • Ages: 3-6 years old
• How many children were in Group 2 of the Bobo doll study?

  24 children
• What types of toys were present in the second room?

  Bobo doll, non-aggressive and aggressive toys
• How many groups were there in the Bobo doll study?

  Three groups
• What did Group 1 in the Bobo doll study observe?

  A model hitting the doll with a hammer
• What were the children told when taken to the room with toys?

  Not to play with the toys
• What was the purpose of the aggression arousal in the experiment?

  To observe children's aggressive behavior
• How many children were in Group 1 of the Bobo doll study?

  24 children
• What did Group 2 in the Bobo doll study observe?

  A non-aggressive model
• What was the role of Group 3 in the Bobo doll study?

  Control group with no model shown
• How did the behavior of children in Group 1 differ from the other groups?

  They were more aggressive than the others
• How many children were in Group 3 of the Bobo doll study?

  24 children
• What specific behavior did Group 1 imitate?

  Specific aggressive acts displayed by the model
• Which gender imitated more physically aggressive acts?

  Boys imitated more than girls
• Was there a difference in verbal aggression between boys and girls?

  No, there was no difference
• What does the conclusion of the study support?

  Social Learning Theory (SLT)
• What was the main finding of Bandura and Walters' (1963) experiment?

  Children imitate behavior based on consequences
• What were the three groups exposed to in the repeated bobo doll experiment?

  Different consequences for the aggressive model
• What consequence did Group 1 observe for the aggressive model?

  The model was praised
• What consequence did Group 2 observe for the aggressive model?

  The model was punished (told off)
• What consequence did Group 3 observe for the aggressive model?

  No consequences for the aggressive behavior
• Which group showed the most aggression during play?

  Group 1
• Which group was the least aggressive?

  Group 2
• What does the conclusion about imitation suggest?

  • Imitation is more likely with positive reinforcement
  • Highlights the importance of vicarious reinforcement