Lesson 4.1.3

4.1.3 Social learning theory: observation, imitation and the four stages Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Psychology, Unit 4

20 questions

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Lesson 4.1.3, Social learning theory: observation, imitation and the four stages: 20 multiple choice questions for the Pearson Edexcel Psychology (9PS0), Unit 4: Learning theories, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. In social learning theory, what is the key difference between observational learning and classical conditioning?

    • Observational learning is always involuntary, while classical conditioning is always a conscious decision made by the learner
    • Observational learning happens only in animals, while classical conditioning occurs only in human children during development
    • Observational learning requires direct pairing of a stimulus with food, while classical conditioning requires a model to be watched
    • Observational learning involves watching a model's behaviour and its consequences, without the learner being directly reinforced

  2. Which of these is the best definition of modelling in social learning theory?

    • Observing a person perform a behaviour and then copying that behaviour, especially when the model is seen as similar or admired
    • Learning that occurs only when a teacher gives a verbal instruction and the learner repeats the instruction word for word
    • Using clay or wax to make a physical copy of a target object so that the learner can practise a task without any model
    • The natural decline of a behaviour after reinforcement is withdrawn, which removes the behaviour from the individual's repertoire

  3. In social learning theory, what is vicarious reinforcement?

    • Reinforcement that is removed from the learner after a behaviour, which makes the learner less likely to repeat the behaviour
    • Reinforcement that the learner sees a model receive, which makes the learner more likely to imitate the observed behaviour
    • Reinforcement that is delivered automatically by a machine after every response, without any link to a model or observer
    • Reinforcement that is given directly to the learner by a teacher, following a correct response in the classroom each time

  4. Which of the four stages of observational learning involves the learner remembering what was observed?

    • Attention, in which the learner focuses on the model's behaviour and the features that make it noticeable
    • Reproduction, in which the learner physically performs the behaviour that was observed and stored in memory
    • Retention, in which the learner stores the observed behaviour in memory so that it can be recalled later
    • Motivation, in which the learner decides whether there is an incentive to perform the observed behaviour

  5. Which stage of observational learning depends on the learner having the physical ability to perform the behaviour?

    • Attention, which depends on the learner's physical strength to focus on the model for a long period of time
    • Retention, which depends on the learner's physical ability to remember the details of the model's appearance
    • Motivation, which depends on the learner's physical health and energy levels at the time the model is observed
    • Reproduction, which depends on the learner's physical capability to carry out the observed behaviour

  6. A child watches an older sibling being praised for helping with the washing up, and then starts to help too. Which stage best explains the child's motivation to imitate?

    • Attention, because the child is distracted by the praise, so the child cannot focus properly on the washing up at all
    • Motivation, because the child sees that the sibling was rewarded, which increases the likelihood of the child performing the behaviour
    • Retention, because the child forgets the praise straight away, which means the helping behaviour is entirely accidental and random
    • Reproduction, because the child must perform the behaviour perfectly for the praise to be seen, which is the only factor

  7. A learner is shown a model but does not notice the important features of the behaviour. Which stage has failed?

    • Motivation, because the learner was not interested in gaining any reward, so they did not care about the model at all
    • Attention, because the learner did not focus on the key features of the model's behaviour, so nothing was observed well
    • Retention, because the learner could not store the behaviour in memory, even though they focused on the model fully
    • Reproduction, because the learner is not able to copy the behaviour, even though they can remember it perfectly well

  8. Which statement best describes social learning theory's view of learning compared with behaviourism?

    • It ignores the role of the environment, focusing only on genes and biological factors that shape the individual's behaviour
    • It agrees that learning is only through direct reinforcement, but adds that cognitive processes such as attention play a role
    • It is identical to behaviourism in every respect, with no differences at all between the two explanations of learning
    • It rejects the idea of learning entirely, arguing that behaviour is fixed at birth and cannot be changed by any experience

  9. Which is an evaluation strength of social learning theory?

    • It accounts for all behaviour, including biological processes such as hormonal changes, which it describes in great detail
    • It accounts for learning without direct reinforcement, so it explains behaviour that conditioning alone cannot explain well
    • It accounts for learning only in laboratory animals, which makes it easy to test with rigorous controls in the research
    • It accounts for learning only through the unconscious mind, which means that its predictions can never be tested or checked

  10. Which limitation is most often raised about social learning theory?

    • It is hard to know which internal mental processes are operating, so the account can be difficult to test directly
    • It is based on the idea that learning never occurs, which means that the theory cannot explain any behaviour at all
    • It is based only on the behaviour of rats in mazes, so the findings cannot be generalised to any human learning situation
    • It is completely based on brain scans, which cannot be used to study any human behaviour outside a laboratory setting

  11. A researcher argues that social learning theory explains why children learn aggression from television. Which concept does this rely on most?

    • Classical conditioning, because children learn aggression through repeated pairing of violent scenes with a neutral stimulus
    • Modelling and vicarious reinforcement, because children observe characters being rewarded for aggression and may imitate them
    • Spontaneous recovery, because aggression on television returns after a rest period, even though no child has watched it
    • Negative reinforcement, because children stop being aggressive when the violent scene is removed from the television screen

  12. Which factor is most likely to make a child more likely to imitate a model?

    • The model being admired or seen as similar to the child, so that the child is motivated to copy the behaviour
    • The model being unknown and very distant, so that the child has no reason at all to pay attention to them
    • The model being punished for their behaviour, since the child always imitates punished behaviour more than rewarded behaviour
    • The model being an object rather than a person, since objects provide clearer and more reliable behavioural examples

  13. A researcher wants to test whether a child has learned a behaviour from a model without performing it. Which measure would be most suitable?

    • Measuring the child's heart rate, which tests only the physical arousal of the child without any memory of the model
    • Asking the child to pay for the behaviour, which tests the child's understanding of financial value in social situations
    • Asking the child to describe what they remember of the model's behaviour, which tests retention
    • Asking the child to perform the behaviour, which tests reproduction rather than the memory of the behaviour alone

  14. Which is the best description of the role of the observer in social learning theory?

    • The observer has no role in learning, since the model performs all the learning for the observer in the social setting
    • The observer is a passive recipient of information, who is unable to use any cognitive processes when learning from models
    • The observer learns only through physical punishment, which is the only factor that makes observation lead to learning at all
    • The observer actively attends to, stores and decides whether to reproduce observed behaviour, based on expected consequences

  15. Which statement best illustrates the difference between learning and performance in social learning theory?

    • Learning is the act of performing a behaviour, while performance is only the memory of the behaviour that was observed earlier
    • Learning is a physical act, while performance is a mental act, so the two processes occur in separate parts of the brain
    • Learning is the acquisition of a behaviour through observation, while performance is whether the behaviour is actually carried out
    • Learning and performance are identical, since a behaviour that has been learned must always be performed in every situation

  16. Which example best illustrates the difference between the four stages of social learning theory and classical conditioning?

    • A toddler who cries when a loud noise sounds, which shows that all behaviour is a natural and innate reflex from birth
    • A rat that presses a lever for food, which shows that all learning is produced by a single direct reinforcement each time
    • A dog who salivates to a bell after repeated pairing with food, which shows that no cognitive process is involved at all
    • A child who chooses to imitate a model, after considering what they saw, shows a cognitive process not present in conditioning

  17. A teacher uses a model to show pupils how to solve a problem, then praises a pupil who copies the method. Which theory is this an application of?

    • Classical conditioning, because the praise is paired with the problem, so pupils learn to solve it when the praise is absent
    • Psychodynamic theory, because the teacher's praise activates the id of each pupil, which then solves the problem unconsciously
    • Social learning theory, because pupils learn through observing a model, and the praise may act as vicarious and direct reinforcement
    • Biological psychology, because the praise changes the pupil's brain chemistry, which then produces the solution in the mind

  18. Which evaluation point about social learning theory is most accurate?

    • It is supported by evidence from controlled studies, but findings from laboratory settings may not reflect real life fully
    • It is entirely unsupported by evidence, since no study has ever shown that people learn through observing a model at all
    • It has been proven to be true in every detail, so no further research is needed on the role of modelling in human learning
    • It has no application to real-world settings, since it has never been used to understand learning in schools or families

  19. A learner acquires a behaviour without being reinforced for it personally. Which concept explains this?

    • Vicarious learning, in which the learner observes a model's behaviour and its consequences and adopts it
    • Primary reinforcement, in which the body's biological needs are satisfied directly, so the learner repeats any action
    • Extinction, in which a response that is not performed gradually weakens until it disappears from the learner's behaviour
    • Spontaneous recovery, in which a conditioned response returns after a rest period without any new pairing of stimuli

  20. What does imitation mean in social learning theory?

    • Copying an observed behaviour, which the learner then performs after having watched a model carry it out
    • Receiving a direct reward after a random action that has no link to any model being watched by the learner
    • Doing the opposite of what a model does, in order to avoid being punished by the other people in the group
    • Remembering a model's behaviour without ever performing it, so that the learning remains entirely internal

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