Social influence

• Assumptions:

  • Concerned with human rather than animal behaviour.
  • People are active manipulators of their own environment rather than passive receivers of experience.
  • Learning occurs through the observation of role models.
• Assumptions 2:

  • Observational learning can take place without any reinforcement- role models.
  • Reinforcement can be direct or indirect (vicarious learning).
  • Observational learning uses cognitive processes such as memory (mediational processes).
• Mediational processes:

  • Attention- noticing the behaviour
  • Retention- remembering the behaviour
  • Reproduction- physically possible
  • Motivation- has to be a reason to want to copy the role model.
• Albert Bundura:

  • Argued classical and operant conditioning can't amount for all human learning.
  • Argues that there's something between the stimulus and the response.
  • Bobo doll experiment (1960s)- recorded behaviour of young children who watched an adult behave in an aggressive way- they acted aggressively too (imitated).
  • Then he recorded the behaviour of young children observing an adult who acted in a calm and gentle manner- imitated them too.
• Modelling:

  Imitating the behaviour of a role model (live or symbolic).
• Identification:

  When the observer associates themselves with a role model and want to be like them (common ground).
• Reinforcement (of behaviours):

  • A consequence that increases the likelihood of behaviour.
• Response acquisition:

  • Learning new behaviours- that you can't already do.
• Observational learning:

  • Behaviour that is learnt through watching others.
• Recall:

  To remember behaviour and us it else where.
• Vicarious learning:

  • Reinforcement which is not directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a behaviour.
• Imitation:

  • Copying the behaviour of others.
• Determined by the environment:

  • Behaviour that is influenced by it.
  • Nurture
  • Not biological