A03

• Point: A :) of SLT is that there is research to support it.

  Evidence: Poulin and Boivin (2000) investigated boys aged between 9 and 12 and found that most aggressive boys formed friendships with other aggressive boys.

  Explain: These groups were described as ‘training grounds’ for antisocial behaviour because they were frequently exposed to models (eachother) of physical aggression and the positive consequences of it (approval from the others).

  Link: Therefore, this adds validity as the aggressive behaviour occurred exactly how SLT would have predicted.
• Point: However, a limitation of SLT is that it is unable to explain all different types of aggression.

  Evidence: For example, research has distinguished between reactive (angry) and proactive (calculated) aggression but only proactive can be explained using SLT.

  Explain: This is because children who engage more in proactive aggression have high levels of self-efficacy and use aggression as a way to achieve their goals.

  Link: Therefore, a better alternative social-psychological explanation could be Berkowitz’s negative affect theory, which can also explain reactive aggression
• Point: A strength of this explanation for aggression is that it has practical applications.

  Evidence: For example, creating environments which rewards prosocial behaviour and encourages children to form friendships with others who do not model aggressive behaviours.

  Explain: This uses the concept of reciprocal determinism, which is the idea that people shape their aggressive behaviour by selecting and creating their surroundings.

  Link: Therefore, this explanation would prove useful in terms of an intervention to help people with anger problems to reduce their aggressive behaviour.
• Point: A limitation of SLT is that it is not able to explain all cultural differences in aggression.

  Evidence: For example, the !Kung San tribe does not encourage the use of aggression (e.g. parents don’t use it to discipline people) and thus models of aggression are unavailable.

  Explain: However, aggressive behaviour is still displayed in those tribes.

  Link: Therefore, this suggests there might be other instinctive biological factors involved in aggression because SLT alone is not able to explain this particular cultural finding.