Discuss how the social learning theory describes criminal behavior.tge assignment should cover the following: What is the involvement of parents/guardians in their children's lives.? How is the learni
How does social learning theory describe criminal behavior?
Many behaviorist theories of learning propose that the act of learning occurs as a result of an association through conditioning and reinforcing or punishing. According to Bandura, (a very influential psychologist known for his concept of self-efficacy and bob doll experiments) social theory of learning, he strongly suggests that learning occurs by observing what others are doing. He also adds that one's intrapersonal skills are very crucial, and that just because something has been recently learned does not necessarily mean it must cause a permanent behavior change.
How does observational learning occur? It involves a series of 4 steps. These are; attention -first and foremost, education cannot happen when a person is distracted. Maximum focus is crucial; otherwise, learning through observation will be impacted negatively. This is through one's arousal levels and sensory capabilities. Next is retention- this refers to the act of being to store information so that they can be retrieved later for use. It is inclusive of motor and symbolic rehearsal and organizing cognitive skills in the brain for remembrance. The 3rd step is the reproduction; after successful observation and retaining of information, displaying of the same is expected. Whenever a newly learned behavior is repeated, the skill gets advanced. It much relies on accurate feedback. The final step is motivation. For a response to be recreated, intrinsic motivation is essential as well as vicarious and external motivation.
A great example of Bandura’s social learning theory is commercials we see on our screens. They make viewers believe that once they use their products, they might become unique ad accessible. This leads to a lot of people modeling their behavior and purchase the product being advertised. Another example is how a teenager struggles to learn slang in school from peers. He/ she is forced to copy them to fit into their world. Some of the items that influence learning through observation are, if the behavior has been gifted in the recent times, (external motivation) if the people being observed are nurturing and welcoming/kind or if the observer lacks confidence in his her abilities because perhaps peers laugh and make fun out of them.
A lot of researchers find this topic quite interesting and engaging because it aids in improving the work relations between employees and enhancing communication skills, display of good character from childhood, considering the feelings of others before saying sensitive things to them, being open about our personal needs so that we can gain external assistance, it also helps social workers to give their best effort and developing themselves to a level they seek,( consider a social worker who encounters an aggressive students that hinder other learners from learning. The worker will first identify the root of disruptive behavior, i.e., bullying, and then use the knowledge in social learning to handle the situation professionally. This could be by the use of therapy techniques like positive modeling and systematic desensitization) helps students attain their potential (if they notice their peers being rewarded for toping in academia or curricular activities, they would want to copy through seeing), be responsible, emulate their peers and teachers' role model, mentors any other people they fancy around them.
Without no doubt, researching on the social learning theory is vital because about behavior related to criminology, parents/ guardians can understand that children are active listeners and that even though exposing them to different environs can lead to their delinquency. Sutherland's differential association theory proposes that criminal behavior is learned through interacting with other individuals and effective communication. He further suggests that the illegal character is enhanced within intimate personal groups.
Unlike the social learning theory, Sutherland outlines two learning processes in criminal behavior. These are; one must first know the careful yet sometimes complicated techniques of committing a crime; secondly, is the rationalization, attitude, and drive towards it. ( Akers and burgess, 1966 ) Propose that learning occurs primarily through differential reinforcement and that voluntary actions undertaken by a person are affected by incentives and punishments. This social learning theory tends to explain why persons decide to participate in deviance, escalate/deescalate, and why they later pick to desist from criminal injustices.
What do you understand by the term criminal behavior? Generally, this refers to any covert law-breaking activity that has been forbidden in a state and will result in punishment through conviction. Some of the Examples of crimes are fraud, sex and violent crimes, homicide, theft e.t.c. The observation aspect of social learning theory and its relation to potential criminal behavior has been a fascinating topic of discussion. It aims to examine the pattern between violence experienced in society and adolescent delinquency. It also tries to explain how children learn from exploration and observation. If a child is exposed to criminal activities, then the expected outcome is that they are more likely to engage in outrageous behavior through their growth.
Learned unsustainability has been examined in social learning. They are taking into consideration the Bobo doll in Bandura's theory. It explains how criminal behavior is enhanced, especially in children. They tend to see something and want to copy what they have just seen. People engage in crime because they associate with those who indulge in criminal activities. They have crime models whom they imitate by hanging out with them or even watching them from a distance. The international encyclopedia of social & behavioral sciences 2nd edition, 2015, suggests that criminal behavior is a duty of norms that are discriminative and is reinforced once they are learned.
Although traditional biological theories suggest that people commit criminal activities due to genetic defects, covert behavior is as a result of environmental factors and social association with peers. This is made possible through the communication process.
The social learning theory of crime strongly believes that individuals lean to break laws of a country by the same process in which others practice to conform. It assumes that people have no intention of committing a crime or submitting right from the time they are born. Many researchers have tried to understand why people commit crimes. According to them, people engage in misconduct because the learning process is stressed, thus inviting the relationship between cognition, the surroundings, and the behavior of the individual. They strive to engage in covert behavior through interacting with others, and as a result, they come to justify crime as something that is right in certain occasions.
Social learning is rooted back to the theorists Like George Herbert Mead in Chicago school. It also draws on symbolic interactionism, which is basically a psychological theory of sociology that talks about how humans beings being understood through the communication process. He continues to argue that people's symbols are learned by interacting with others and sharing their meanings. Edwin Sutherland and Ronald Akers build on this theory and are the key to understanding criminology through social learning.
Gresham Sykes and David Matza have enlisted some justifications people use to commit the crime. For example, it is wrong to throw tantrums or physically to assault someone as perceived by many people; however, to some people, it is right to do so if you have been provoked in some way (typically impulsive individuals are the doers). Several theorists also suggest that certain levels of human beings, specifically male teenagers from the lower class in the society, have a higher chance to justify crime as an activity that is ethical to a wide range of provocations. However, there is insignificant evidence for the pattern beliefs and the race in favor of violence.
Lawbreakers sometimes hold absolute values that are wide and conducive to the crime they commit. The costs do not precisely justify the crimes since the sugar coat it so that it looks more appealing choice than would otherwise be the case. Matza and Skyes emphasize three sets of values; thrills(excitement) when one desires quick, easily achievable success and being tough. Such kind of benefits can be achieved either through legitimate or illegitimate pathways, but people in possession of these values are more likely to perceive crime in a much better way.
Behavior does not only comprise of incentives, punishments, or the function of beliefs that people exhibit but also the characteristics of others around them. It is expected for individuals to emulate others' behavior, especially if they believe that imitating their models will result in them being reinforced by fro example, receiving verbal appreciation or material incentives. It is believed by theorists today that the social learning theory has been supported and could be the possible dominant theory of crime currently. The data collected indicate that the kind of people one interacts with impact primarily on whether someone engages in misconduct or does not. And the punishments one gets exposed to.
According to the works of (CULLEN, 1988), Cloward and Ohlin indicate that different behaviors emerge from different subcultural groups since some environments reinforce a response while others do not. They further add that in order for an individual to deal with delinquent behavior, we should first have a look at the individual's character since it is the root of everything. At this stage, it is relevant for the learning principles to criminal behavior to be applied systematically by linking the criminal to the surrounding.
Learned behavior is directly linked to criminal behavior. Other theorists have backed the Sutherlands theory of differentiation because of its strengths and realistic ideas. ( Julian B.Rottter,1954 ) in one of his methods strictly shunned away from the behaviorist theory that was linked by theorists before him like B.F Skinner and goes in to suggest that learning occurs through a holistic relationship between the surroundings and the person.rotters theory is convinced that if there is a higher chance of behavior reoccurring then a function of primary expectancy and incentives that are otherwise reinforced would be expected.
The model had a series of responses that did not go hand in hand with an unlearnt answer. Albert Bandura says, " weaknesses of learning techniques that cut off the social variables are not seen other than in their treatment of acquiring responses in novels" this is why he had an interest in conducting rapid acquisition of new behavior through observing socially with The most known being the Bobo doll experiment.
The primary tenets that Bandura and Walter in 1963 outlined and later on detailed in 1977 are: learning is more of a cognitive procedure that takes place in a social environment
Learning could occur if the behavior is observed and its consequences still grasped( theorist call this vicarious reinforcement)
Knowledge comprises of following, extracting information from what they just saw, and choosing to decide on the performance of that behavior. (modeling)
Although support plays a role in the learning process, it is not wholly responsible for it. However, thoughts, moral values, and beliefs all assist in motivating persons.
Lastly, the two theorists conclude that the surroundings, behavior, and cognition all influence each other mutually through a process known as (reciprocal determinism) and that the learner does not receive information passively.
Burgess and Akers insist that criminal behavior is learned through nonsocial occasions and social environments through a combo of vicarious reinforcement, explicit instruction, direct observation, and reinforcement. Many typical stimulus-response theorists entirely rely on direct experience inform of the behavior. Bandura tends to spice up the scope of learning mechanisms by strongly suggesting that observation is a possibility where humans represent actual outcomes by the use of symbols. The cognitively mediated models allow future results to have the same impact as the typical S-R theory. Reciprocal determinism is very vital as it states that the environment and vice versa influence an individual's behavior. In simpler terms, an individual's qualities, behavior, and surroundings are all reciprocal to one another. A good example is a child who has access to watching wrestling programs at home without supervision will influence hi/ her peers to start viewing too, which will then lead them to do it frequently and perhaps practice it physically with the agemates.
Bandura highlighted three types of modeling stimuli involved with the cognitive process. Live models are a context in which a person demonstrates the behavior. Verbal instruction is where the person being modeled strives to describe the desired behavior in much detail and instruct the person to engage in it as he/she supervises. Symbolic modeling, on the other hand, referred to learning that occurs through the internet, literature, listening to the radio, watching movies and television, etc.
This whole social learning study serves a primary purpose, which is to examine the pattern in this experimental test of deviant modeling. The study found that behavioral modeling is a central component that may lead one to the likeliness of one engaging in abnormal behavior such as robbery or any other forms of mob injustices.
Conclusion
The relationship between exhibited behavior and the social learning theory must be revisited. This is because understanding the pattern between them will increase the chances of one
following the cause of delinquency in children and how parents and guardians can intervene while still early before the behavior becomes complex.
According to Loebber and Farrington, juvenile delinquency is caused by contextual, situational, individual, and community factors, and the offender may start displaying these habits from childhood. However, Kim,2008, p.23) thinks that the IQ of the offenders could be a reason behind juvenile delinquency. According to Hirsch, the offenders may engage in criminal activities if there are no social bonds between parents and teachers and the teenager.
Parents and guardians involvement IN their children's life are primary. Children who come from families that have been disrupted have a higher chance of being antisocial and engage in criminal activities. ( Juby and Farrington,2001) They can assist their children so that they may not end up engaging in deviant behavior by; sparing time to talk to them. Teenagers, most times, do not like sharing their thoughts. Parents can, however, strike a conversation with them by asking them about their friends at school and at home. This gives them an entry into their thoughts and advises them accordingly, and they should also pay close attention to the things their children fancy in social media. If it is crime-related, then the guardian should act accordingly. They can also monitor what their kids might be missing out. I.e., if they have fewer friends or lack enough sleep due to staying up late, then this could be the answer to why the child starts developing delinquent behavior. Scheduling of playdates with children increases the social bonds, thus helps reduce the vices in the community.
REFERENCES
Chen, P., Voisin, D. R., & Jacobson, K. C. (2016). Community violence exposure and adolescent delinquency: Examining a spectrum of promotive factors. Youth & Society, 48(1), 33-57.
Graham, P., & Arshad-Ayaz, A. (2016). Learned Unsustainability: Bandura’s Bobo Doll Revisited. Journal of Education for Sustainable Development, 10(2), 262-273.
Burgess, R. L., & Akers, R. L. (1966). A differential association-reinforcement theory of criminal behavior. Soc. Probs., 14, 128.
Bandura, A., Grusec, J. E., & Menlove, F. L. (1966). Observational learning as a function of symbolization and incentive set. Child development, 499-506.
