Social Learning Theory
Perspective
1. Bandura’s Experiment
2. Factors affecting imitation
3. Applying social learning theory
Social Learning Theory
Talk to the
people next to
you to discuss
what you think
SOCIAL
LEARNING
THEORY
means.
How does it
explain human
behaviour?
Social Learning Theory
Bandura’s Bobo Doll Experiment
Bandura’s experiment
claims that children
learn behaviour from
imitating others,
especially significant
people, people they
admired, and people
who they perceived
were rewarded for
behaviour.
Read PP03 for experiment
details and search on youtube
for footage of the experiment.
Social Learning Theory
For learning to take place 5 factors
must exist:
1.Availability
2.Attention
3.Retention
4.Reproduction
5.Motivation
Social Learning Theory
Availability
1) Availability - the behaviour to be
learnt must be available. This means
it must be performed somewhere for
the individual to see.
Where do you think behaviour can
be learnt from? Where is behaviour
seen by children?
Social Learning Theory
Attention
2)Attention
We must notice the behaviour
or we will not be able to learn
it.
The amount of attention we
pay is influenced by the
characteristics of the model. If
the model is attractive,
prestigious or powerful we are
more likely to pay attention
that if the model is
unattractive, of low status and
with little power.
Discuss what will influence
whether a child pays attention
or not to a model.
Social Learning Theory
Attention (continued)
2) Attention (Continued)
Click each of the
buttons
Chris Tarrant
1
2
3
Why do you think Chris
Tarrant and other
celebrities were used in
these adverts?
Social Learning Theory
Retention
3) Retention
The behaviour must
be retained, ie the
individual must be old
enough or interested
enough to be
capable of keeping
information about this
behaviour in their
memory. What
examples can you
think of where a child
will not be able to
keep behaviour in
their memory?
Social Learning Theory
Reproduction
4) Reproduction
the individual must be
capable of actually
performing the
behaviour
In small groups, list
behaviours that
different aged
children will and will
not be able to
reproduce. (Age 3, 5,
7, 9, 11, 13, 15, and
17)
You Tube
Link
The toddler does not
have the skills to
reproduce the dance
moves, but she has a go!
Social Learning Theory
Motivation
5) Motivation
Children may have
learnt the behaviour
and are able to
reproduce it, but
that does not mean
that they will. They
need to be
MOTIVATED to
imitate the
behaviour.
When might
children be
motivated to
imitate behaviour?
When might they
NOT be motivated
to imitate
behaviour?
Social Learning Theory
Watch
and
Use PP04 to discuss and apply social learning
theory to these video clips.
Please answer all the questions on the handout.
Social Learning Theory
In groups of 3 or 4, create a poster to answer one of
the following and present your work to your peers:
1.Explain how nursery workers could use social
learning theory to teach the children to be nondiscriminatory.
2.Research a celebrity who has engaged in negative
health behaviour (eg illegal drug use etc). Explain the
implications of this to young people and children
according to social learning theory.
(Don’t forget to use the 5 factors which effect
imitation)
3.Explain why positive role models should be used in
health promotion campaigns.