Social Learning Theory

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Social Learning Theory

• One difficulty with many learning theories is
  their almost exclusive emphasis on the processes
  of acquisition of behavior and performance, and
  their almost total neglect of the content of
  personality
• Julian Rotter, 1972

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Radical Behaviorism Pros and Cons

• Pros Scientific
• Deals with observable, measurable phenomena
• Rigorous methodology
• Con Ignores the things that make humans human
• Cognitions
• Emotions
• Free Will

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Therefore.

• Albert Banduras (1960s ) Social Learning Theory
• aka Social Cognitive Theory
• Put the person back into personality

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Theoretical Foundations of Social Learning Theory

• Psychodynamic explanations of behavior are flawed
  
• They are based on inferred drives/needs/etc.,
  which cannot be tested
• They ignore conscious cognitions
• They ignore situational influences
• Radical behaviorism is flawed
• It ignores cognition and emotion (Rotters
  content of personality)
• e.g., Assumes that actual reinforcement is
  necessary for learning to occur
• e.g., Rejects free will

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Banduras Triadic Model of Reciprocal Determinism
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Beyond Reinforcement 1

• External reinforcement isnt the only way in
  which behavior is acquired, maintained, or
  altered
• We can also learn by observing, reading, or
  hearing about others behavior
• We develop anticipated consequences for our
  behaviors
• Even for behaviors were never engaged in
• Our cognitive abilities give us the capability
  for insight and foresight

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Beyond Reinforcement 2

• Banduras biggest contribution to learning
  theory
• New patterns of behavior can be acquired in the
  absence of external reinforcement
• We can pay attention to what others do, and
  repeat their actions
• i.e., We learn through observation, rather than
  through direct reinforcement

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Self-Regulation and Cognition

• We can exercise control over our behavior through
  self-regulation
• We are not slaves to environmental influences
• We have free will
• Cognition allows us to use previous experiences,
  rather than trial-and-error, to foresee probable
  consequences of our acts, and behave accordingly
• Self-regulation allows us to choose behaviors
  that help us to avoid punishments and move
  towards long-term goals

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Bandura et al., 1963

• Subjects
• 48 boys and 48 girls attending Stanford U Nursery
  School
• Mean age 4.3 years
• Ss are matched across experimental groups for
  degree of aggressive behavior shown in nursery
  school interaction

• Exposure to an
• aggressive model
• (4 conditions)
• Observe an adult model behave aggressive
• Observe same adult model and same behaviors, but
  on film
• Observe same behaviors performed by a cartoon
  character
• Control group (no observations)

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• Response measures
• Total aggression
• Imitative aggression
• Partially imitative responses
• Mallet aggression
• Sitting on the Bobo doll
• Nonimitative aggression
• Aggressive gun play

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Bandura et al. Results 1Total Aggression
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Bandura et al. Results 2Imitative Aggression
Girls
Boys
Female
Male
Female
Male
Cartoon
Control
Real life model
Film model
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Bandura et al. Results 3Partially Imitative
Responses
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Implications Eron Heusmann, 1985
50
Males
Females
40
30
20
10
0
Low
Med
Med
High
High
Low
Frequency of TV Viewing at Age 8
DV Seriousness of Criminal Act by Age 30
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Modeling

• We learn much of what we do through observing and
  speaking with others (models), rather than
  through personal experience
• We form a cognitive image of how to perform
  certain behaviors through modeling, and use this
  image as a guide for later behaviors

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Basic Processes of Observational Learning 1
1. Attentional Processes (attend to and
accurately perceive models behavior)
2. Retention Processes (remember the models
behavior)
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Basic Processes of Observational Learning 2
3. Motor Reproduction Processes (translate
symbolically coded memories of the models
behavior into new response patterns)
4. Motivational Processes (if positive
reinforcement is potentially available, enact
the modeled behavior)
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Reinforcement in Observational Learning

• Types of Reinforcement
• Vicarious reinforcement
• Vicarious positive reinforcement
• Vicarious punishment
• Self-reinforcement
• Reward or punish self for meeting or failing to
  meet own standards

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Empirical Evidence of Observational Learning

• Children who see an adult behave aggressively
  might view that aggressive behavior as a positive
  thing (i.e., expect positive reinforcement of
  some type for that behavior), and therefore might
  imitate that aggressive behavior
• Bandura Huston, 1961
• Children imitate a models aggressive behavior in
  the presence of the model
• Bandura, Ross, Ross, 1961
• Children imitate a models aggressive behavior in
  a new setting, away from the model
• Bandura, Ross, Ross, 1963
• Will children imitate a film-models aggressive
  behavior?

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Performing the Right Behavior at the Right
TimeSelf-Regulation

• We learn all kinds of behaviors by observing
  others
• Why dont we all just run around imitating every
  behavior we see?

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Recall the Triadic Model of Reciprocal
Determinism
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Self-Regulation

• An important personal factor is the ability to
  self-regulate
• Some people are pretty good at this, some people
  arent so good
• Self-regulation is probably domain-specific
  (recall the environmental influences component
  of the triad model)
• Can regulate some things, but not others

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Delay of Gratification

• Children who are able to delay gratification at
  age 5 are less likely to become alcoholics or
  drug addicts later in life
• Specific to appetitive rewards

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Summary

• We acquire, maintain, and modify behaviors that
  we see others perform
• We decide which behaviors to keep, and when to
  use them, by using
• symbolic thought (what are my long term goals?)
  
• emotion (damn that Bobo doll!!!)
• self-regulation (I really want to stab my prof,
  but I need an A, so)
• Bandura and other Social Learning Theorists put
  the person back into personality by stressing
  the interplay of personal factors, environmental
  factors, and behavior