1. The Social Learning Theory
STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
Investigated using experiments – therefore scientific.
Emphasises the importance of our environment and in particular role models
Explains how we learn many behaviours such as aggression.
Experiments create a false setting and the results may not reflect real life behaviour (what are you supposed to do with a bobo doll?)
Ignores the role of nature and biological factors.
Too simplistic, there are other explanations for aggression i.e .hormones (nature)

2. Social Learning Theory
Which research method was used by SLT?
Answer: Lab observations
Two strength of a lab observation?
High control of extraneous variables
Highly replicable

3. Social Learning Theory
Two limitations of SLT:
Low ecological validity: Labs are a false environment, which created false behaviour in the children. This cannot be generalised.
Demand characteristics: In a lab participants may be aware their behaviour is being recorded, so will behave differently.
Perhaps they thought Bandura wanted them to attack the doll, and that is why he’d shown them the video..?

4. Social Learning Theory
SLT also believes that reinforcement plays a role in behaviour, but only if it is direct or indirect.
Direct reinforcement is where a person is rewarded for their behaviour.
Indirect reinforcement is where the role model is rewarded. You see this and copy the behaviour so you are rewarded too.

5. Social Learning Theory
Therefore SLT is an eclectic mix of behaviourism (reinforcement) and the cognitive approach (mediating cognitive factors).

6. Social Learning Theory
One strength of SLT is that it has been used to explain how phobias develop, due to observation and imitation of role models.
Eclectic approach as it combines parts of behaviourism with parts of the cognitive approach.
 Does not explain where behaviour starts, only how it is passed from one person to the next.