User:Ameliacanas/sandbox

The social learning theory is another contemporary media effect theory that theorizes how people are changed by media and their surroundings. This theory in particular has become influential in how behavior and media are linked. A psychologist at Stanford University named Albert Bandura developed a hypothesis stating violent or more aggressive behavior from individuals can be linked back to the viewing of media that has similar themes of violence. Bandura cultivated this theory back in the 1960s, before movies, television shows, and video games became what we know of them today. To test his theory, Bandura constructed the “Bobo doll” experiments where he would get groups of children from the school’s nursery and place them in rooms with a punching bag doll. Depending on how the children would react determined their level of aggression. Through this study, Bandura developed the social learning theory with a four-step process. To begin, attention must be gained from the subject and see the aggressive behavior take place. Next, to see what the subject remembers, the memory of the aggressive behavior must be retained. The third step of the social learning theory is called motor reproduction which determines if the subject is now going to recreate the aggressive behavior they just encountered. The last step concluding the experiment is to motivate the subject with the behavior they just preformed, encouraging either the aggressive or passive action they had on the doll. You have many researchers who will side with this theory, saying consuming high amounts of violent media will result in violent behavior, such as the Columbine massacre or many recent school or public shootings. Others argue the social learning theory looks past crucial factors, such as mental illness, that could cause such events to occur. Some researchers will say media may give a subject ideas in being violent but media may not necessarily give them the desire or will to be violent. Regardless, the social learning theory links potential causals of behavior to media.

Campbell, Richard, R. Christopher Martin and Bettina Fabos. Media Essentials: A Brief Introduction. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2016. Print.

McLeod, Saul. Simply Psychology. 2014. 6 December 2017.