Social learning theory

• Assumptions

  People are manipulators of their own environment 

  Learning occurs through observation of models, learning can take place without reinforcement

  Use cognitive processes

  Classical and operant conditioning contributed to learning, but mental processes lie between stimulus and response. 
• Meditational processes

  cognitive factors that influence learning 

  Attention- noticing behaviour  (role model is most influential)

  Retention - remembering behaviour 

  Motor reproduction- ability to perform behaviour 

  Motivation- the will to perform behaviour (often determined by the consequence)
• Banduras bobo doll experiment 1

  Group 1 observed women playing with toys and acting aggressively towards bobo doll

  Group 2 observe the same woman playing with all the toys the same

  when playing with the toys group 1 acted aggressively towards the bobo doll

  this shows modelling, the child is imitating the behaviour they see

  Observational learning and imitation
• Banduras bobo doll experiment 2

  all groups saw a video of an adult behaving aggressively towards bobo doll

  Group 1 saw the adult praised, group 2 saw the adult punished and group 3 saw no consequence

  When playing with the same toys group 1 showed the most aggression and group 2 show the least aggression

  This shows vicarious reinforcement
• vicarious reinforcement

  reinforcement which isn’t directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else be reinforced for a behaviour

  The learner observes the behaviour, but more importantly, the consequence
• a strength is SLT recognises cognitive factors and their importance in the learning process unlike classical and operant conditioning

  humans store information about behaviour and use it to make judgements on their actions later

  however, its been criticised for making little reference to the influence of biological factors

  bandura thought learning itself was determined by environment, but recent research shows observational learning may be a result of mirror neurons
• A limitation is that the evidence on which it is based on was gathered through lab studies

  Although lab studies are highly controlled, they are often criticised for their contrived nature, where participants may respond to demand characteristics

  for example, the main purpose of the doll is to strike it so the children were simply behaving in a way they thought was expected

  The research may tell us little about how children learn in every day life
• a strength is that SLT can explain cultural differences in behaviour

  The principles such as modelling, imitation and reinforcement can account for how children learn from others around them, and explains how cultural norms are transmitted