Observational Learning

Flashcards covering key concepts and terms related to observational learning.

Observational Learning

A method of learning that occurs through observing the behaviors of others.

Bobo Experiment

A study conducted by Albert Bandura which demonstrated that children imitate aggressive behaviors observed in adults.

Vicarious Reinforcement

An increase in the likelihood of a behavior occurring due to observing a model being positively reinforced for that behavior.

Vicarious Punishment

A decrease in the likelihood of a behavior occurring due to observing a model being punished for that behavior.

Imitation

Behaving in a manner identical to the behavior of a model.

Emulation

Copying the goal of a behavior but achieving it in a slightly different way.

Social Observational Learning

Learning from the observation of a model and the consequences of the model’s behavior.

Asocial Observational Learning

Learning from the observation of events and their consequences in the absence of a model.

Thorndike's Puzzle Box

An experiment that demonstrated that naive animals do not learn from observing experienced ones.

Bandura’s Social Learning Theory

A theory suggesting that learning occurs through observation and imitation of others.

Task Difficulty

The complexity of the task being observed which influences the likelihood of successful learning.

Skilled Modeling

Observing an expert demonstrating the proper performance of a task.

Unskilled Modeling

Observing a model performing a task that includes both successes and mistakes.

Over-Imitation

The tendency of individuals, particularly children, to imitate irrelevant actions of models.

Generalized Imitation

The tendency to imitate a behavior across different situations.