Social learning theory

• Social learning theory on views on development: processes that affect learning are continuous and occur at any age
• Social learning theory on nature vs nurture: blank slates at birth, learning happens through observation and imitation - NURTURE
• Social learning theory on reductionism: only a few key learning processes but do emphasise cognitive factors that affect learning - BOTH
• Social learning theory on determinism: reciprocal determinism- we are influenced by the environment, but we influence the choice of behaviours - SOFT
• Social learning theory on explanations and treatment of abnormal / atypical behaviour: little application to treatment but can explain how eg negative behaviours occur through influence of dysfunctional role models
• Social learning theory says we learn through:

  • observation - watching other people
  • imitation - copying other people
  • reinforcement - being rewarded

  however, unlike learning theory, SLT doesn’t disregard the role of ‘thinking’ and considers the role of mediational processes
• Mediational processes:

  • attention
  • retention
  • reproduction
  • motivation
• Mediational processes: an individual will observe a behaviour (attention), store the information in their memory (retention), copy the behaviour (reproduction), and decide whether or not they want to carry out the action (motivation), by weighing out the consequences
• Bandura’s aim: to investigate whether aggressive behaviour can be learned and explained through social learning theory
• Bandura’s bobo doll participant diagram:

  
• Step 1 in Bandura’s bobo doll experiment:

  • Bandura recruited 72 children (36 male and 36 female) who were between 3-6 years old. Bandura randomly allocated the children into one of three conditions
• Step 2 in Bandura’s bobo doll experiment:

  • in the aggressive condition, the children played in a room with an adult role model who acted aggressively towards a large inflatable toy known as a bobo doll. The adult would shout at the doll and hit the doll with a toy mallet
• Step 3 in Bandura’s bobo doll experiment:

  • in the non-aggressive condition, the children played in a room with the adult role model who would play with a construction set. In the control group, the children were placed in a room with an adult role model
• Step 4 in Bandura’s bobo doll experiment:

  • after the children were placed in a room for 20 mins. The room contained both the aggressive and non-aggressive toys as well as the bobo doll. They were observed through a two way mirror
• Bandura’s bobo doll results:

  • children who observed the aggressive role model performed more acts of aggression compared to the non-aggressive and no role model conditions
  • boys imitated same sex role model more than girls
  • girls were more likely to imitate verbal aggression from female role model, and physical aggression from male role model
• Bandura’s bobo doll conclusion: the results of this experiment support the principals of social learning theory and the idea that aggressive behaviour can be learned through observation and imitation
• Vicarious reinforcement: through observing the behaviour of others, you also observe the consequences of their behaviour. This explanation suggests you will imitate behaviour but only if the consequences are positive
• Imitation: when an individual copies the behaviour of a role model
• Identification: internalising and adopting behaviours shown by a role model, because they have a quality the individual would like to possess (e.g they might be attractive or have high status)
• Modelling: people are more likely to imitate behaviour of a role model (person they identify with) a person is a role model if they either have similar characteristics or a high status. Role models don’t have to be physically present
• Identification is different to imitation as it may involve a number of behaviours being adopted, whereas imitation usually involves copying a single behaviour
• Determinism: the view that an individual’s behaviour is shaped or controlled by internal or external forces rather than an individual‘s will to do something
• Support for social learning theory:

  • POINT: the importance of cognitive factors in learning need to be considered in SLT
  • EVIDENCE: TMT neither classical or operant conditioning can offer an adequate account of learning on their own. Humans and animals store information on others behaviour and use this to make judgement on what’s appropriate
  • EXPLAIN: TMT SLT provides a better explanation to human behaviour due to it being more comprehensive as it takes into account mediational processes that can have an impact on if behaviour is imitated
• Limitation to social learning theory:

  • POINT: over reliance on lab studies or support the theory
  • EVIDENCE: TMT Bandura’s ideas were developed through observation of children in lab settings. Lab settings can be criticised as many participants would show demand characteristics. Potentially the children hit the bobo doll because that’s what they thought was expected
  • EXPLAIN: therefore, the research may tell us very little about what they learn in their everyday life. This is because the concepts of STL discussed in real life often take place in all types of settings not just controlled ones
• Strength of social learning theory:

  • POINT: it is less deterministic than the behaviourist approach
  • EVIDENCE: TMT Bandura emphasised reciprocal determinism in the sense we are not merely influenced by our environment, but we exert influence over it through the behaviour we chose to perform
  • EXPLAIN: this therefore suggests that we do have an element of free will in the way in which we behave