3.4 The mechanisms behind social learning (notes)
Mechanisms – the process or set of processes that underpin a
particular psychological phenomenon, such as social learning.
Bandura (1973) – children are more likely to copy the model if the
model is more like themselves.
Ormrod (1999) confirmed Banduras findings.
Priming refers to where exposure to a particular behaviour renders
more likely the display of that behaviour in subsequent similar
situations.
Berkowitz (1993) when a similar setting arises, a person is more likely
to respond in accordance with the stored memory.
The idea of priming suggests two things. 1) the effect may be short-
lived as later experiences are likely to prime other different emotions
and responses. 2) the expression of violence in the everyday world
relies on cues to trigger the primed behaviour. To have an effect,
these cues need to have some similarity to elements of the media
depiction.
Bandura and others later work showed that children can still
reproduce specific violent behaviours up to at least 8 months after
they are shown them (Bandura, 1973)
A persons attitudes and beliefs toward specific aggressive behaviour,
makes them more or less likely to produce such behaviours
themselves.
Repeated exposure may desensitise the person, and lead them to
develop less negative attitudes towards aggressive behaviours.
Weisz and Earls (1995) found that men were more accepting of
interpersonal violence and more attracted to sexual aggression.
Scripts are rich packages of sequences of behaviours, intentions,
meanings and emotions which offer scenarios to deal with situations
Mechanisms – the process or set of processes that underpin a
particular psychological phenomenon, such as social learning.
Bandura (1973) – children are more likely to copy the model if the
model is more like themselves.
Ormrod (1999) confirmed Banduras findings.
Priming refers to where exposure to a particular behaviour renders
more likely the display of that behaviour in subsequent similar
situations.
Berkowitz (1993) when a similar setting arises, a person is more likely
to respond in accordance with the stored memory.
The idea of priming suggests two things. 1) the effect may be short-
lived as later experiences are likely to prime other different emotions
and responses. 2) the expression of violence in the everyday world
relies on cues to trigger the primed behaviour. To have an effect,
these cues need to have some similarity to elements of the media
depiction.
Bandura and others later work showed that children can still
reproduce specific violent behaviours up to at least 8 months after
they are shown them (Bandura, 1973)
A persons attitudes and beliefs toward specific aggressive behaviour,
makes them more or less likely to produce such behaviours
themselves.
Repeated exposure may desensitise the person, and lead them to
develop less negative attitudes towards aggressive behaviours.
Weisz and Earls (1995) found that men were more accepting of
interpersonal violence and more attracted to sexual aggression.
Scripts are rich packages of sequences of behaviours, intentions,
meanings and emotions which offer scenarios to deal with situations
