OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING: THEORY, CHARACTERISTICS, EXAMPLES - ECONOMÍA - 2025

The observational learning or social is a form of knowledge acquisition that occurs when a person is exposed to the behavior of other individuals. It is one of the most important forms of learning in humans, especially during our first years of life.

Contrary to what happens in other species, for this type of learning to take place it is not necessary for a classical conditioning process to take place. However, the appearance of an authority figure that the person looks at is essential, such as a parent, mentor, friend or teacher.

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Observational learning can occur even when neither the model nor the receiver is aware of what is happening, or when the model tries to verbally instill other different behaviors in the learner. This occurs, for example, when a child begins to swear when observing her parents use them.

Depending on the culture in which the person is immersed, observational learning can be the main way in which individuals acquire new knowledge. This occurs, for example, in traditional communities where children are expected to participate in the daily lives of adults and acquire different skills.

Bandura theory

One of the first thinkers to identify and explain observational learning was Albert Bandura, a psychologist who discovered this way of acquiring knowledge in 1961 thanks to his famous experiment with the Bobo doll. From this study and subsequent ones, he created a theory about how this process works.

Until the moment Bandura formulated his theory, the prevailing current of thought was that humans can only learn through conditioning; that is, when we receive reinforcements and punishments when we carry out an action.

However, Bandura's experiments showed that we are also capable of learning when we observe positive or negative behaviors in others. Thus, this psychologist defended "reciprocal determinism", which consists of the belief that the person and their environment influence each other continuously.

Bandura stated that observational learning was an especially important process in the acquisition of values ​​and ways of seeing the world, since these generally occur in society.

Stages in the observational learning process

In his theory of observational learning, Albert Bandura described four stages that occur each time an individual acquires new knowledge by observing another person in their environment. These four phases are: attention, memory, initiation, and motivation.

1- Attention

The first requirement for any type of observational learning to take place is that the individual pay attention to the environment in which they find themselves. Otherwise, you could not focus on the behavior, attitude or thinking that you are going to acquire.

The phase of attention is influenced by various factors. These can be divided into two groups: those that have to do with the characteristics of the model, and those that are related to the state of the observer himself.

In the first group, we can find factors that affect attention such as the authority that the model has over the observer, or the relationship between the two. In the second group, some of the most common examples are the level of emotional activation of the observer, or the expectations he has.

2- Memory

The second phase of observational learning has to do with memory. In it, the learner has to be able both to recognize the behavior, attitude or belief that she wishes to acquire when she sees it, and to remember it in the future on her own.

The main factor that influences this stage is the ability of the observer to interpret, encode and structure the information that he is observing, in such a way that it is easier for him to remember it in the future, and practice it, either mentally or physically.

3- Initiation

The third stage of observational learning has to do with the ability of the person to carry out the actions that he has seen in his model. In cases where this learning has to do with a basic process, such as having a certain attitude towards a group of people, this phase is very simple.

However, when the person is trying to learn a more complex skill (mental or physical), the initiation phase may require the acquisition of skills through other processes. This happens, for example, when someone watches a musician play the guitar and wants to learn to do the same.

4- Motivation

The last phase of this learning process has to do with putting into practice the knowledge that has been acquired. Bandura said that not all people who learn something are going to do it; and she tried to study what factors influenced the motivation to apply one's own knowledge.

Thus, this psychologist discovered that motivation could come from both external sources (such as a financial reward or the approval of an authority figure) and internal sources.

characteristics

Observational learning differs from other forms of knowledge acquisition such as active learning, in the sense that neither the receiver of the information nor its model have to be aware that this process is taking place. On the contrary, most of the time it is carried out through unconscious and automatic mechanisms.

Due to this characteristic, observational learning is one of the basic tools through which knowledge is transmitted at the cultural level. Through the effect known as the broadcast chain, an individual learns a new behavior, idea or attitude from a model, and then passes it on to an increasing number of people.

However, the degree to which observational learning occurs is mediated by factors such as the culture in which the individuals are immersed, the characteristics of both the learner and the model, and the other ways of acquiring knowledge that are present in a given society and its importance.

Thus, in cultures or groups in which children learn mainly by observation, they spend most of their time with adults, carrying out the same activities as them. In other more individualistic societies, this learning method is not so important and is relegated to the background.

Changes produced by observational learning

The learnings that are acquired through observation are not of the same nature as those that can be produced, for example, by being a passive receiver of information or by acquiring knowledge through action.

In general, observational learning is considered to have occurred if three factors are present. On the one hand, the learner has to think differently about a certain situation and have the possibility of reacting to it in a new way.

On the other hand, these changes in attitude and behavior have to be the product of the environment, rather than being innate. Furthermore, the modifications are permanent, or at least last until another learning process is carried out contrary to the initial one.

Influencing factors

Because it takes place almost completely unconsciously, the observational learning process is very complex and mediated by a host of different factors. Generally, these can be divided into three groups: related to the model, to the observer, or to the culture in which they are immersed.

In the first group, we can find factors such as the authority that the model has over the learner, the frequency with which it presents the attitude, idea or behavior that is going to be transmitted, or the relationship it has with the observer.

Regarding the factors related to the learner, we can highlight their level of motivation to learn, the previous ideas about a certain topic that they had beforehand, the skills and abilities they possess, their attention and their concentration.

Finally, on a cultural level, we have already seen that factors such as children's participation in adult lives or the type of relationship that exists between learners and their models play a very important role in the results of this process.

Examples

Observational learning can be seen, above all, in the relationship that children establish with their parents or with other authority figures. A very clear example is that of adults who tell their child not to smoke or drink alcohol, but at the same time carry out these behaviors.

When a contradiction of this type occurs between the words of authority figures and their behavior, the observer will tend to imitate the way of acting, thinking or feeling of the model and ignore their words. In this particular example, the child would end up associating smoking or drinking with something good, despite the messages against it.

Another example is violence in a family. Numerous studies suggest that children who grow up in an environment in which physical or verbal aggressions are frequent tend to show these same behaviors in their own relationships, both as young people and as adults.

References

1. "Observational learning" in: Psychestudy. Retrieved on: April 22, 2019 from Psychestudy: psychestudy.com.
2. "Albert Bandura - Social learning theory" in: Simply Psychology. Retrieved on: April 22, 2019 from Simply Psychology: simplypsychology.com.
3. "How observational learning affects behavior" in: Very Well Mind. Retrieved on: April 22, 2019 from Very Well Mind: verywellmind.com.
4. "Observational learning" in: Britannica. Retrieved on: April 22, 2019 from Britannica: britannica.com.
5. "Observational learning" in: Wikipedia. Retrieved on: April 22, 2019 from Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org.