OBSERVATIONAL
LEARNING
Vedika dhar 11th connected 29
INDEX
1. Introduction
2. Human observational learning
3. Bobo doll experiment
4. Influential stages and factors
5. Effects on behaviour
6. Observational learning in everyday life
7. Some animal behaviour experiment
INTRODUCTION
• Observational learning is learning
that occurs through observing the
behavior of others. It is a form of social
learning which takes various forms,
based on various processes.
• Canadian/American psychologist,
Albert Bandura, was one of the first
psychologists to recognize the
phenomenon of observational
learning.
In humans, this form of learning seems to not need
reinforcement to occur, but instead, requires a social
model such as a parent, sibling, friend, or teacher with
surroundings. Particularly in childhood, a model is
someone of authority or higher status in an environment.
• In animals, observational learning is often based on
classical conditioning, in which an instinctive behavior is
elicited by observing the behavior of another (e.g.
mobbing in birds), but other processes may be involved as
well.
HUMAN OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING
• Many behaviors that a learner observes, remembers, and imitates are actions
that models display and display modeling, even though the model may not
intentionally try to instill a particular behavior. A child may learn to swear,
smack, smoke, and deem other inappropriate behavior acceptable through
poor modeling. Albert Bandura claims that children continually learn desirable
and undesirable behavior through observational learning. Observational
learning suggests that an individual' s environment, cognition, and behavior
all incorporate and ultimately determine how the individual functions and
models. • Culture plays a role in whether observational learning is the
dominant learning style in a person or community. Some cultures expect
children to actively participate in their communities and are therefore
exposed to different trades and roles on a daily basis. This exposure allows
children to observe and learn the different skills and practices that are valued
in their communities
BOBO DOLL EXPERIMENT
Albert Bandura states that people's behavior could be
determined by their environment. Observational learning
occurs through observing negative and positive behaviors.
Bandura believes in reciprocal determinism in which the
environment can influence people's behavior and vice
versa.
In this experiment Bandura demonstrates that one group
of children placed in an aggressive environment would act
the same way, while the control group and the other group
of children placed in a passive role model environment
hardly shows any type of aggression.
BOBO DOLL EXPERIMENT
the Bobo doll experiment shows
that the model, in a determined
environment, affects children's
behavior.
INFLUENTIAL STAGES AND FACTORS
Bandura's social cognitive learning theory states that there are four
factors that influence observational learning:
1. Attention: we must first pay attention to the model.
2. Retention / Memory: We must be able to remember the observed
behavior.
3. Initiation / Motor: We must be able to replicate the behavior
demonstrated.
4. Motivation: The observer must have motivation to recreate the
observed behavior.
Observational learning leads to a change in an individual's
behavior along three dimensions:
1. An individual thinks about a situation in a different way
and may have incentive to react to it.
2. The change is a result of a person's direct experiences as
opposed to being in-born.
3. For the most part, the change an individual has made is
permanent.
Effects on behaviour
According to Bandura's social cognitive learning theory,
observational learning can affect behavior in many ways,
with both positive and negative consequences. It can
teach completely new behaviors, for one. It can also
increase or decrease the frequency of behaviors that have
previously been learned. Observational learning can even
encourage behaviors that were previously forbidden
Age difference: Albert Bandura stressed that developing children
learn from different social models, meaning that no two children are
exposed to exactly the same modeling influence. From infancy to
adolescence, they are exposed to various social models. As they
continue to develop, toddlers around age two can acquire important
personal and social skills by imitating a social model.
Observational casual learning: Humans use observational causal
learning to watch other people's actions and use the information
gained to find out how something works and how we can do it
ourselves. A study of 25-month-old infants found that they can learn
causal relations from observing human interventions. They also learn
by observing normal actions not created by intentional human action.
Apprenticeship: Apprenticeship can involve both observational
learning and modelling. Apprentices gain their skills in part through
working with masters in their profession and through observing and
evaluating the work of their fellow apprentices.
Peer model influences Observational learning is very beneficial when
there are positive, reinforcing peer models involved. Performance is
enhanced when children are positively instructed on how they can
improve a situation and where children actively participate alongside
a more skilled person.
Comparisons with imitation Observational learning is presumed to
have occurred when an organism copies an improbable action or
action outcome that it has observed and the matching behavior
cannot be explained by an alternative mechanism
OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING IN EVERYDAY LIFE
Observational learning allows for new skills to be learned in a wide
variety of areas. Demonstrations help the modification of skills and
behaviors. • When learning skills for physical activities can be
anything that is learned that requires physical movement, this can
include learning a sport, learning to eat with a fork, or learning to
walk. • Modeling is a variable in observational learning where the skill
level of the model is considered. When someone is supposed to
demonstrate a physical skill such as throwing a baseball the model
should be able to execute the behavior of throwing the ball flawlessly
if the model of learning is a mastery model. • There are multiple
important variables that aid in modifying physical skills and
psychological responses from an observational learning standpoint.
Some animal behaviour experiment
Do-as-I-do Chimpanzee
Flexible methods must be used to assess whether an animal can
imitate an action. This led to an approach that teaches animals to
imitate by using a command such as “do-as-I-do " or “do this”
followed by the action that they are supposed to imitate .
Researchers trained chimpanzees to imitate an action that was
paired with the command. For example, this might include a
researcher saying “do this” paired with clapping hands. This type
of instruction has been utilized in a variety of other animals in
order to teach imitation actions by utilizing a command or
request.
Bottlenose dolphin
Herman (2002) suggested that bottlenose dolphins produce
goal-emulated behaviors rather than imitative ones. A dolphin
that watches a model place a ball in a basket might place the
ball in the basket when asked to mimic the behavior, but it
may do so in a different manner seen.
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