Social Learning Theory

• The first assumption of social learning theory is that we can learn just by observing the behavior of others.
• In which way is social learning theory different from the behavioral approach?

  It says that we can learn by observing someone else's behavior
• How is the social learning theory similar to the behaviorist approach?

  They both agree that most behavior is learned due to this they are both considered learning approaches.
• The first person to research Social Learning theory was Albert Bandura
• What is observational learning?

  When we learn by observing and copying someone else's behaviour.
• What is imitation?

  When someone copies someone else's behaviour
• What is modelling?


  When someone performs a behaviour which is imitated.
• What 2 factors effect Observational Learning?

  Identification and Vicarious reinforcement
• When are people more likely to identify with the model?

  if they feel similar to the model
• What does identification mean?

  People are more likely to imitate a model if they feel similar to them.
• What is Vicarious Reinforcement?

  When someone imitates a model because they observe the model's behaviour being rewarded
• What is Vicarious Punishment?

  When someone observes a model's behaviour being punished, and therefore they are less likely to imitate the behaviour.
• what are the Mediational processes involved in imitation?

  Attention, Retention, Reproduction and Motivation
• The Mental processes that determine whether or not we imitate a model's behaviour are called Mediational processes and the key assumption in the social learning theory is they are essential to observational learning.
• In 1961, Bandura tested a laboratory experiment to determine whether children can learn by observing adults. His participants aged 3-6 sat in a room filled with toys including an inflatable clown doll, they were split into 3 groups, one watched adults model aggressive behavior toward the doll, one modelled friendly behaviour, and the final one had no model.
• What did Banduea Et Al. 1961 find?

  • Children are more likely to act aggressively if they observe an adult modelling aggressive behaviour.
  • Boys were more likely to imitate behaviour if they observed a model of the same gender because they identify with them more.
• What were Banduras additional findings?

  He performed an additional study to test the impacts of vicarious reinforcement, he found that the children were more likely to imitate a model's aggressive behavior if the model received a reward of sweets than if the model received a punishment.
• What are the two strengths of Bandura's study?

  • High internal validity - lab experiment
  • Reliable results - consistent
• What are to cons of Banduras research?

  • May lack ecological validity - behaviours may not generalise to real life
  • Ethical issues - lack of informed consent, psychological distress for the children, caused by observing adults being agressive.
• What are the 4 Mediational processes?ARRM

  Attention

  Retention

  Reproduction

  Motivation