Social learning theory

• Main ideas


  Learning occurs indirectly - through experience, observation and imitation.

  
  

  Behaviour is learnt through modelling, observing, imitating
• Vicarious reinforcement


  Learning through observing the consequences of the actions of another person - individuals don't need to experience the reward or punishment themselves to learn.

  
  

  If such behaviour has been rewarded, it's more likely to be imitated.
• Modelling and identification


  When a learner observes the behaviour on a role model, especially someone they identify with (respect and admire), the learner is more likely to imitate the behaviour.

  
  

  Children are more likely to identify with and preferentially learn from models similar to themselves - eg: same-sex models.
• Mediational processes


  1) the behaviour must grab our attention

  2) the behaviour must be retained in our memory

  3) to reproduce the behaviour we must assess our own ability to do so - self-efficacy

  4) motivation to imitate the behaviour, depends on a cost benefit analysis (do the rewards outweigh the costs)
• Bandura's research - 1961 Bobo doll experiment


  72 children

  from Standford Uni nursery school

  between 3-6 years old

  
  

  Researcher's physically and verbally abused an inflatable doll

  
  

  Pre-tested children for how aggressive they were, by observing children in the nursery and judging their aggressive behaviour on 4 5-point scales.

  
  

  Used a matched pairs design - matched children in each group on levels of aggression.

  
  

  3 groups -

  1) aggressive model

  2) non-aggressive model

  3) no model (control condition)
• What did they observe?


  Children in Group 1 showed far more imitative aggressive responses than other groups. They also showed more non-imitative aggressive behaviours.

  
  

  Girls in the aggressive model condition showed more physically aggressive responses if the model was male, and more verbally responses behaviours if the model was female.

  
  

  Boys imitated more physically aggressive actions than girls.
• Conclusion of Bobo doll experiment

  Children are able to learn social behaviour such as aggression through process of observational learning.
• Limitation - relies on evidence from lab studies - P


  This approach relies on too much evidence from controlled lab studies.
• Relies on evidence from lab studies - E

  Bandura's ideas are mostly developed through observing children's behaviour in lab settings - which limits the ecological validity.

  
  

  In Bobo Doll Experiment, children witnessed the adults displaying aggressive behaviour on a television - so findings can't be directly extrapolated to children's behaviour in real life.
• Relies on evidence from lab studies - E

  Also, there's the problem of demand characteristics.

  
  

  The children may not have actually learned vicariously - but instead were just displaying behaviour they though Bandura wanted to do. One child even said 'that's the doll they want us to hit. This reduces the internal validity of the experiment.

  
  

  Also, a doll can't feel pain / sadness - as an animate human would. This reduces the ecological validity of the experiment as we can't presume children imitate aggression directed towards an animate object who would experience hurt.
• Relies on evidence from lab studies - L

  Therefore, this research lacks mundane realism, decreases applicability and support. Experiments like Bobo Doll tell us little about how children learn aggression in everyday life.
• Support - accounts for cultural differences - P


  Social learning principles account for how children learn from those around them and the media they consume.
• Accounts for cultural differences - E


  This is useful in providing understanding in a range of behaviours, like how children come to understand gender roles by imitating their parents.

  
  

  In contrast, the biological approach doesn't account for the influence of culture and the environment of upbringing - takes a biologically deterministic stance.
• Accounts for cultural differences - L

  This increases the population validity and applicability as this approach, as it can be applied to a larger target audience, thus increasing its support.
• Limitation - underestimates biological factors - P

  Underestimates the influence of biological factors on learning.
• Underestimates biological factors - E

  Bobo doll experiment - boys showed more aggression, could be explained by hormonal factors, such as differing levels of testosterone.

  
  

  This hormone has been linked to increased aggressive behaviours.
• Underestimates biological factors - E


  SLT underplays the influence of these biological factors on how children learn and why they are more or less likely to imitate the actions of others.
• Underestimates biological factors - L

  Thus decreasing the validity and support for this approach.