AQA GCSE Psychology · 8182
Paper 2
Revise: Theories of AddictionFor the observer, seeing this reward provides vicarious reinforcement: they learn that bringing alcohol could earn them approval too. They may then imitate the behaviour.
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GCSE Psychology · key term
Learning from observing someone else being rewarded for a behaviour, making imitation more likely.
Used by AQA and OCR
Paper 2
Revise: Theories of AddictionFor the observer, seeing this reward provides vicarious reinforcement: they learn that bringing alcohol could earn them approval too. They may then imitate the behaviour.
Paper 1
Seeing someone else rewarded for behaviour, making the observer more likely to imitate it.
Distinguish reinforcement by who receives the reward: the role model receives it in vicarious reinforcement; the learner receives it in direct reinforcement.
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Vicarious reinforcement occurs when an observer sees someone else rewarded for their behaviour. The reward may be material, such as money or stolen goods, or social, such as admiration and increased status. Seeing these outcomes makes the behaviour appear worthwhile and increases the likelihood of imitation.