Outline And Evaluate The Social Learning Theory As An Explanation Of Aggression
Outline and evaluate the social learning theory as an explanation of aggression (24)
According to the social learning theory there are multiple ways of learning behaviours, such as aggression. One way of learning behaviours is through observation and some psychologists have claimed children primarily learn aggressive behaviours observing role models (someone who is similar to the child or in a position of power, of who the child can copy behaviour from). For example, children may learn aggression from watching their parents act in an aggressive manner. After observing the behaviour, children will then use imitation to show aggressive behaviour; this is when the child replicates the behaviour they have observed. Imitation therefore requires the child to have the ability to remember the action and replicate it.
To demonstrate social learning theory in relation to aggression, Bandura et al (1961) took a number of children (36 girls and 36 boys aged 3-5) and split them into groups, showing each group a film of an adult with a bobo doll but each film showed the adult behaving differently with the bobo doll. Group 1(the experimental condition) observed the adult acting aggressively to the bobo doll, whereas group 2 (the control condition) saw the adult acting in a non-aggressive manner and ignoring the bobo doll. The children were then taken to room 1 where they were told they were not allowed to play with toys and so suffered mild aggression arousal, they were then taking to room 2 where they were allowed to play with both aggressive and non-aggressive toys. Bandura et al found that 1/3 of children in the experimental condition acted in an aggressive way towards the toys, whereas no children in the control condition acted in this way. This experiment therefore leads support for the social learning theory as an explanation to aggression, showing that observing role models and imitation seem to be a sufficient explanation for aggressive behaviour.
One strength of this
According to the social learning theory there are multiple ways of learning behaviours, such as aggression. One way of learning behaviours is through observation and some psychologists have claimed children primarily learn aggressive behaviours observing role models (someone who is similar to the child or in a position of power, of who the child can copy behaviour from). For example, children may learn aggression from watching their parents act in an aggressive manner. After observing the behaviour, children will then use imitation to show aggressive behaviour; this is when the child replicates the behaviour they have observed. Imitation therefore requires the child to have the ability to remember the action and replicate it.
To demonstrate social learning theory in relation to aggression, Bandura et al (1961) took a number of children (36 girls and 36 boys aged 3-5) and split them into groups, showing each group a film of an adult with a bobo doll but each film showed the adult behaving differently with the bobo doll. Group 1(the experimental condition) observed the adult acting aggressively to the bobo doll, whereas group 2 (the control condition) saw the adult acting in a non-aggressive manner and ignoring the bobo doll. The children were then taken to room 1 where they were told they were not allowed to play with toys and so suffered mild aggression arousal, they were then taking to room 2 where they were allowed to play with both aggressive and non-aggressive toys. Bandura et al found that 1/3 of children in the experimental condition acted in an aggressive way towards the toys, whereas no children in the control condition acted in this way. This experiment therefore leads support for the social learning theory as an explanation to aggression, showing that observing role models and imitation seem to be a sufficient explanation for aggressive behaviour.
One strength of this