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THE SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY OF AGGRESSION - Coggle Diagram
THE SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY OF AGGRESSION
We learn through imitation + observation of others
Attention
- The individual needs to pay attention to the behaviour and it's consequences in order to form a mental representation of the behaviour
e.g. child observes an adult punching an individual and steal his wallet
Retention
- Storing the observed behaviour in the LTM, where it can stay for a long period of time
e.g. the child will wait until an opportunity arises, so seeing a person in a back alley where he cannot be seen by other people
Imitation is NOT always immediate
Learning takes place in
4 stages (ARRM) - mediational processes
Reproduction
- the individual must have the ability and skill to reproduce the observed behaviour
e.g. The child must be strong enough to punch another person
Motivation
- Individuals expect to receive the same positive reinforcements for imitating the observed behaviour that they have seen the model receiving
e.g. the child must expect to get money without having to work with it and not be caught
RESEARCH SUPPORT - BOBO DOLL BANDURA
Bandura found that children who had observed the aggressive model were more aggressive than the children who observed non-aggressive models
Children also imitated specific aggressive acts that were displayed by the model
HOWEVER IT DOESN'T EXPLAIN WHY BOYS IMITATED MORE PHYSCIAL AGGRESSION THAN GIRLS
Vicarious reinforcement
Imitation is more likely to occur if the model is positively reinforced
Identification
Imitation is more likely to occur if we identify with the model + share the same characteristics e.g. similar age, gender, social status
RESEARCH SUPPORT - BANDURA
This supports SLT as people are more likely to observe aggressive behaviour in high-crime areas
HOWEVER, THIS CAN BE DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF OTHER FACTORS E.G. UNEMPLOYMENT/POVERTY/DRUG/ALCOHOL USE
Bandura found that children who live in high crime areas are more likely to commit violent crimes than people whom live in low crime areas
REDUCTIONIST APPROACH
Doesn't take into account values, morals and social norms
It suggests that the child would passively absorb the observed behaviour and imitate it without a logical thought for the implication of it