when
Specification: Social Learning Theory including imitation, identification, modelling, vicarious
reinforcement, the role of mediational processes and Bandura’s Research
Assumptions of Social Learning Theory:

Social Learning Theory is a way of explaining behaviour that includes both direct and
indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors.

Albert Bandura agreed with the behaviourists that much of our behaviour is learned from
experience.

However, his social learning theory (SLT) proposed a different way in which people learn:

through observation and imitation of others within a social context, thus social learning.
SLT suggested that learning occurs directly, through classical and operant conditioning, but
also indirectly
Outline of Key Concepts of Social Learning Theory:
The following terms relate to how to describe the Social Learning Theory:
Key Concept 1: Imitation:
This is the term used to describe when an individual observes a behaviour from a role model and
copies it. The imitation is more appropriate than copying as the behaviour is often not able to be
copied, exactly, it is merely a simulation.
Key Concept 2: Identification:
People (especially children) are much more likely to imitate the behaviour of people with whom
they identify, called role models. This process is called modelling. A person becomes a role model
if they are seen to possess similar characteristics to the observer and/or are attractive and
have high status. Role models may not necessarily be physically present in the environment, and
this has important implications for the influence of the media on behaviour.
Key Concept 3: Modelling:
When someone is influential on an in some way, they are referred to in SLT as a model. If the
individual then imitates that person’s behaviour later it is called modelling the behaviour. This
term is only used when referring to behaviour that is imitated.
Key Concept 4: Vicarious Reinforcement:
This is the term used to describe the reinforcement the observer sees the model receiving.
They do not receive the reward themselves; they see someone else get it. A reinforcement, such
as reward, makes a behaviour more likely to happen again.
When it is vicarious, the person learns by observing the consequences of another person’s
behaviour e.g. a younger sister observing an older sister being rewarded for a particular
behaviour is more likely to repeat that behaviour herself.
Key Concept 5: The Role of Mediational Processes:
SLT is often described as the ‘bridge’ between traditional learning theory (covered last lesson) and
the cognitive approach (covered next week). This is because it focuses on how mental (cognitive)
factors are involved in learning. These mental factors mediate (i.e. intervene) in the learning
process to determine whether a new response is acquired.
We do not automatically observe the behaviour of a model and imitate it. There is some thought
prior to imitation and this consideration is called mediational processes. This occurs between
observing the behaviour (stimulus) and imitating it or not (response)
There are four mediational processes proposed by Bandura:
1. Attention:
For a behaviour to be imitated it has to grab our attention. We observe many behaviours on a daily
basis and many of these are not noteworthy. Attention is therefore extremely important in
whether a behaviour has an influence in others imitating it.
2. Retention:
The behaviour may be noticed, but is it not always remembered which obviously prevents imitation.
It is important therefore that a memory of the behaviour is formed to be performed later by the
observer. Much of social learning is not immediate so this process is especially vital in those cases.
Even if the behaviour is reproduced shortly after seeing it, there needs to be a memory to refer
to.
3. Reproduction:
We see much behaviour on a daily basis that we would like to be able to imitate but that this not
always possible. We are limited by our physical ability and for that reason, even if we wish to
reproduce the behaviour, we cannot. This influences our decisions whether to try and imitate it or
not. Imagine the scenario of a 90-year-old-lady who struggles to walk watching Dancing on Ice. She
may appreciate that the skill is a desirable one, but she will not attempt to imitate it because she
physically cannot do it.
4. Motivation:
The rewards and punishment that follow a behaviour will be considered by the observer. If the
perceived rewards outweighs the perceived costs (if there are any) then the behaviour will be
more likely to be imitated by the observer. If the vicarious reinforcement is not seen to be
important enough to the observer then they will not imitate the behaviour.
The first two of these relate to the learning of behaviour and the last two to the performance of
behaviour. Unlike traditional behaviourism, the learning and performance of behaviour need not
occur together. Observed behaviours may be stored by the observer and reproduced at a later
time.
Example: Natasha, a little girl is trying on lipstick, illustrates these mediational processes.
Natasha notices her mum putting on the lipstick prior to going out for the evening. She then hears
her dad complimenting her mum on how she looks. She notices this (
).
She remembers where her mum keeps her make-up and how to open the lipstick (
).
She is also able to apply it (
). She knows she will probably be told off but
she wants to get compliments from her dad too and wants to look grown up like her mum, which is
more important than the telling off (
behaviour.
). In all likelihood, Natasha will imitate the
Key Study: The Bobo Doll Experiment: Bandura, Ross & Ross (1961)
Participants and Procedure: (Don’t write about this in this much detail)
•
36 boys and 36 girls from the Stanford University Nursery School aged between 3 to 6
years old. It was a lab experiment. Children were split up into three conditions:
1. An aggressive model was shown to 24 children:
2. Non-aggressive model was shown to 24 children
3. No model shown (control condition) - 24 children
•
Participants were put into a room one a time and observed the adult role model’s behaviour
(either aggressive or non-aggressive).
•
In the room was the Bobo doll, a hammer and other toys. The aggressive model had to hit the
Bobo doll with the hammer and shout abuse at it at the same time.
•
After witnessing the behaviour for about 10 minutes the participants were taken down the
corridor to another room.
•
This was known as the ‘aggression arousal’ stage where the children were told they couldn’t
play with the toys in this room as they were for other children but that they could play with
the toys in a neighbouring room.
•
They were then taking in that room with the experimenter and allowed to play with any toys
they wanted.
•
The room contained a range of toys, the Bobo doll, a mallet, dart guns and non-aggressive
toys such as dolls, crayons etc. The participants were observed in that room for 20mins and
rated for the extent they imitated the behaviour they had just seen.
Results: They found the children who had observed aggressive behaviour acted more aggressively
when observed and that boys acted more aggressively than girls. There was also a greater level of
imitation of behaviour if the role model was the same gender as the child.
Conclusion: This study supports Bandura’s Social Learning Theory is correct as children did observe
and directly imitate the behaviours. Therefore provides support for SLT.
Highlight which are strengths & which are weaknesses.
1. The social learning approach takes thought processes into account and acknowledges the role
that they play in deciding if a behaviour is to be imitated or not. As such, SLT provides a more
comprehensive explanation of human learning by recognising the role of mediational processes.
2. The approach can successfully explain the initiation of certain behaviours; this has been show
in in examples such as why someone would start smoking
3. Learning theory is not a full explanation for all behaviour. This is particularly the case when
there is no apparent role model in the person’s life to imitate for a given behaviour. This occurs,
for example, in the case of psychopathic behaviour in just one individual in a family. Where have
they imitated this behaviour from if no-one else displays it?
4. Many of Bandura’s ideas were developed through observation of young children’s behaviour in
lab settings. Lab studies are often criticised for their artificial nature where participants may
respond to demand characteristics. It has been suggested, in relation to the Bobo Doll research
that, because the main purpose of the doll is to strike it, the children were simply behaving in a
way that they thought was expected. Therefore the research may tell us little about how
children actually learn aggression in everyday life.
5. Bandura makes little reference to the impact of biological factors on social learning. One
consistent finding in the Bobo doll experiments was that boys were often more aggressive than
girls. This may be explained by hormonal factors such as differences in levels of testosterone, a
hormone which is present in greater quantities in boys than girls and which is linked to
aggressive behaviour. This means that this important influence on behaviour is not accounted
for in SLT.
6. SLT sees behaviour as environmentally determined whereas some behaviours may be innate.
7. Although SLT emphasises the importance of thought processes more than the behaviourists
did, SLT does not actually explain these cognitive processes, leaving this to the cognitive
psychologists.
8. Although SLT explain learning of outward behaviours e.g. smoking, fighting etc. SLT is not so
able to explain the learning of abstract notions, e.g. fairness, justice etc. which cannot be
observed directly