Social Learning Theory Explanation of Eating Behaviour

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Social Learning Theory Explanation of eating behaviour AO1 * Social learning theory (SLT) emphasises how we can learn eating behaviour from watching others. The type of person mostly likely to be copied according to SLT are those we see as role models. Characteristics which make someone more likely to be copied are people who are seen as attractive, likable, the same gender, and often those of a higher status. This makes parents in particular influential models for children when it comes to eating behaviour. * Furthermore SLT suggests behaviour is most likely to be copied when it is reinforced. This reinforcement can be direct, for example praise for eating a certain food, or vicarious, for example seeing someone else receive praise for losing weight. * SLT will lead to the person having mental representations of eating behaviour and expectancies of outcomes associated with this eating behaviour. * SLT helps also explain the influence of the media, such as television, film and magazines on eating behaviour. There is also some evidence suggesting children’s toys like Barbie and Bratz may lead to children having an unrealistic image of an ideal body shape, and therefore lead to abnormal eating behaviours. AO2 - Evidence * Research linking parents to eating behaviour has shown that there is a strong relationship between parents and children in terms of snack intake, perception of body dissatisfaction and attitude towards food (Brown & Ogden, 2004). * Further research has shown the biggest indicator of a daughters eating behaviour was the dietary restraint of the mother. This would explain why sometimes an entire family is obese, as can be seen on some reality TV shows. However it is not always clear in these cases if it is nature or nurture causing the behaviour. * The importance of the media on eating behaviour was investigated by
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