Amy Bishop
Comparing Approaches: Social Learning theory exam question
Outline and evaluate the social learning theory. In your answer make comparisons
with at least one other approach in psychology.(16 marks)
The social learning theory (SLT) is a way of explaining behavior that includes both direct and
indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors (the
cognitive approach also looks at these factors however it focuses more on learning through
conditioning instead of the SLT that focuses on the influence others have on our behaviour).
Bandura agreed with behaviorists that much of our behaviour is learnt from experience, but
also suggested that people can learn through observation and imitation of others within a
social learning context.
Bandura suggested the idea of vicarious reinforcement, which is reinforcement that isn’t
directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a
behaviour and then imitating it to achieve the same result (usually imitation only occurs, if
the behaviour is seen to be rewarded), which is similar to the behaviorists idea of positive
reinforcement however it is indirect.
The SLT also focuses on the role of the mediational processes (for example, cognitive
factors like thinking, that influence learning and come between stimulus and response). This
is similar to the cognitive approach but the cognitive approach sees it as more of an
information processor that can be studied by theoretical models whereas, the SLT focuses
on how mental factors are involved in learning. They mediate with the learning process and
decide if a response is required. The four mediational processes are: Attention, Retention,
Motor reproduction, Motivation. Attention and Retention link to the learning of the behaviour,
whereas motor reproduction and motivation link to the performance of the behaviour.
Another factor of the SLT is identification. It states that people are more likely to imitate the
behavior of people who they identify with (role models), this process is called modeling. A
person becomes a role model if they seem to possess the same characteristics as the
observer, or if they have a higher status. Role models might not be physically present in the
environment, for example observers can be influenced through role models in the media.
The main strength of the SLT is the evidence from Bandura’s Bobo doll study where
Bandura examined the process by which new behaviours are learnt and whether they can be
acquired through observation and imitation. 72 three to five aged children from Stanford
University Nursery were split into three groups and placed in a room (it was conducted in a
laboratory) with a Bobo doll. Group 1 were with an aggressive role model, and the children
saw the adult behave in aggressive ways towards the doll (for example punching, kicking,
shouting and hitting). Group 2 were with a non- aggressive role model, and the children saw
the adult playing in a quiet and subdued manner (for example they played with other toys
and ignored the doll). Group 3 was a control group and there was no model so the children
weren’t exposed to anything. The children were later individually taken into a room and were
observed playing with the toys including the bobo doll. They found that the children who had
observed the aggressive model (group 1) made for more imitative aggressive responses,
compared to those in group 2 and 3. The children imitated the models behavour, these
findings were stronger if the adult was of the same sex, due to identification. This experiment
Comparing Approaches: Social Learning theory exam question
Outline and evaluate the social learning theory. In your answer make comparisons
with at least one other approach in psychology.(16 marks)
The social learning theory (SLT) is a way of explaining behavior that includes both direct and
indirect reinforcement, combining learning theory with the role of cognitive factors (the
cognitive approach also looks at these factors however it focuses more on learning through
conditioning instead of the SLT that focuses on the influence others have on our behaviour).
Bandura agreed with behaviorists that much of our behaviour is learnt from experience, but
also suggested that people can learn through observation and imitation of others within a
social learning context.
Bandura suggested the idea of vicarious reinforcement, which is reinforcement that isn’t
directly experienced but occurs through observing someone else being reinforced for a
behaviour and then imitating it to achieve the same result (usually imitation only occurs, if
the behaviour is seen to be rewarded), which is similar to the behaviorists idea of positive
reinforcement however it is indirect.
The SLT also focuses on the role of the mediational processes (for example, cognitive
factors like thinking, that influence learning and come between stimulus and response). This
is similar to the cognitive approach but the cognitive approach sees it as more of an
information processor that can be studied by theoretical models whereas, the SLT focuses
on how mental factors are involved in learning. They mediate with the learning process and
decide if a response is required. The four mediational processes are: Attention, Retention,
Motor reproduction, Motivation. Attention and Retention link to the learning of the behaviour,
whereas motor reproduction and motivation link to the performance of the behaviour.
Another factor of the SLT is identification. It states that people are more likely to imitate the
behavior of people who they identify with (role models), this process is called modeling. A
person becomes a role model if they seem to possess the same characteristics as the
observer, or if they have a higher status. Role models might not be physically present in the
environment, for example observers can be influenced through role models in the media.
The main strength of the SLT is the evidence from Bandura’s Bobo doll study where
Bandura examined the process by which new behaviours are learnt and whether they can be
acquired through observation and imitation. 72 three to five aged children from Stanford
University Nursery were split into three groups and placed in a room (it was conducted in a
laboratory) with a Bobo doll. Group 1 were with an aggressive role model, and the children
saw the adult behave in aggressive ways towards the doll (for example punching, kicking,
shouting and hitting). Group 2 were with a non- aggressive role model, and the children saw
the adult playing in a quiet and subdued manner (for example they played with other toys
and ignored the doll). Group 3 was a control group and there was no model so the children
weren’t exposed to anything. The children were later individually taken into a room and were
observed playing with the toys including the bobo doll. They found that the children who had
observed the aggressive model (group 1) made for more imitative aggressive responses,
compared to those in group 2 and 3. The children imitated the models behavour, these
findings were stronger if the adult was of the same sex, due to identification. This experiment
