Social Learning Theory

What’s coming up Monday: SLT continued/compare with other approaches. Tuesday: Lesson 1 Attachment: reciprocity and interactional synchrony Friday: Lesson 2 Attachment: Stages of Attachment. Next week Role of the Father Animal studies Learning theory.

Today Student quiz Check homework (x2) Homework B on website due week commencing 16th January

Recap… Social Learning Theory Pass the note… In groups of 4/5 number yourself 1-5 Who is the founder of the SLT and what are the key words associated with it? Outline the 4 meditational processes Define vicarious learning One strength of Bandura’s (1961) study is….. One weakness of Bandura’s (1961) study is….

Evaluation: Bandura’s study

Summary …fill in the spaces Social learning theory was developed mainly by __________and suggests that much behaviour is learnt from the ___________through reinforcement and the process of__________. This process involves observation of other people (________), which may lead to imitation if the behaviour to be imitated leads to desirable consequences for the model (vicarious reinforcement). Learning can occur without a change in behaviour. _________ say that learning has to be represented by a permanent change in behaviour, in contrast social learning theorists say that because people can learn through observation alone, their learning may not necessarily be shown in their performance. Learning may or may not result in a behaviour change. According to Bandura(1977) there are four requirements for observational learning to take place __________: the observer focuses on the model _________: the observer must be able to retain a memory of the observed behaviour _________: the observer must be able to reproduce the observed behaviour _________: the observer must be motivated to reproduce the observed behaviour. This could be in the hope of a reward.

Social learning - Evaluation In your groups, write a PEE paragraph for your below evaluation points on the w/b. (use different colour pens to identify each section of your PEE) Social learning theory provides a more comprehensive explanation of human learning than behaviourism because………………… Much of the research is based on laboratory studies which may involve demand characteristics. This is problematic because…… The Social learning theory underestimates the influence of…………………….This is a limitation because SLT can explain gender differences across…..which is useful because…………. The SLT is ….. Deterministic than behaviourism because…………………. This is an advantage because……………..

Social learning theory provides a more comprehensive explanation of human learning than behaviourism because………………… It emphasises the importance of cognitive factors in learning. Neither classical or operant conditioning can offer a comprehensive account on human learning because cognitive factors such as the mediational processes are ignores. By taking into account these processes which cannot be demonstrated with animal research, SLT provides a more complete explanation of human learning than the behaviourist approach

2. Much of the research is based on laboratory studies which may involve demand characteristics. This is problematic because…… The approach relies to heavily on evidence from controlled lab studies. This is evident in Bandura’ (1961) Bobo doll study. The main purpose of the bobo doll is to hit it. The children in the study may have been behaving as they thought was expected. Thus the research may tell us little about how children actually learn aggression in everyday life.

3. The Social learning theory underestimates the influence of Biological factors. This is a limitation because… The SLT sees behaviour as environmentally determined whereas some behaviours may be innate. For example, a consistent finding in the bobo doll experiment was that boys showed more aggression than girls regardless of the specifics of experimental condition. This may be explained by differences in the levels of testosterone, which is present in larger doses in males compared to females and has been liked to aggression. Both the SLT and Bandura may have underestimated the important the impact of biological, heredity or maturational factors on behaviours. Evidence from these areas of research does show they do have an impact.

4. SLT can explain gender differences across cultures which is useful because…………. It helps us to understand a range of behaviours and how cultural norms are transmitted. It helps us to understands how children learn from parents and each other and also how the media can influence our behaviour. This is in contrast with the biological approach who explain universal behaviours because human biological processes do not change with behaviour.

5. The SLT is less Deterministic than behaviourism because is suggests that there is an element of free will in the way we behave. This is an advantage because it offers a more realistic and flexible position than is suggested by the behaviourist approach as it recognises the role we play in shaping our environment.

Difficulty demonstrating cause and effect – although Bandura research controlled variables and demonstrated behaviour was imitated it is difficult to show cause and effect in real life Benefits of the experimental approach to investigate learning and issues with experimental evidence that might affect the validity of the results and therefore the conclusions drawn. Provides explanations that relate to behaviours such as aggression and intellectual development. mediating cognitive factors have to be inferred so cannot measure extent of their influence SLT does not explain cognitive processes, leaving this to cognitive psychologists can explain learning of outward behaviours, SLT is not so able to explain the learning of abstract notions, eg fairness, justice etc which cannot be observed directly

Exam question Explain one limitation of the social learning theory approach (3 marks)

Model answer- 3 marks One limitation of the Social learning approach is that it over relies on evidence from laboratory studies (1 mark) Lab studies could result in participants responding to demand characteristics. For example in bandura’s research the children may simply be behaving in a way that they thought the researcher expected them to (2 marks) The research and theory therefore lack ecological validity as it fails to tell us how children may act in everyday life. ( 3 marks)

Comparison of approaches: Activity 1: 10 minutes on each activity Firstly on mwb define the following terms: Determinism Nature/Nurture Reductionism Psychology as a science Then, using the above issues…. Identify on the chart where the three approaches (Social Learning Theory, Behavioural, Cognitive) sit on the issue.

Comparing Approaches. Activity 2 Draw a Venn diagram to show ways in which the approaches (Behavioural, Cognitive, SLT) intersect Need help? – Use the book and your grid to support you

Outline one similarity and one difference for Behaviourism vs Social learning Social Learning vs Cognitive Cognitive vs Biological Tip- Use comparative words

Pair task- Essay Plan (20 minutes) Choose two of the below approaches and create an essay plan Comparing the approaches for the exam question….. ‘Discuss two approaches in psychology’ (16 marks) Behaviourism and SLT Behaviourism and Cognitive SLT and Cognitive