Observational Learning in Psychology

Observational learning, also known as social learning theory, is a model of learning in psychology. It is based on the principle of modifying or adopting new behavior after observing another individual performing it. The observer will either perform or avoid the behavior based on the consequence the model received after doing the behavior. This method of learning is often seen in children who model their actions on those of their parents.

Guidelines

• There are a few guidelines to follow when trying to teach an individual a behavior through observational learning. First, keep in mind that if you want to encourage an action, the behavior must have characteristics that make it desirable or provide some sense of reward afterward. You could, for instance, eat a plate of vegetables like it's the best meal you've ever had to encourage a young child to repeat the behavior.

Environment

• The environment, including the people around you, has an effect on behavior. Encourage behavior by providing the appropriate environment for the behavior to be duplicated. As with the vegetable example above, the environment around the child could affect whether or not he adopts the demonstrated behavior. If another individual is present and contradicts your model by refusing to eat the vegetables, the child will likely ignore the conflicting behavioral displays. The other individual's presence created an unideal environment for the behavior. Take all environmental factors into consideration when trying to enforce a behavior through observation.

Conditions

• Four conditions are required in order for observational learning to take effect: attention, retention, reproduction and motivation. First, make sure your subject is indeed observing your behavior (attention). Perform the behavior and display its consequence in a way to ensure that the observer will remember it (retention). If you are successful at teaching the behavior, the observer should be able to copy and imitate the behavior (reproduction) when there is a good enough reason to perform it (motivation).