Observational Learning

Effect 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 (for example, the violent behavior towards the Bobo doll that children imitated in Albert Bandura's study). Observational learning can also influence behaviors that are similar to, but not identical to, the ones being modeled. For example, seeing a model excel at playing the piano may motivate an observer to play the saxophone.

Stage 4 of Observational Learning: Motivation

> Coaches also give pep talks, recognizing the importance of motivational processes to learning.

Stage 1 of Observational Learning: Attention

> Observers cannot learn unless they pay attention to what's happening around them. This process is influenced by characteristics of the model, such as how much one likes or identifies with the model, and by characteristics of the observer, such as the observer's expectations or level of emotional arousal.

Stage 3 of Observational Learning: Initiation/Motor

> Observers must be physically and/intellectually capable of producing the act. In many cases the observer possesses the necessary responses. But sometimes, reproducing the model's actions may involve skills the observer has not yet acquired. It is one thing to carefully watch a circus juggler, but it is quite another to go home and repeat those acts.

Stage 2 of Observational Learning: Retention/Memory

> Observers must not only recognize the observed behavior but also remember it at some later time. This process depends on the observer's ability to code or structure the information in an easily remembered form or to mentally or physically rehearse the model's actions.

Observational learning

> This is simply learning by observation and picking up what others do. This process is either conscious or subconscious. > Many behaviors that a learner observes, remembers, and imitates are actions that models display, 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. 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 integrate and ultimately determine how the individual functions.

Bobo Doll Experiment

Conducted by Albert Bandura to test the theory of observational learning. Adults were shown in the same hitting a large doll with a hammer and children were brought in. If the children were rewarded by the adult being shown that this behaviour is good, they would have a drastic change in attitude, thinking that violence is acceptable

Explicit learning

Explicit learning is acquiring a new skill or piece of knowledge along with knowledge that it has been learned.

Implicit learning

Implicit learning 'is the learning of complex information in an incidental manner, without awareness of what has been learned'

Vicarious punishments

This is the same as vicarious rewards but with punishments. Therefore this can be used to discourage undesirable behaviour and is particularly effective in road safety-shock and awe creates fear which is used as a deterrent. However, usually the punishment is not too severe, has a logical explanation but could also happen to anyone

Vicarious rewards

Vicarious rewards is when someone is being seen to be rewarded. This is what happened in the Bobo Doll Experiment and is particularly affective in advertising e.g. if you see glamorous people drinking Cristal champagne, you might think 'If I become rich enough I can drink that one day'