Social Learning Theory

• How does learning occur according to SLT?

  Indirectly through observation and imitation of others behaviour
• What is vicarious reinforcement?

  • Learning related to consequences of behaviour
  • If they see someone being rewarded then they are more likely to copy the behaviour
• What are the four mediational processes?

  • Attention
  • Retention
  • Reproduction
  • Motivation
• What is attention?

  Whether the behaviour is noticed
• What is retention?

  Whether behaviour is remembered
• What is Reproduction?

  Being able to do the behaviour
• What’s is motivation?

  The will to perform the behaviour
• Who are people more likely to imitate the behaviour of?

  Role models, those with whom they identify
• How did Bandura investigate SLT?

  Children watched either an adult behaving aggressively towards a Bobo doll or an adult behaving calmly towards a Bobo doll
• What were the findings of Banduras experiment?

  The children who had seen aggression were much more aggressive to their own doll
• What was the procedure of Bandura and Walters experiment?

  Children either saw an adult who was rewarded, punished or no consequence for their behaviour
• What were the findings of Bandura and Walters experiment?

  The children who saw aggression rewarded were much more aggressive
• What was the conclusion of both Banduras experiments?

  • Children are likely to imitate acts of violence if they observe these in an adult role model
  • Modelling aggressive behaviour is more likely if it is seen to be rewarded
• How does SLT expand on behaviourism?

  It acknowledges some cognitive processes
• How does SLT say we learn?

  Through modelling
• What is modelling?

  The observation of other people and then the imitation of the observed behaviour
• Strength of SLT:

  • Emphasises importance of cognitive factors - Behaviourism can’t offer an account of learning because they don’t use cognitive factors
  • SLT provides a more complete explanation
• Strength of SLT:

  • Real world application - SLT can account to how children learn from those around them, how cultural norms are transmitted.
  • Increases value of SLT
• Limitation of SLT:

  • Relies too heavily on evidence from controlled lab studies
  • Demand characteristics in Banduras experiment - The children may have behaved how they thought was expected
• Limitation of SLT:

  • Ignores biological factors
  • Boys were always more aggressive
  • This can only be explained in terms of biology