AGGRESSION
Social psychological theories of aggression –
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY
Objectives
• Understand social psychological theories
of aggression
• Explain the cause of aggression according
to the social learning theory
• Evaluate social learning theory.
SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY
• Bandura 1962
• Person’s biology creates potential for
aggression.
• Expression of aggression is learned by
observation and imitation of role models
Bandura
• Behaviour may be motivated by
psychological factors and by more socioenvironmental factors.
• He argued that the individual and the
social environment are linked.
• He called this reciprocal determinism.
Reciprocal determinism
•The individual and the environment are linked
Key characteristics of social
learning theory
• ATTENTION
• Concentrating on the
model’s behaviour so
it will have to be of
interest.
2
• RETENTION
• Remembering the
behaviour observed.
3
• REPRODUCTION /
COPYING /
IMITATION
• Trying it out for
yourself.
4
• MOTIVATION
• Having an incentive to
repeat the behaviour.
CENTRAL CONCEPT
• The presence of a
role model
Mental representation
• Mental
representations of
events in social
environment
• Expectancies of
future outcomes
• Expectation of reward
must be greater than
expectation of
punishment.
Production of behaviour
• If bullying behaviour
is directly reinforced it
is more likely to be
repeated.
• How might it be
reinforced?
Self-efficacy expectancies
• If aggressive
behaviour has not
been used
successfully children
may have low selfefficacy (doubt their
own competence) and
try other ways.
How does research support the
application of SLT to aggression?
Read page 2 and 3 in your
booklet.
Complete worksheet ONE
Complete worksheet TWO
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zerCK0l
Rjp8
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YclZBh
n40hU
Plenary…
All notes away:
According to SLT what are the 4 essential conditions for
imitation?
1. Attention
2. …..
3. ….
4. ….
Two criticisms of Bandura’s study:
1.
2.