Johnny is 12 years old and has been aggressive toward his siblings and peers, hitting, kicking, and calling them names. johnny's parents are worried about these new aggressive behaviors and consult with a psychologist. after some meetings, they suggest that this behavior could be a result of watching too many violent movies and playing too many violent video games. this explanation for the aggression is consistent with

The explanation for the aggression is consistent with the social learning theory by Albert Bandura.

Explanation:

The psychologist Albert Bandura was interested on the basis of human interaction and made the famous Bobo doll experiment.

The experiment consisted on testing the imitation influence, specially of aggression behavior, in two groups of children. The first group was in a non-aggressive environment. The kids of the second group watched several times their teacher kicking and hitting, also insulting, a Bobo doll (an inflatable toy with painted image of a doll). In both groups, after spending some time in their respective environment, the teacher gave them the Bobo doll. The results showed that most of the kids, in the second group (with the aggressive environment) were more liable to also kicked and hit the toy, as seen with the teacher; while, on the other hand, most kids of the first group were not.

Based on this experiment, prof. Bandura developed the social learning theory that supports that, both children and adults learn and develop disposition to do certain things by imitation, based on the behavior that they observe in others. Prof. Bandura emphasizes that aggression is a very imitable behavior.

This is why the explanation given by Johnny's parents about his behavior is consistent with the social learning theory, because they are recognizing violent behavior in the video games that Johnny constantly watches and plays. So, his parents are saying that he is acting aggressively because he is imitating the behavior shown and experienced in the video games.

The answer is social learning theory. This explanation for the aggression is consistent with social learning theory by Albert Bandura.

EXPLANATION

Social learning theory is a theory that was developed by Albert Bandura. It is about the belief that new behaviors of a person can be obtained by imitating and observing others around us. This theory believes in the importance of the environment as the cause of our behavior.  

Social learning refers to the cognitive process that is influenced by the social environment. Behavior in social learning can occur through direct instruction and observation. Even though there is no direct reinforcement and motor reproduction, behavior can occur.

Social learning also believes in reinforcement and punishment to strengthen a behavior. If a certain behavior is rewarded, it is for the purpose to reinforce and strengthen a behavior. This act is called reinforcement. Meanwhile, if we want to weaken a behavior, we can use punishment. If we punish someone for doing a certain behavior, then the behavior will slowly desist. This act is called punishment. Both punishment and reinforcement are processes of vicarious reinforcement.

Social learning theory is a developed version of behavioral theories. In behavioral theories, the behavior is believed to be caused solely by the environment. In social learning theory, the environment is still the cause of the behavior, but various internal processes also influence the learning of an individual. Social learning theory also believes that we are not the only ones that are influenced by the environment, but the environment is also influenced by our behavior.

LEARN MORE

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:

Classical and operant conditioning:

Cognitive approach in psychology:

KEYWORD: social learning theory, aggression, behavior

Subject: Social Studies

Class: 10-12

Subchapter: Social learning theory

answer; implicit memories explicit;

answer; ethnocentric;