Observational Learning

1
Observational Learning

• Learning In Social Settings
• the functioning of OC in a social context
• observe and imitate

2
Albert Bandura

• Social Learning in children
• how children learn through observation
• Can learn new behaviour
• Can facilitate learners response repertoire
• Can inhibit or disinhibit responses

3
Bandura Believes

• Traditional behavioural views
• are accurate, but incomplete
• give only part of the explanation of learning
• overlook important aspects of the situation
• especially the social influences on learning

4
Acquisition and Performance

• We may all know more than we show
• While learning may have occurred, it may not be
  demonstrated until the situation is right
• May acquire new skill/behaviour but may not
  perform it until motivated

5
Social Cognitive Theory

• Social Learning Theory now expanded
• Links
• the functioning of OC
• in a social setting
• with the role of cognition in processing
  information

6
Social Cognitive Theory

• Emphasises internal processes
• thoughts are always influencing actions and
  actions are always influencing thoughts
  (Bandura, 1986)
• Children
• think about what they do
• about what we want them to do
• those thoughts affect what they actually do.

7
Reciprocal Determinism

• Internal and External factors are important
• environmental events
• personal factors
• behaviour
• Interact and influence others
• Interaction of forces reciprocal determinism

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Modelling

• the process of
• observing
• then imitating a specific behaviour
• Direct simple imitation
• Symbolicbooks TV films
• Synthesized copying portions of behaviour for
  different purposes
• Abstract inferring a system of rules

9
Perceived Similarity

• Similar models more effective than different
• Several models
• Same-sex
• Peers

10
Perceived Competence

• Interaction with perceptions of similarity to
  impact a models effectiveness
• More competent is likely to be imitated than less
  competent

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Vicarious Conditioning

• Observation of the consequences of actions
• influences the motivation to enact the behaviour
• Others are rewarded or punished
• we modify our behaviour
• as if we had received the consequences

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Comparison OC OL

• OC views
• reinforcement is a direct cause of learning (ABC)
• OL views
• reinforcement as motivation, not learning
• learning occurs form a representation of the
  behaviour in memory, reproduce it

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Determinants

• Reinforcements and punishments
• received by both model and observer
• Both appropriate and inappropriate behaviour can
  be modelled
• Pro-social models have pro-social effects
• Consistency is vital regardless

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Four Fundamentals of Social Cognitive Theory

• Attention
• Retention
• Reproduction
• Reinforcement and Motivation

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Summary

• Learning can occur without any overt response
• observing and coding in memory are sufficient
• ve/-ve consequences
• motivators of performance NOT determinants of
  learning
• Self-reinforcement and punishment enter
  motivation
• Behaviour strengthened through rewards and
  reinforcement

16
OL and Teaching5 possible effects

• Teaching new behaviours/attitudes
• Encouraging existing behaviours
• Changing inhibitions
• Directing Attention
• Arousing Emotions

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Conclusion Evaluation

• Social Cognitive Learning
• Three Stage Process
• Exposure observe and attend
• Acquisition retain
• Accceptanceusage
• Can all human behaviour be explained as a
  function of observation and imitation???
• Is the importance of the environment
  overemphasised???