Observational Learning

Observational Learning (modeling, imitation, etc.)

Observational Learning Approach

Written by Mark Zinn

"The highest level of learning is best achieved by first organizing what you have learned by observing others, in

your head (cognitively), THEN by alternating cognitive rehearsal and actually doing the modeled event."

A. Richardson, Ph.D.

"Because the belief that an activity must be done (performed) before it is said to be learned is deeply entrenched

in our society, many do not acknowledge the powerful effects of observational learning."

Albert Bandura, Ph.D., author of Social Learning Theory

Have you ever observed children on a playground? Of course you have! When one child tries a new thing, it is a

pretty sure thing that the other children will be trying the same activity in a short time. One of the most

fundamental ways by which we learn new things or modify existing behaviors is through modeling, or social

learning (same thing). Modeling, or social learning, is innate. In other words, it is prewired into us and appears in

all of us. The mirror neuron system mediates modeling.

Social learning, or modeling is primarily informative; virtually everything that can be learned by direct experience

can be learned through the observation of others' behavior and what happens as a result of what that person

does (consequences). What can be learned? We can learn intricate patterns of behavior (like knitting, piano

playing, etc.), emotional responses, fear, anxiety, pleasure, reduction of fear or anxiety, etc. Some of the

synonyms include 'copying,' ' imitation,' 'identification,' 'contagion,' ' role-playing.' In short, we observe

somebody doing something, and we learn at least part of the thing they are doing, along with the emotions the

person is having at the time.

As parents, we know about this phenomenon already--it can appear as peer pressure. What is the 'pressure?' It

is when the child feels impelled to model other children's behaviors, language, attitudes, thoughts, emotions and

the like. In other words, the child is in a position to match