Social Learning Theory - Aggression

This is the social learning theory of aggression. Don't get confused with the social learning theory of phobias.

Main idea: Children learn aggression from watching and learning from role models

Observational learning: Role models: The person we observe and learn from
 * 1) Attention: paying attention to the person being observed
 * 2) Memory: being able to remember what we have seen until it is needed
 * 3) Reproduction: being able to act out what we have seen. (modelling)
 * 4) Motivation: the incentive to copy what we have seen

Identification: we identify with the role model. we adopt similar behaviours and attitudes of the role model. We become like them

Vicarious reinforcement: Learning through the positive consequences of other people’s actions rather than first hand

Bandura (1961)
(not a key study)

Bandura tested the idea that children copy and identify role models. Children observed an adult playing aggressively with the BoBo doll and later copied that behaviour. If the adult was punished the child would be less likely to copy. But if the adult was rewarded they were more likely to copy. He found that boys were more likely to copy male adults than female adults. Boys were also more likely to copy physical aggression than girls. Supports the idea that children can learn aggression.

Evaluating social learning theory as an explanation of aggression
Strengths:  Weaknesses:
 * Bandura’s study supports social learning theory because he found that children do copy aggression.
 * Many tragedies, such as school shootings have been linked to TV and video game violence.
 * It could be that aggressive children watch aggression on TV and play violent video games rather than being affected by them. They could be naturally aggressive.
 * SLT is difficult to measure because they may be a time lapse between watching and copying, making it difficult to establish whether watching results in modeling
 * Many children watch violent but not all children copy it, and there may be other factors such as bilogy making them more aggressive