Learning Approaches: Social Learning Theory (AQA A Level Psychology)

There was an overall increase in sales of Tiger following the advertisement campaign. Interestingly, the increase in sales was greater for male customers than for female customers. See Table 1 below.

Table 1: Sales figures before and after the Tiger advert

Calculate the percentage increase in sales of Tiger to male customers. Give your answer to two significant figures. Show your workings.

At a local school, teachers took part in Active Lifestyle Week to encourage students to become more active. The week involved daily staff netball matches during break times and a step count challenge.

Two of the teachers were talking at the end of the week. Miss Honey said, “That was such a great week! I felt proud to win the staff step count challenge and receive the medal in assembly and demonstrate the joy of sport. My students loved watching us compete, I really think it will inspire them to be more active themselves!” Mrs Wilson replied, “It’s alright for you, you’re young and the students like you. My students were so embarrassed to see me tripping over in netball. I think I may have put them off sport forever!” Whether or not students learn to be more active could depend on mediational processes.

Explain how mediational processes might be involved in the students becoming more active.

A television advert for a new cleaning spray, called ‘Tiger’, shows an England rugby player vigorously scrubbing a stain on the carpet. The rugby player gets exhausted and gives up. A small boy says, ‘Only Tiger power will get that out’ and hands the rugby player a bottle of Tiger.

The rugby player draws tiger stripes on his own face, roars and the little boy laughs. The rugby player easily wipes the stain from the carpet using Tiger. The boy claps and the advert ends with the text, ‘Anyone can battle stains with a Tiger on their side.’

Explain how the Tiger advert might influence viewers’ mediational processes

At a local school, teachers took part in Active Lifestyle Week to encourage students to become more active. The week involved daily staff netball matches during breaktimes and a step count challenge.

Two of the teachers were talking at the end of the week. Miss Honey said, “That was such a great week! I felt proud to win the staff step count challenge and receive the medal in assembly and demonstrate the joy of sport. My students loved watching us compete, I really think it will inspire them to be more active themselves!”

Mrs Wilson replied, “It’s alright for you, you’re young and the students like you. My students were so embarrassed to see me tripping over in netball. I think I may have put them off sport forever!”

Apart from mediational processes, use your knowledge of social learning theory to explain Miss Honey’s and Mrs Wilson’s comments.