| What does SLT suggest? | learning occurs through experience and is learnt either directly (through operant or classical conditioning) or indirectly (through vicarious reinforcement) |
| What does SLT suggest in terms of reinforcement? | Reinforcement increases the likelihood that the observed behaviours will be imitated, whilst punishment decreases this likelihood. |
| What is differential reinforcement? | Children are specifically rewarded by their parents for displaying gender-appropriate behaviours e.g. girls being calm and affectionate towards others. This reinforces gender stereotypes and contributes to the child’s gender identity. |
| How can learning occur indirectly? | Through vicarious reinforcement. A child sees another same-sex child being rewarded for displaying gender-appropriate behaviours, who is considered to be a role model. The observer then imitates this modeled behaviour in hopes to get a similar reward. This is helped by the 4 mediational (cognitive) processes which are attention, retention, motor reproduction and motivation. |
| What is strength of SLT? | Bandura's research on observational learning show that children imitate the behaviour of same-sex role models, particularly when these behaviors are reinforced. This aligns with SLT’s view that gender roles are learned through observation, imitation, and reinforcement. |
| What is a limitation of SLT | SLT downplays innate biological factors (e.g., hormones, genetics) that influence gender behavior such as the effects of testosterone on aggression or sex-linked brain differences. |
| What is the study for social learning theory? | The researchers observed 32 mothers playing with a 6-month-old baby.The mothers were misled about the baby's gender—some were told the baby was a boy, others were told it was a girl. The babies were dressed in gender-neutral clothing. When mothers believed the baby was a boy they were more likely to offer "masculine" toys, like the squeaky hammer and encouraged active and vigorous play. When they thought the baby was a girl, they offered "feminine" toys, like a doll and encouraged gentler and more nurturing play. Shows adults use differential reinforcement based on the stereotypes of gender appropriate behaviour from infancy |
| Things to remember? | what SLT suggests, Reinforcement- vicarious and differential reinforcement, Study for social learning theory |
