Observational Learning Essay

967 Words2 Pages

Observational learning is a type of learning that is done by observing the actions of others. It describes the process of learning by watching others, retaining what was learned, and then replicating the behavior that was observed. Observational learning is an important area inthe field of psychology because according to www.ncbi.nlm.nin.gov research in observational learning represents a critical development in the history of psychology. There are many learningtheories such as classical conditioning and operant conditioning which emphasize how direct experiences, reinforcements, and punishment lead to learning, but most learning happens indirectly by watching and imitating others. Observational learning is also referred to as shaping, modeling, …show more content…

There are four steps in the process of modeling for observational learning. They are attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. Attention is when you focus on what the person you are observing is doing. Retention is remembering what you observed. Reproduction is performing the behavior you observed, and motivation is wanting to actually do the behavior.(www.courses.lumenlearning.com) The psychologist that most strongly identifies with observational learning is Albert Bandura. He believed that observational learning was the result of cognitive processes that are, “actively judgemental and constructive,” not merely “mechanical copying.”(Bandura) According to Bandura there are three different models to observational learning. They are live model which is behavior in person, verbal model which is not doing a behavior but explaining or describing it, and symbolic model is when people or fictional characters demonstrating behaviors in books, …show more content…

Most learning we have done has been through observing someone and modeling the actions that we see them do. This type of learning not only teaches us what is right or wrong it can alsobe applied to things such as jobs and education. In the textbook when Bandura explains about the Boo experiment he explained the results as reinforcement is not essential for learning to occur. Rather, the expectation of reinforcement. I agree that you don’t have to get a consequence to learn things.I also agree with the study Rebecca Collins did. The last step in the process of modeling is being motivated to do a behavior. I think that most people will only do behaviors that they think are cool. I notice this with my own children. They will watch certain shows because they hear their friends talk about them or they will do certain dances because they see them on tv or maybe they saw them by someone they thought everyone liked. Learning from observation is one of the most interesting ways to learn and I think it is the best way to learn. This theory definitely applies to all ages and animals have also been shown the ability to learn behaviors by observational learning. What I’ve learned from this theory is we have control over our behavior and just because we see something being done does not mean that we have todo it. Observational learning is part of our everyday lives and it is how we learn

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