Social Learning Theory

Social Learning Theory

1. A01 - Direct and vicarious experience - direct experience - operant conditioning principles. Aggressive B reinforced = more likely to occur - sim situations in future. observing others - rewarded/punished - child experiences vicarious reinforcement. C- learn nature of aggressive B situations where appropriate + likely consequences. Develop confidence in ability - use aggressive B. C confident with using aggressive B = high in self- efficacy. Less cnfiedent - low in self- efficacy- use other methods instead.

2. A01 - Mental Representation of aggressive behaviours - Bandura (1986) SLT to occur - individuals must form - mental representations of aggressive B + rewards + punishments associated with B. Future opp - individual - produce aggressive B if expectation of reward is greater than expectation of punishment.

   • A01 - Huesmann (1988) C learn aggressive B from aggressive models on TV- become source of 'scripts'- guide C's B. Scripts - store in mem- reifined by C using these scripts in life.

3. A02- Research on social learning and aggression - Bandura + colleagues series of experiments - C exposed to aggressive B of A model. AiM - demonstrate - *teaching effect - C acquires B being modelled + *motivating effect - makes reproduction of B more/less likely.

   • A02 - The Bobo doll studies - Bandura et al.'s (1961) - C watched aggressive or non-aggressive A models - tested for imitative B. 1/2 exposed A model aggressive towards Bobo doll other 1/2 a model non- aggressive B towards Bobo doll. C frustrated by not being allowed to play with toys that they were shown. FINDINGS - C exposed to aggressive model displayed 'far more verbal + physical aggression' - Bobo doll comapred to C exposed to non- aggressive B condition. They displayed - 'virtually no aggression towards doll'.
     • A02 - Bandura et al. (1963) % C - 3 groups - watched film - A model B aggressively towards Bobo doll. *Group 1: Aggressive model not rewarded or punished for agg B. *Group 2: rewarded for agg B from another A. *Group 3 : agg model punished by A. FINDINGS : C from group 2 most agg B towards Bobo doll. Group 3 least agg- BUT when offered incentives for repetition of agg B = Group 3 displayed many agg acts as behaviours as C in group 2 . Demonstrates all C learned agg B's BUT ONLY group 2 motivated to reproduce agg B's