Transcript Observational Learning

OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING
November 3, 2010
What is Learning?
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Learning is acquiring new knowledge,
behaviors, skills, values, or preferences and
may involve synthesizing different types of
information.
What is Observational Learning?
What is Observational Learning?
-Learning
by observing and imitating others
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Also called social learning or modeling.
Or “Monkey See, Monkey Do”
Video: Observational Learning
What are some examples?
Examples for little kids
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Someone burns their hand on a hot stove. You learn not
to touch it or you will get burned. (Hot coffee)
Have three labels: square, circle, triangle. I organize
the blocks according to the label. Hayden learns what
block goes with what label. (Color game) (Piaget
stage?)
I flip the light switch up and the light comes on. Hayden
learns that moving the switch turns the light on and off.
Hayden drops a toy on the floor and I pick it up for him
so he can keep playing. He learns that when he throws
the toy, I will pick it up. Fun game. 
Mirror Neurons
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Frontal lobe neurons that fire when performing
certain actions or when observing another doing so.
The brain’s mirroring of another’s action may enable
imitation, language learning, and empathy. (Video
example)
Albert Bandura
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“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.” (1977)
Bandura’s Experiment
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An adult beats up on a Bobo doll repeatedly in
front of a kindergartner. When the adult leaves the
room the child is placed in a room with a new Bobo
doll. Guess what happens?
Video: Original Footage
Other Darker Examples
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Abusive parents may likely have aggressive children.
Films about easy sex and pleasure may lead students to
think that there are no consequences for that kind of
behavior such as pregnancy, diseases, or AIDS.
Wrestling moves on TV that look fun could be very
dangerous in real life. (Boy in Florida prosecuted.)
Violent video games could lead to students committing
violent acts at school or home.
These are all examples of an Antisocial Model.
Antisocial Model
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Meaning a person observes and imitates a bad or
harmful behavior.
TV, Films, and Video Games
What are your thoughts? Groups.
 Does TV influence how we behave in the real world?
 Does the amount of TV we watch have an effect on
us?
 Think about movies like “Saw,” “300,” and “Gamer”
 Think of video games like “Dead Rising,” “Halo,”
and the “Call of Duty” franchise
(Study about video games)
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Prosocial Behavior
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Positive, nonviolent, constructive, helpful behavior that
can prompt other people to exhibit good behavior as
well.
Prosocial icons:
Jesus
Gandhi
Martin Luther King Jr.
Billy Graham
Tipper Gore? (Just Say No Campaign)
Michelle Obama? (Sesame Street Commercial)
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Parents are a great influence for prosocial behavior
However some parents frequently operate under the
phrase “Do as I say, not as I do.” Not a good
approach.
Classmates can also be good examples for their peers
to follow.
Picking up books that someone dropped
 Carrying someone’s stuff to class if it looks too heavy for
them
 Seeing if a classmate needs help with homework
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Set a Prosocial example!
Questions?
Key Terms to Remember
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What is Learning?
Other names for Observational Learning
Mirror Neurons
Albert Bandura (Bobo Doll Experiment)
Prosocial Behavior
Antisocial Behavior
FUN TIME!!!