BANDURA

MODELLING

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• In order for social learning to take place someone must perform the behaviour to be learnt. A model might be a parent, teacher or peer a symbolic model is someone portrayed in the media for example a TV character

IMITATION

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• Modelled behaviour can be observed and later reproduced by the individual through imitation. Key determinants of imitation are the characteristics of the model, observers perceived ability to perform the behaviour, and the observed consequences of the behaviour

IDENTIFICATION

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• Identification is the degree to which an individual feels similar to the model and likely to experience the same consequences of its behaviour. Shutts et al suggests that children are more likely to identify with and preferentially learn from models who are similar to them e.g. same-sex models

VICARIOUS REINFORCEMENT

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• Bandura and Walters showed that children who observed the model rewarded for aggressive behaviour were more likely to imitate it than the children who observed the model punished for the same thing. They called this vicarious reinforcement individuals do not need to experience rewards or punishments directly to learn

THE ROLE OF MEDIATIONAL PROCESSES

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• Bandura emphasised internal mediational processes that take place between the stimulus and response. For social learning to take place the observer must form mental representations of the modelled behaviour and it's probable consequences. They might imitate a learned behaviour provided the expectations of positive consequences is greater than the expectation of negative ones

SOCIAL LEARNING HAS USEFUL APPLICATIONS

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• The probability of engaging in criminal behaviour should increase when we are exposed to criminal models, identify with them, and develop expectations of positive consequences for our own criminal behaviour. Ulrich found evidence for this in delinquent peer groups

RESEARCH SUPPORT FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF IDENTIFICATION

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• Fox and Bailenson manipulated identification using computer generated virtual humans. These models looked either similar or dissimilar to the individual participants. Participants who identified with a virtual model exercising engaged in more exercise in the 24 hours following the experiment than those who vowed view virtual model merely loitering or a dissimilar model exercising. Greater identification with the model lead to more learning

THE PROBLEM OF CAUSALITY

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• Having deviant attitudes prior to exposure to deviant role models could explain delinquency Siegel and McCormick suggest that young people who possess deviant attitudes seek out peers with similar attitudes before experiencing their deviant behaviours so the former may be more influential than the latter

THE PROBLEM OF COMPLEXITY

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• The power of social learning maybe over-emphasised as we are exposed to many different influences, for example genetic predisposition and the mass media making it difficult to show that one particular thing is the main causal influence

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Jack and Jess are 10 year old siblings. Jack tends to be badly behaved after watching TV and has been fighting at school. Jack's mum is puzzled as Jess watches the same programmes but isn't affected by them.