Chapter 10 - Observational Learning

Observing models

Learning the experience of a model

Observational learning

Observing from events without a model

Thorndike experiment 1898

Cat and naive cat it into a puzzle box

Naive cat did not learn by watching the other cat, instead it followed the operant learning process to solve the problem

Thorndike experiment 1901

Conducted similar experiment to cat in the puzzled box but with monkeys

Carl Warden 1930s

Conducted controlled experiments and demonstrated that monkeys can learn by observing others

Albert Bandura 1960s

Research on social learning and the research of others on the use of modeling in the treatment of behaviour disorders

Types of observational learning

Social / active model

Asocial

Social observational learning

Observing the behaviour of another individual and consequences of model behaviour

Vicariously reinforced

Vicariously punished

Vicariously reinforced

When consequences of the models behaviour strengthen the observers tendency to behave in a similar way

Vicariously punished

When the consequences of models behaviour weaken the observers tendency to behave in a similar way

Warden & Jackson 1935

Social experiment, monkeys observed and learned from each other

Involved pulling a chain that opened the door and revealed a raisin the model could retrieve and eat

Observers benefited from watching model and responding correctly on first trial

Marvin Herbert and Charles Harth 1944

Studied observational learning in cats suing models

Allowed four cats at a time to watch a model as it worked solving one of five problems

Lydia Hopper and colleagues (2008)

Social experiment

Chimps would see grapes and looked at the direction model would slid the door

Observers watched demonstration 58 times, they nearly always slid the door in same direction

Control group who had no model, less than half slid door and received grape

Doreen Thompson and James Russell 2004

Observational learning of a problem that required and odd solution

Adult modeled solution three times to children and toddlers, 14 and 26 months old

Those who had a model were more likely than those on their own

Ellen Levy and colleagues 1974

Effects of model reinforcement and punished on the picture preference of children

Children were influenced by the consequences of the models choice

Asocial Observational Learning

Learning from observed events in the absence model

No model, there can not be vicarious reinforcement or punishment

Observers behaviour is influenced by consequences of event

Hopper et al. 2008

Chimps watched a model slide a door and retrieve a desired item, then tackled the problem themselves

Ghost condition

Experimental procedure in which an event normally performed by a model appears to occur without a model

Imitation

Behave in a way that resembles the behaviour of a model appears

Emulation

Accomplish same goal, retrieve the same rewards but without doing exactly same as the model copy model goals

Derek Lyons, Andrew Young, and Frank Keil

Compulsive about imitating the details of modeled behaviour

In one experiment they trained 3 to 5 year old children to identify actions that were irrelevant to the solution of problems

Argued that over imitation may be beneficial

Cecilia Hayes 2012

Argues that from infancy on people are rewarded for imitating others baers study supports her statement

Donal Baer and J. Sherman

Used a puppet ti provide social reinforcements for imitative behaviour in yung children

Generalized imitation

Learned tendency to imitate model behaviour, even when the modeled behaviour is not reinforced, it might account for immitation of irrelevant acts in over imitation may

Variables affecting observational learning

Difficulty of task

Skilled vs unskilled

Characteristics of the model

Consequences of observed acts

Consequences of the observers behaviour