Observational learning can affect behavior.

Steven Gans is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Observational learning involves watching others, retaining information, and replicating behaviors that were observed.Classical conditioning and operant conditioning emphasize how direct experience, reinforcement, and punishment can lead to learning.There is a lot of learning that happens indirectly.

Think about how a child can watch adults waving at one another and then mimic their actions later on.There is a lot of learning happening through this process.This is referred to as observational learning in psychology.

Observational learning can be called shaping, modeling, and vicarious reinforcement.It can happen at any point in life, but it is the most common during childhood.

It is an important part of the process of socializing.Children learn how to behave and respond to others by observing how their parents and caregivers interact with other people.

Albert Bandura is a researcher who studies learning through observation.We are naturally inclined to engage in observational learning according to him and others.

According to studies, imitation with social understanding tends to begin around 2 years old, but will vary depending on the child.Newborns often react to stimuli in a way that may seem like imitation, but this likely isn't true as research has claimed in the past.

If you've ever watched a toddler mimic your movements, then you know how influential observational learning can be.The power of observational learning is stressed by Bandura's social learning theory.

Bandura showed in the Bobo doll experiment that young children can imitate aggressive actions.Children watched a film where an adult repeatedly hit a large, inflatable balloon doll and then had the chance to play with the same doll later on.

When an adult received no consequences or was rewarded, children were more likely to imitate the adult's violent actions.Children who saw an adult punished for aggressive behavior were less likely to imitate it.

Four stages of observational learning are needed for meaningful learning.This is not the same as copying someone else's behavior.Observational learning may incorporate a social and/or motivational component that impacts the observer's decision to engage in or avoid a certain behavior based on what information was processed.

To learn, an observer must be in the right mindset.Being able to observe the model for enough time to grasp what they are doing means having the energy to learn.

The observer's level of attention can be impacted by how the model is perceived.Some models are rewarded for their behavior, others are attractive, and some are viewed as similar to the observer.

The next step is to remember what was seen if the observer was able to focus on the model's behavior.If the observer can't remember the model's behavior, they may need to go back to the beginning.

The next stage in observational learning is trying to replicate information if the observer is able to focus and retain it.Even with perfect focus and recall, some behaviors may not be easily copied, because every individual has their own unique capacity when it comes to imitating certain behaviors.

The observer will need some sort of motivation in order to engage in this new behavior.If the observer lacks the drive to follow through with their new learned behavior, they won't be able to imitate the model.

If the model gets a reward for engaging in a certain behavior and the observer believes they will get some incentive to imitate it, motivation may increase.If the model was punished for a certain behavior, the observer's motivation may decrease.

There are a number of factors that increase the likelihood that a behavior will be copied.We are more likely to imitate.

Observational learning can teach, reinforce, decrease, and even diminish certain behaviors based on a variety of factors.Some studies focused on the effects observational learning may have on children and teenagers.

There is a correlation between aggression and playing video games in short term follow up studies.There was no direct connection between video game playing and violent behavior in the current research.

There wasn't a correlation between watching explicit content and having sex within a year, according to research conducted on sexual media exposure and teenagers' sexual behavior.

If teenagers of the same sex consumed sexual media together and/or if parents restricted the amount of sexual content watched, the likelihood of having sex was lower.When opposite-sex peers consumed sexual content together, the likelihood of sexual intercourse increased.

Observational learning is a powerful learning tool.When we think about learning, we often talk about methods that rely on punishment and reinforcement.A lot of learning comes from watching the people around us and modeling their actions.This learning method can be used in a wide range of settings.

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