social learning theory

• behaviour can be learnt through observing and imitating role models,
• imitation is the act of copying behaviour, it involves a process of modelling where an individual imitates behaviour of a specific person as they model it,
• mediational processes occur between observation and imitation, these are- attention, retention, motor reproduction and motivation
• Banduras research- procedure- 2 experimental groups of children watched video of a adult model and then were placed in a room of toys including a bobo doll- each condition, 1- observed model hitting the doll, 2- observed model playing with doll, 3- control condition who did not watch video
• has research support from Bandura- The Bobo doll

  experiment shows that children imitate behaviour

  from role models. This suggests the theory is

  credible as the research is well controlled.
• SLT has real world application. It can be used to

  explain the influence of media on behaviour and

  has been used to justify certifications on films and

  video games. This suggests SLT is useful.
• The findings of research into SLT lack ecological

  validity. The artificiality of the tasks such as hitting a

  doll, is not reflective of real life where hitting a real

  person would have consequences. This suggests

  SLT may not explain the way people behave in

  everyday life.
• SLT underestimates the role of biology. For

  example the boys were more aggressive than the

  girls in Bandura’s study which could be explained

  by influences of testosterone. This suggests the

  approach is limited.
• how people learn when they observe others
• can be seen as a bridge between the cognitive and behaviourist approach
• like the behaviourist approach, the social learning theory emphasises the importance of environment and reinforcement in learning, but like the cognitive approach it acknowledges the important role that mental processes play in interpreting the environment and planning new actions even though it does not study them in detail