social learning theory

• bandura suggested that people learn from the observation and imitation of others
• social learning theory happens through 4 mediational processes: attention, retention, reproduction and motivation
• attention is where the individual needs to pay attention to thee behaviour and it consequences
• retention is the storing of the behaviour in their memory, imitation is not always immediate
• reproduction is where the individual must be able to replicate the observed behaviour
• motivation is where the individuals expect to receive the same positive reinforcement for imitating the observed behaviour they have seen
• imitation is more likely to occur is the model is positively reinforced. this is called vicarious reinforcement
• vicarious reinforcement is when the learner sees the model being rewarded for their behaviour, increasing the likelihood of imitation
• for modelling to be effective, the learner must identify with the model

  this might be due to similar age, gender, social status
• bobo doll study (1961) - bandura: lab experiment

  sample: 72 american children - split into 3 groups, one was shown an aggressive model, one shown a non-aggressive model and a control group

  results: group 1 (aggressive model) were more aggressive than the other two groups, and even imitated acts displayed by the model, boys were more physically aggressive

  conclusion: supports social learning theory as it shows that children imitate the behaviour of role model even if the behaviour is aggressive
• bandura and walters (1963) : bobo doll experiment repeated but used consequences and rewards for the models actions

  results: group 1 showed most aggression, group 2 was the least aggressive

  conclusion: imitation is more likely to occur when the model is positively reinforced, presenting the importance of vicarious reinforcement
• vicarious punishment is when the learner watches the model be punished for their behaviour, decreasing the likelihood of imitation
• identification is the process where people are more likely ro imitate people they identify with