Observational & Social Learning

Question 1

What is observational learning?

Answer 1

Learning by observing or social
learning

• A model is witnessed by an observer,
and as a result the observer’s behaviour is changed
• Efficient acquisition of new behaviour
• Watch and learn (deliberate or
accidental)
• a.k.a vicarious learning

Question 2

What are the two types of observational learning?

Answer 2

Social & asocial

Question 3

What is imitation? What are the two types of imitatin?

Answer 3

The act of copying the actions or behaviour of someone else (a model)

• True imitation
- Duplication of a novel behaviour (or sequence or motor tasks)
• Generalised imitation
- Imitation of new modelled behaviour without specific
reinforcement to do so

Question 4

Why is imitation important?

Answer 4

• Imitation believed to demonstrate unique cognitive
abilities, specifically capacity for perspective-taking
• e.g. imitating facial expressions

Question 5

How do CC & Observational Learning connect?

Answer 5

Vicarious Emotional Responses
• classically conditioned emotional responses resulting from seeing those emotional responses exhibited by others
• e.g. fear modelling

• Inherited tendencies
• higher-order conditioning

Question 6

What is modelling?

Answer 6

The act of demonstrating one’s actions or behaviour in the presence of someone else (an observer)

Question 7

What is stimulus enhancement?

Answer 7

Directing attention toward objects, events or locations
in an environment as a result of another organism’s
action

Question 8

Stimulus enhancement and social learning are the same thing, t/f?

Answer 8

False

• You notice something because someone else’s behaviour draws your attention to it
• Usually instinctive value

Question 9

What are the variables affecting OL? (6)

Answer 9

• Difficulty of Task
• Skilled vs Unskilled Model
• Characteristics of the Model
• Characteristics of the Observer
• Consequences of Observed Acts
• Consequences of Observer’s Behaviour

Question 10

Difficulty of Task

Answer 10

• The more difficult the task, the harder it is to learn through observation.

Question 11

Skilled vs Unskilled model influences by:

Answer 11

We prefer to learn via model that knows how to perform the task

Question 12

Characteristics of the model influences by:

Answer 12

We learn more from models that are:
• Competent
• Attractive
• Likeable
• Prestigious
• Powerful
• Popular

Question 13

characteristics of the observer influences by:

Answer 13

• Language skill
• Past experience
• Age
• Gender

Question 14

consequences of observed act influences by:

Answer 14

Whether we get praised or punished for repeating the act

Question 15

consequences of observer’s behaviour influences by:

Answer 15

If a model gets praise- we are more likely to mimic their behaviour, however Observer’s will do what works for them – regardless of the consequences for the Model

Question 16

Theories of OL (3)

Answer 16

• Social Learning theory
• Social cognitive theory
• Operant theory

Question 17

What is Social learning theory?

Answer 17

• Bandura and Walters (1977)
• People learn in a social context through:
- the principles of classical and operant conditioning
- observational learning
- modelling & imitation

• Not all behaviour can be explained by CC and OC
principles, so he included two additional elements:
- Social processes
- Cognitive processes in modern iterations of model

• Form of instrumental conditioning in which actions that
replicate observed acts are directly or indirectly
reinforced
• Any behaviour can be learned without direct reinforcement or punishment
• Expectations of reinforcers and punishers will influence
likelihood of performing the action, but learning is the
result of observation
• Positive outcomes increase copying actions in the future

Question 18

What is Social cognitive theory?

Answer 18

Bandura’s social learning theory stresses the importance of observational learning, imitation and modeling.

His theory integrates a continuous interaction between behaviors, personal factors - including cognition - and the environment referred to as reciprocal causation model.

Introduces self-efficacy unlike SLT

Question 19

What is self-efficacy?

Answer 19

• Extent to which individuals believe they have the
competencies to perform a particular behaviour
• High self-efficacy: Difficult tasks can be mastered
• Low self-efficacy: Avoid difficult tasks

Question 20

What is self efficacy influenced by?

Answer 20

Influenced by:
• Experience
• Modelling/Vicarious Experience
• Social Persuasion
• Physiological Factors

Question 21

What are the four processes of the SCT?

Answer 21

1. Attentional
   • Presence of a model to which attention is drawn
2. Retentional
   • Memories stored in an accessible format to guide future actions
3. Motor Reproductive
   • Ability to reproduce the action
4. Motivational
   • Must have motivation to reproduce the action

Question 22

What was the Bobo doll study?

Answer 22

Children who observed a model being aggressive
toward a Bobo doll replicated the same behaviours
• Including weapon, verbal, movements
• Stronger effect if adult was reinforced
• Reduced effect if punished
• Quickly learned aggressive behaviours
• Inhibitors worked only when present (additional study

Question 23

What does the operant learning theory posit?

Answer 23

• Observational learning is a variation of operant learning
• This approach does not deny the importance of Bandura’s 4 key
processes but instead views them differently.

In operant learning:
• Attention: the influence of environmental events on our
behaviour, often measured in terms of overt behaviour.
• Retention: Acts the observer performs, covertly or overtly, that
can improve performance.
• Motor reproduction: Overt performance (imitation) of behaviour
by the observer.
• Motivation: Reinforcement for performing a behaviour

Question 24

What are some applications of OL?

Answer 24

• Education
• Social Change
• Clinical Psychology

Question 25

What is rule-goverened behaviour?

Answer 25

• Indirect learning also occurs through language
• Noted by Skinner
• Rule as a verbal contingency
• Quick form of learning (if we follow)
• Information provided about consequences for behaviour
• Limits
• Experience trumps knowledge for complex skills
• Can be inflexible and persistent

Question 26

How do personal rules influence OL?

Answer 26

• Rules influence the behaviour of self and other
• Personal rules: verbal descriptions or contingencies that
we present to ourselves to influence our behaviour
• Say-do correspondence
• (say a goal out loud and see what happens…)
• Specificity and clarify in rules key to monitoring
• When, where and how a goal will be achieved
• Personal process rules outline specific process through which a task is accomplished

Question 27

Examples of OL in every day life:

Answer 27

• An infant learns to make and understand facial expressions
• You learn a science concept by demonstration from the teacher
• A newer employee avoids being late to work after seeing a co-worker fired for being late
• A child shows that she has learned the basic steps of cooking a meal by doing so at a play
kitchen in her classroom
• An inexperienced salesperson is successful at a sales meeting after observing the behaviors
and statements of other salespeople
• A child swings a baseball bat without being explicitly taught how to do it after attending a
baseball game
• A student learns not to cheat by watching another student be punished for cheating
• A girl sees another child fall on ice in front of her so she avoids stepping on the ice
• A person moves to a new climate and learns how to properly remove snow from his car
after watching others
• A new customer in a store learns the process for lining up and checking out by watching
other customers
• A man in a coffee shop learns where to find cream and sugar by watching other coffee
drinkers locate that area