Learning by Observation

Observational Learning (social learning) is learning a new behavior by watching a model perform that behavior. What are some examples of observational learning you can think of.

Albert Bandura is a pioneer researcher in the field of observational learning. Famous for the “Bobo doll” research.

Bandura’s Bobo Doll research

Points to remember from Bandura’s research: There are four elements necessary for observational learning to occur: Attention: the learner must pay attention to the model Memory: the learner must be able to retain the memory Imitation: the learner must be capable of imitating the actions of the model Motivation: the learner must have the desire to perform the action

Points to remember from Bandura’s research: We are more likely to learn from people we perceive as more similar to ourselves, or a powerful influence. Consequences matter: Children did not imitate behavior when models were punished. Children were able to duplicate model’s actions if told they would get a reward.

Group Activity: Choose one ad and answer: 1) How does this ad capture your attention? 2) How does the celebrity in the ad appeals to you? 3) What qualities do you associate with this celebrity? 4) Do these qualities relate to the product that is being advertised? “You can be someone’s Super Hero”

Mirror neurons: Cutting-edge theory in neuroscience Frontal lobe neurons some scientists believe fire when performing certain actions or when observing others performing the actions. May enable imitation and empathy.

Prosocial & Antisocial modeling: Prosocial = positive, constructive, helpful behavior Examples in business, social movements & families Antisocial = aggressive, destructive, abusive behavior Correlation studies that show increase in aggressive behavior with heavy doses of media violence

Violence-viewing effect: Homicide rates in U.S. and Canada doubled between 1957 and 1974 when TV was introduced White South Africans saw a similar doubling after TV was introduced in 1975 Elementary school children with heavy media exposure tend to get into more fights as teens

These are mostly correlation studies Correlation does not prove causation Do more aggressive people tend to watch more violent TV? Do children with more neglectful or abusive parents park their kids in front of TV more w/o monitoring programs? What prosocial effects are children with high TV viewing habits missing by watching so much TV?

Crash Course Psychology #12 The Bobo Beatdown

Exit Ticket Write a page about a time that you learned something by observation. Please be specific – don’t just write as sentence. Describe what you learned, how you learned it, from whom you learned, did it generalize to other things, were you aware you were learning at the time or was it just something you picked up? Be as complete and specific as possible.