Psychology 9-1 GCSE - 

6.1.1 - Understand learning theories as an explanation of criminality, including strengths and weaknesses of each theory:

Operant Conditioning (Skinner, 1948) -

a) Positive Reinforcement - 

This strengthens behavior by providing a consequence an individual finds rewarding. He used a rat in a box to prove this with a lever that released food.

b) Negative Reinforcement - 

The removal of an unpleasant reinforce can also strengthen behavior. This is known as negative reinforcement because it is the removal of adverse stimulus. 

c) Positive Punishment - 

Positive punishment removes a positive reinforce to weaken a response. 

d) Negative Punishment - 

This is applying an unpleasant stimulus to weaken a response.

e) Primary Reinforcers - 

There is no learning necessary for these to be reinforcing. These are things like eating, sleeping etc.

f) Secondary Reinforcers - 

This is known as conditioned reinforcement. This refers to a situation where in stimulus reinforces behavior after being previously associated with a primary reinforcer. 

Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1977) - 

g) Role Models - 

A person or people who knowingly or unknowingly inspires others to imitate their persona. A role model may be a real person, such as a parent, or fictional.

h) Modelling - 

Modelling is a form of learning where individuals ascertain how to act or perform by observing another individual. 

i) Identification - 

As children develop there comes a time where the child must adopt the characteristics of one of their parents. The child usually associates with the same sex parents. 

j) Observational Learning - 

Children observe the people around them behaving in various ways. Such as learning how to tie a shoe by watching someone else do it. 

k) Vicarious Reinforcement - 

It refers to the process of learning behaviors through observation of reward and punishment, rather than through direct experience.