Transcript Module 30: Observational Learning

Observational
Learning
“We are, in truth, more than half what we are by imitation.” –
Lord Chesterfield
“Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention
hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own
actions to inform them what to do.” – Albert Bandura
Higher level animals do not need to learn through direct experience,
they can learn indirectly from observing and imitating others.
Observational Learning
• Learning by observing and watching others (the model)
• The Model - the person whose behavior the subject watches
and imitates
• Modeling - The process of observing and imitating a
specific behavior
• See an example of my daughter copying her mom feeding
the baby. Click HERE.
Mirror Neurons
• Mirror neurons in the
frontal lobe by the motor
cortex fire when an
animal observes another
performing a task and
when the animal actually
performs the task.
– When watching a human
eat ice cream, the same
areas in the monkey’s
brain for the movements
it was seeing were
activated as if it was
doing the actions in its
head.
• Theory of the Mind
– A child can “share”
another’s experience and
empathize what they see
Imitation is Natural
• Imitation seems innate – newborns will copy facial
expressions of adults.
• Children 2-5 years old will overimitate doing
useless behaviors they see an adult do
– Seeing an adult stroke a jar with a feather before
grabbing it, the child will too.
• Memes - ideas, fashions and habits (cultural
elements) passed on by imitation. Example: Catchphrases, ceremonies, foods, traditions, vices, and
fads all spread by copying one another.
Albert Bandura (1925• Studies observational learning
and the consequences a model
has on subjects
• Bobo Doll experiments
– Children watched an adult model
show aggressive behavior toward a
Bobo doll
– Three experimental conditions:
• The model was praised.
• The model was punished.
• The model received no consequences
for the aggressive behavior.
)
Bobo Doll Experiment
Bandura’s Bobo Dolls
• Watch this 5 minute clip from The Brain: A Secret History to
see the experiment and an explanation
• Watch“Bandura’s Bobo Doll Experiment” Video #11 from
Worth’s Digital Media Archive for Psychology.
Vicarious Learning
• Learning by seeing the
consequence of another’s
behavior
• Vicarious Reinforcement or
Punishment
•Bandura said that reinforcement is not
essential for learning to occur but the
expectation of reinforcement affects the
performance of what has been learned.
Modeling Requirements
• Bandura said 4 cognitive processes are
used in observational learning
1.Must pay attention to the other person’s
behavior.
2.Must remember the other person’s
behavior.
3.Must transform the memory into actions
that you are capable of reproducing.
4.Must have some motivation for you to
imitate behavior.
Observational
Learning in Everyday
Life
Antisocial/Prosocial Behavior
• Antisocial behavior - negative, destructive, abusive,
unhelpful behavior
• Prosocial behavior – positive, constructive, helpful
behavior
• Both types of behavior can be modeled effectively.
• How might TV programs effect the way we behave?
(see pg. 309 in Myers)
Famous last words???
Do what I say, not what I do.
This will teach you to hit your brother!
Why do you do that, you know you get in
trouble for it?