Download Observational Learning

Introductory Psychology:
Learning
Learning is when you learn
something…?
AP PSYCHOLOGY: UNIT VI
Learning:
Observational Learning
PART ONE
Monkey see, monkey do…
A Scenario…
 Two young boys & their father were seated in
a restaurant looking at the menus. A waitress
came to the table and immediately began to
talk to the boys…



“How old are you?”
“I’m five.”
“I’m four.”
 She continued to ask questions & play games
with the boys and then asked the older boy…
A Scenario…


“What would you like to eat?”
“I’d like a damn hamburger.”
 At this his father swung his arm across the
table, violently slapping the boy who began to
cry and move away from his father…
 This disturbed the waitress greatly, and
trying to make a bad situation better, she
turned to the younger child and asked…

“And what would you like to eat?”
A Scenario…
 At this, the young boy replied…
 “Well, I sure as hell don’t want a damn hamburger!
 How does this illustrate observational
learning?
 What does this demonstrate about the
negative aspects of punishment?
Learning: Observational Learning
 Observational Learning
 Learning a new behavior
by watching a model perform
that behavior


Involves being conditioned
indirectly by virtue of observing
others
 Begins very early in life
Albert Bandura

Social Learning Theory
 Examines the impact of a model on its subjects
Learning: Observational Learning
 Mirror Neurons
 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
 Aid in observational learning
 http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/mirrorneurons.html
Learning: Observational Learning
 Bobo Doll Study (Albert Bandura, 1961)
 Indicated that individuals (children) learn through
the imitation of others who receive rewards and
punishments
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
 Results?

Learning: Observational Learning
 Four Basic Processes in O.L.
 Attention

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Retention

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Must pay attention to a model’s behavior & its
consequences
Must store a mental representation
Reproduction
Must convert stored mental image into overt behavior
 Not always an easy task


Motivation

Must believe that behavior is likely to pay off