Priya has a son called Arlo who is 20 months old. Priya is trying to teach Arlo how to brush his teeth by demonstrating to him how she holds and moves the toothbrush. She makes sure he is watching her closely. Priya praises Arlo, saying “super brushing!” and giving him a high-five, every time he copies her correctly. Arlo smiles and giggles each time he manages to brush his teeth on his own.
Discuss how social learning theory could account for Arlo learning to brush his teeth. Refer to the description above in your answer.
205 exam-style questions on Edexcel A Level Psychology Content, covering Main features of classical conditioning, Pavlov (1927) salivation in dogs, Main features of operant conditioning, Properties of reinforcement, Behaviour modification and shaping, Main features of social learning theory, Social learning stages, Bandura (1961, 1963) Bobo doll experiments, Bandura (1965) vicarious reinforcement, Learning theories and phobias, Treatments for phobias, Individual differences, and Developmental psychology. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.