Social Learning Theory

• Key Assumption?

  behaviour can be learnt through observation and imitation
• Research Focus?

  Observable behaviour, particularly children
• What is a Mediational Process

  mental factors that intervene in the learning process to determine whether a new behaviour is required or not
• Attention


  The extent to which we notice a behaviour
• Retention

  How well the behaviour is remembered
• Motor Reproduction

  The ability of the observer to perform the behaviour
• Motivation

  The will to perform the behaviour, often determined by whether the observed behaviour was rewarded or punished
• What is Identification?

  The idea that people are more likely to imitate someone they identify with (role models)
• What is a role model?

  • someone who possesses similar characteristics to yourself
  • someone who is attractive and has high status
• Aim of Bandura’s study?

  To see if behaviour could be learned indirectly through observation
• What was the procedure of Bandura’s Bobo doll study?

  • 36 boys, 36 girls, 3 groups

  1 - Adult beats doll -> rewarded

  2 - Adult beats doll -> punished

  3 - Adult beats doll -> nothing

  • child is left to play with the doll
• What were Bandura’s findings?

  condition 1 - most likely to imitate

  condition 2 - least likely to imitate
• What was Bandura’s conclusion?

  Humans can learn indirectly through observing behaviour and consequence