Chloe studies in a communal university library's postgraduate silent zone. She notices that students consistently avoid interaction: they sit at individual desks, wear large headphones, look down at their laptops, and ignore anyone who walks past.
One afternoon, there is a sudden power outage in the building, and the emergency backup lights flash red while an unusual alarm chime sounds. Following this event, students immediately begin speaking to one another, laughing, sharing information, and cooperating to pack their belongings.
When Chloe later discusses this sudden change in social dynamics with her tutor, the tutor suggests that social interaction and cooperative behaviours are entirely learned through environmental experiences rather than being innate.
Evaluate the extent to which human behaviour, such as social interaction, can be explained by learning theories.
You must make reference to the context in your answer.
Practise Edexcel A Level Psychology Issues and debates with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 147 questions covering Issues and debates, matched to the Edexcel A Level Psychology (9PS0) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.