social learning theory

• social learning theory is learning through observation and imitation
• Bandura's Bobo doll experiment showed that children can learn aggressive behaviour by observing others
• modelling - the process whereby an individual acquires new behaviours or attitudes by watching other people perform them
• Bobo doll was an inflatable toy which would bounce back when hit
• the more similar (e.g. same gender) the role model is to the observer the more likely the behaviour is to be imitated
• behaviour is more likely to be replicated if it is seen in a positive light
• children learn and observe from role models at home, at school and in media
• children learn from role models which behaviours are are worth repeating, have mental representations of these behaviours and can anticipate reward and punishment
• Four stages involved in social learning (according to Bandura)

  Attention, retention, reproduction, motivation
• Attention

  Attention must be paid to the model for learning to take place. Attention depends on factors such as the distinctiveness of the behaviour. This is a cognitive aspect of the theory. A child is more likely to attend models who are more similar to them.
• Retention


  After attending a models behaviour it must be retained or store. Humans store the observed behaviours through mental images or verbal descriptions and recall these later when reproducing behaviour.
• Reproduction


  Showing the modelled behaviour/reproducing what has been observed. Individual factors affect this such as physical capabilities.
• Motivation


  This refers to the 'incentive'. If a reward is offered we are more likely to reproduce a behaviour.
• An observer is more likely to reproduce a models behaviour if the consequences are rewarding and less likely to reproduce the behaviour if the consequences are punishing
• If an older sibling is rewarded for eating well with a knife and fork the younger sibling is more likely to reproduce this behaviour
• If an older sibling is punished for eating with their mouth open the younger sibling is less likely to reproduce this behaviour
• Vicarious reinforcement 


  Learning from the success and mistakes of others
• Intrinsic motivation


  Inherent satisfaction rather than a physical outcome. Example: boy copies dads behaviour and feels good because it makes him feel more like his dad.
• Extrinsic motivation


  A motivator that is not so much a feeling or view but rather something tangible that has a separable outcome. Example: sports persons receiving a trophy.
• Vicarious reinforcement

  motivation that doesn't directly reward the individual themselves. Example: a child sees another child rewarded for good behaviour and decides to copy their behaviour. The child did not receive the reward themselves as the reward is vicarious.
• vicarious definition

  Something that is experienced in the imagination or through the feelings or actions of another person
• Bandura (1961)


  Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models
• What was the aim of the study by Bandura (1961)?

  To investigate whether exposure to aggression would influence aggression and if imitated behaviour would be displayed in a new setting.
• What were the hypothesis of the study by Bandura (1961)?



  • Children exposed to aggression would imitate the aggression shown
• What were the hypothesis of the study by Bandura (1961)?



  • Children exposed to aggression would imitate the aggression shown
  • Children exposed to non aggressive models would not show as high aggression levels
  • Boys would be more aggressive than girls
  • Participants would imitate behaviours of same sex models more than opposite sex models
• What was the method of the study by Bandura (1961)?



  It was a lab experiment with controlled observations
• What were the independent variables of the study by Bandura (1961)?


  • Whether the children observe the aggressive model or not
  • Whether the children were observing a model or not (experimental or control group)
  • Whether children observe a model of the same or opposite sex
  • The gender of the child
• What were the dependant variables of the study by Bandura (1961)?




  • number of aggressive acts
  • mallet aggression
  • non imitative aggression
  • non aggressive behaviour/play and sitting quietly and not playing
• Who were the participants in the study by Bandura (1961)?

  72 children from Stanford university nursery. 36 boys and 36 girls. They were all aged between 37 and 69 months and had a mean age of 52 months.
• What were the conditions of the study by Bandura (1961)?


  A - aggressive role model (either same or opposite sex)

  B - non aggressive role model (either same or opposite sex)

  C - control group (no model)
• What was stage one of the study by Bandura (1961)?


  10 mins. Children were invited in to the room by the role model to come and play. The child sat at a table with potato prints and stickers. The model then went to the corner with the bobo doll, mallet and tinker toy.
• stage one - non aggressive condition (bandura 1961)


  The model plays with the bobo doll in a non aggressive way.
• stage one - aggressive condition (bandura 1961)

  The model begins by assembling the tinker toys and after one min becomes aggressive with the bobo doll. They did three repetitions of laying the doll down, sitting on and hitting the doll with the mallet. The doll was also thrown and kicked around the room and the model was verbally aggressive toward the doll.
• Stage Two (bandura 1961)


  2 mins. Child is taken to another room filled with lots of nice toys and is told they can play with them. As soon as the child interacts with the toys the model stops them and says they are the best toys reserved for the best children.
• Stage Three (bandura 1961)


  20 mins. The child is then taken to another room out of the nursery with a variety of toys. There is a one way mirror for observations every 5 secs (time sampling) by the male model and researcher.
• Results (bandura 1961)

  • Children exposed to aggressive models showed considerably more aggressive acts that non aggressive and controls
  • Boys did show more imitative physical aggression than girls
  • Children did imitate the behaviour of same sex models more than models of the opposite sex
  • Boys shoed more imitation of male models
  • Girls showed more imitative verbal and non imitative aggression of female models
• Controls for the study (bandura 1961)

  • One female and one male model were used
  • The same experimenter conducted the study of the 72 children
  • All toys in stage thee were arranged in a fixed order
  • Inter-rater reliability of observers was checked by correlation
  • Observers didn't know which condition the child was in
• Bandura (1965)


  Bobo doll experiment with vicarious reinforcement
• the participants in the study by Bandura (1961) were 72 children from Stanford university nursery. 36 boys and 36 girls. They were all aged between 37 and 69 months and had a mean age of 52 months.
• The children were observed in the nursery and were given aggression ratings on:

  • physical and verbal aggression
  • aggressive inhibition
  • aggression toward inanimate objects

  They were then separated into eight groups of six and the control group. They were matched on their aggression ratings and gender.