AO1 - SLT

• Bandura claimed that classical and operant conditioning could not explain all human behaviour so he suggested the social learning theory - this is an extension of the learning approach
• Assumptions:

  • SLT suggests learning is through observing and imitating a model
  • It considers cognitive factors involved in learning behaviour (we have free will as we can choose a model to identify with)
  • We learn behaviour directly (through rewards and punishment) and indirectly (learning from seeing someone else rewarded or punished)
• The first feature of SLT is observational learning
• Observational learning:

  • Identification - An individual associates themself with a role model due to similarity or status and wants to be like the role model, they are more likely to imitate the behaviours of these models
  • Imitation - An individual observes behaviour from a role model and copies it
  • Vicarious reinforcement - If a person sees a role model rewarded for a particular behaviour then it increases the chance that the observer will imitate the same behaviour to receive the same reward
  • Modelling - Process of imitating the behaviour of a role model
• The second feature of SLT is the four mediational processes (ARRM)
• The four mediational processes occur between a stimulus and response
• The first mediational process is attention - Learning occurs when an observer attends to a model's behaviour, our attention must be captured, e.g. children must observe what the model is doing to reproduce it
• The second mediational process is retention - The observer must store the memory of this behaviour in the LTM, allowing the behaviour to be remembered. This is more likely if the behaviour is observed repeatedly or the information is easy to store
• The third mediational process is reproduction - Individuals must have the skills and capabilities to be confident to reproduce the models behaviour, this is more likely to occur if the behaviour is repeated or if it is simple to do
• The fourth mediational process is motivation or reinforcements - An individual may be motivated to imitate the behaviour because they have seen someone else rewarded for the behaviour (vicarious reinforcement) or because they identify with the model