Transcript social learning theory

Psychology 301
Social Psychology Lecture 8,
Sept 25, 2008
Aggression
Instructor: Cherisse Seaton
Overview
 Review:
 Social Learning Dramas
 Attitude formation
 Defining Aggression
 Development of aggression
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Punishment and aggression
Social learning – Bobo doll study
Readings for this section
 Aronson et al. Chapter 11
Social Learning Dramas
 Only by invitation
 Voluntary
 Social Norms - not necessarily cultural practices
 Intention is to address issues that are already
problematic, not to impose Western ideals
 Universal Human Rights
 Model common problems people face and possible
solutions: giving people choices
Social Learning Dramas
 Provide Information/ raise awareness
 E.g., Addressing AIDS myths
 Provide effective strategies
 Increase self-efficacy
 Guide, motivate and support behaviour in attempts to
exercise control over own lives
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjIbKaSXM3A
Social Learning Dramas
 Contrast modeling
 Plotlines address common dilemmas – tailored to
specific issues
 Often depict positive outcomes as well as contrasting
negative outcomes
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Models positive strategies as well as adverse consequences
 Negative models exhibiting detrimental lifestyles
 Positive models exhibiting beneficial lifestyles
 Transitional models changing from detrimental to
beneficial behaviours
Social Learning Dramas
 Viewers see others changing their lives for the better
 Highlights effective ways of overcoming situations
 Model how to manage setbacks and overcome failures
 Depicted outcomes provide incentive for change
 Vicarious motivators
 Example viewer response:
 “After watching Angoori die in child birth, I won’t allow
my daughters to be married at an early age”
Aggression
 Defining aggressive acts:
 Physical harm – accidents? Intentions?
 Psychological harm
 Intent
 Prosocial aggression – e.g., war, police
 Antisocial aggression
 Perception of victim
Is it Aggression?
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Throwing a dish against the wall during an argument
A person slams a door shut after an argument
A prison ward executes a criminal
A depressed person commits suicide
Sticking a pin in a voodoo doll
Throwing someone’s computer out of a window
Supervisor giving negative feedback
Drunk driver
Gossiping about someone
Killing animals for food
A hunter kills an animal for a trophy
A man mentally rehearses a murder
One person calls another a racial slur
Aggression
 Definition:
 “Intentional behaviour aimed at causing either physical or
psychological pain” (p.357)
 Hostile aggression
 “An act of aggression stemming from feelings of anger and aimed at
inflicting pain”
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E.g., A jealous man kills his wife and her lover
 Instrumental aggression:
 “Aggression as a means to some goal other than causing pain”
 E.g., A hit man kills an unfaithful husband for 1,000 dollars
Formation of Attitudes
 1.) Classical conditioning
 2.) Instrumental/operant conditioning
 3.) Cognitive Social Learning
1. Classical conditioning
 Positive & negative associations
 Desensitization
 Frequent exposure to aggression/ violence may
reduce sensitivity
 Numbing effect
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Emotional response
Physiological response
 E.g., Individuals exposed to violent film showed lower
physiological response when subsequently viewing
aggressive interaction between preschoolers than did those
exposed to an equally exciting non-violent program
(Thomas et al., 1977)
2. Operant conditioning….
 Suggests that punishing aggressive acts will decrease
the frequency of aggressive behaviour,
 Learned consequences
 While rewarding acts of aggression will increase the
frequency of aggressive behaviour.
 E.g., Bullying
Punishment & Aggression
 Eron et al. (1963)
 Longitudinal study of 875 3rd graders
 Ss = 206 girls; 245 boys
 Variables:
 Parents level of punishment:
Low intensity
 Medium
 High intensity
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Variables:
 Peer rated aggression
Results
 Peer related aggression scores (at school)
Results
 Level of punishment at age 8  aggression 8, 18, 30 (peer-
rated, teacher-rated, & self-rated)
 Severity of punishment, in particular the physical
component, predicted higher levels of aggression
(Lefkowitz, Walder, & Eron, 1963)
 Intergenerational effects of punishment (Lefkowitz,
Huesmann, & Eron, 1978)
Parenting style and children's
aggressive behaviour
 Punitive parenting
 Physical punishment,
 Yelled and shouted
 Child aggressive
behaviour
 Fights
 Bullying
Why does physical punishment
increase aggression?
 a.) Develops negative associations with the parent.
 b.) Punishing  arousal and upset  decreased learning
 c.) The act of ‘punishment’ itself, usually takes the form of an
aggressive act, thereby providing an aggressive model
 But…
 Doing nothing is not a good option because aggression is also
associated with…
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Lack of monitoring
Excessive sibling fighting
Options:
 1). Reinforce prosocial and mature behaviour
 2). Offer alternative behaviours
 3). Mild punishment (verbal reprimands / time-outs)
Mild punishment
 Mild punishment is effective if…
 1. Regularly and predictably follow the undesirable
action
 2. Applied immediately
 3. Clearly explain the bad behaviour
 Don’t make idle threats
Bullying
 Schoolyard bullies
 Norwegian & Swedish
 Ss = 4th – 7th graders
 Mild but swift
 Bullying reduced up to 50%
 Mild punishment changes attitudes and behaviour
more than severe punishments
 Induce child to justify own restraint
 Insufficient justification
Attitudes and Aggression
 According to Cognitive Dissonance theory, when we
hurt someone, we come to dislike or hurt that person
as a way of justifying our cruelty
 Prejudicial attitudes
 Blaming the victim – bullying
3. Social Learning
 The social learning theory suggests that we learn social
behaviours, such as aggression, by observing others
and imitating them.
 Vicarious reinforcement -- seeing and recalling the
model being reinforced.
Bobo doll studies
 Ss = children
 Watch a film in which an adult attacks a large inflated
Bobo doll.
 Experimental manipulation (IV): the end of the film
differed
 1. the model is punished for treatment of the doll
 2. the model receives no consequences
 3. the model is rewarded for aggression to doll
 DV: child’s behaviour toward bobo doll
Bobo doll studies
 Bandura (1961, 1963)
 5 min film clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDtBz_1dkuk
Vicarious Consequences
Next class…
 The big debate: T.V. violence
 Social Learning of Aggression