social learning theory

social learning theory

1. explains how cultural norms and beliefs are passed on

   • humans learn in social context through observation
     • mirror neurons?
     • social learning involves 4 factors
       • attention
       • retention
       • reproduction
       • motivation
         • many factors influence the level of motivation
           • identification
           • rewards or punishments
           • liking the model
           • consistency

2. Albert Bandura

3. Bobo doll experiment in 1961

   • sex-differences
   • would kids imitate the adult model?
   • matched pairs design
   • kids aged from 3-6
   • the aggression of models was not completely standardized
   • the kids had the same arousal level
   • lacking ecological validity

4. social learning theory in real life

   • TV could make kids more aggressive
     • Huesmann and Eron in 1986 conducted a longitudinal study and monitored kids behavior for over 15 yrs
       • correlation; watched TV violence and aggression later demonstrated in their teens
     • In Canada kids were observed after TV was introduced to their town
       • kids were significantly more aggressive
     • St Helena Study; kids were not more aggressive in 1995
       • culture plays a role?

5. evaluation

   • explain how norms are passed on
   • explain how kids can learn without trial-error learning
   • behavior is not always demonstrated
   • does not explain why some people never learn a behavior
   • has developed into social cognitive theory and self-efficacy theory