Social Learning Theory

Social Learning Theory

1. Basic assumptions

   • Behaviour learned through experiences & environment
     • Genetics has no influence
   • Behaviour learned from observing others & the reinforcement or punishment they receive

2. Bodo doll experiment - Bandura (1961)

   • Aim
     • Examine effect of the continual influence of the model
     • Examine if the sex of the model influenced same-sex and opposite-sex pps to a differing degree
   • Procedure
     • Male and female children - mean age = 4y/o
     • Child individually put into a room with either an aggressive or non-aggressive model
     • Aggressive model attacked Bodo doll - hit it with hammer and shout abuse
     • Child then taken to another room with a Bodo doll and aggressive and non-aggressive toys. Observed for 20mins
   • Results
     • Children who observed aggressive behaviour were aggressive themselves
     • Boys more aggressive than girls
     • Greater level of imitation if role model was same sex as child
   • Conclusion
     • There is a behavioural effect from observing aggressive bevaviour
     • We imitate people of our sex more
   • Evaluation
     • Only measures short-term influence on behaviour. Can't see whether their are long-term effects on the children
     • Cumberbatch (1990) - children who had never played with a Bobo doll were 5 times more likely to imitate the aggressive behaviour
       • Novelty value caused the imitation of behaviour - low internal validity

3. Key terms

   • Imitation
     • Individual observes behaviour from role model & copies it
     • Not copying, as behaviour not able to be copied exactly, it is just a simulation
   • Identification
     • Influenced by someone because they want to be like them
       • They identify with the model
   • Modelling
     • Model = someone who is influential on another
     • Modelling is when someone imitates the behaviour of a model
   • Vicarious reinforcement
     • Reinforcement the observer sees the model receiving
       • They see the model getting rewarded/punished
     • Person learns by observing the consequences of another person's behaviour
       • E.g. younger sister seeing an older sister be rewarded for a particular behaviour is more likely to repeat that behaviour herself

4. Mediational Processes

   • Occurs between stimulus and response
     • Processes that decide whether behaviour will be imitated
   • Attention
     • Need to pay attention to behaviour & consequences
   • Retention
     • Behaviour needs to be stored in LTM
   • Reproduction
     • Must have the ability to reproduce observed behaviour
   • Motivation
     • Must expect to receive same positive reinforcement that they have seen the model receiving
     • Perceived rewards must outweigh perceived costs