Albert Bandura and Observational Learning

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Albert Bandura and Observational Learning

• Module 17 Observational Learning

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Observational Learning

• Learning by observing and watching others (the
  model)
• Describe a time when you learned something
  observationally.
• Describe a time when someone learned something
  (good or bad) from you observationally.

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Model

• In observational learning, the person whose
  behavior the subject watches and imitates

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Modeling

• The process of observing and imitating a specific
  behavior

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Albert Bandura (1925- )

• American psychologist who has done major studies
  in observational learning
• Studies the consequences a model has on subjects
• Conducted the famous Bobo Doll experiments
• Tonite go to YouTube and find the video on the
  Bobo Doll experiments!!

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Bobo Doll Experiments

• 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.

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Vicarious Learning

• Learning by seeing the consequence of anothers
  behavior. Same as OL Discussion below (notes not
  required)
• Example Some, especially those close to him,
  will be touched by Alex Reeds accident and
  experience 2 weeks ago and drive more carefully
  (esp. on Holman Rd.)others will not, as shown
  how teen drivers typically act.

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Modeling Requirements

• Bandura suggests four requirements for effective
  modeling to occur
• Attention
• Retention
• Ability to reproduce the behavior
• Motivation

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• Attention Anything that lessens your attention
  to the role model will decrease the chances of
  your learning the behavior. If you are sleepy,
  sick, drugged, nervous or distracted, you will
  learn less well. Also, if the model appears to be
  attractive, prestigious, competent, or similar to
  yourself, you'll pay more attention.
• Retention This is where Bandura's thoughts on
  imagery and language come in. You have to retain
  what you've seen somewhere in your memory -- the
  more vivid the retention, the more accurate your
  modeling can be.
• Reproduction You have to be physically capable
  of imitating the behavior. If you don't know how
  to swim, you probably won't benefit from watching
  Olympic swimmers. However, if you are on a local
  swim team, watching others' techniques would
  probably help you tweak your own.
• Motivation The typical behaviorist
  reinforcements serve as motivation for repeating
  modeled behavior. You will probably mimic
  behavior is you have been rewarded for the
  behavior in the past, if there is a promised or
  an imagined reward, or if you see someone else
  get rewarded for it. You are less likely to mimic
  a behavior if you have been punished in the past,
  if punishment is threatened, or if you see
  someone else get punished for it.

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Banduras Bobo Dolls
In this experiment, he had children witness a
model aggressively attacking a plastic clown
called the Bobo doll. There children would watch
a video where a model would aggressively hit a
doll and " ...the model pummels it on the head
with a mallet, hurls it down, sits on it and
punches it on the nose repeatedly, kick it across
the room, flings it in the air, and bombards it
with balls... After the video, the children were
placed in a room with attractive toys, but they
could not touch them. The process of retention
had occurred. Therefore, the children became
angry and frustrated. Then the children were led
to another room where there were identical toys
used in the Bobo video. The motivation phase was
in occurrence. Bandura and many other researchers
founded that 88 of the children imitated the
aggressive behavior. Eight months later, 40 of
the same children reproduce the violent behavior
observed in the Bobo doll experiment. (Isom,
1998)
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Bobo Doll Experiment
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Observational Learning in Everyday Life

• Module 17 Observational Learning

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Antisocial/Prosocial Behavior

• Antisocial behavior - negative, destructive
  unhelpful behavior
• Prosocial behavior positive, constructive,
  helpful behavior
• Both types of behavior can be modeled effectively.

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Observational Learning of Violence From the Media

• Module 17 Observational Learning

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Class discuss examples of how observational
learning occurs with the media movies, news,
internet (e.g. YouTube videos of fights, etc.)
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• The average elementary school student has
  witnessed about 100,000 violent acts on
  television.
• Ouch!