peer influence

• Bandura (1977) developed social learning theory, based on the idea that we learn behaviour not through our own experiences, but through the observation, imitation and modelling of a role model.
• 1. attention - the behaviour to be imitated must be observed and paid attention to.
  2. retention - the observed behaviour must be remembered.
  3. reproduction - the individual must be able to repeat the behaviour they have observed.
  4. motivation - finally, the individual must be motivated to repeat the behaviour.
• vicarious reinforcement


  an addict may imitate the behaviour of their peer role models because they may see them being rewarded for addictive behaviour, e.g. smoking or drinking leading to admiration from others.
• the addict does not need to be directly reinforced through operant or classical conditioning, vicarious reinforcement is enough to create an addiction, especially in today's society where people are exposed to their peers more than ever through social media.
• social norms are the rules of behaviour that are considered acceptable within a particular social group.

  they differ from group to group, with peer groups having their own individual set of rules.
• research into the effects of peer pressure on alcohol addiction has distinguished two types of social norms:


  1. descriptive - an individual's perception of how much others are drinking.
  2. injunctive - what the individual perceives as others' approval of drinking.
• perceived social norms

  in the case of engaging alcohol consumption, students who were interviewed tended to overestimate the descriptive and injunctive norms in their social group, believing that their peers drank more than they did, and that it was wholly acceptable.
• peer pressure


  a study conducted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (2016) found that teens are more likely to act out risky behaviours if they know their friends are watching.

  FMRI imaging scans showed that the friend's presence heightened activity in certain areas of the brain that are responsible for predicting and determining the value of reward, as the participant's calculation of risk vs reward was shown to be the cause of these decisions.