Observational Learning Chapter 7, Lecture 4 “Children need models more than they need critics.”...

Observational Observational LearningLearning

Chapter 7, Lecture 4Chapter 7, Lecture 4

“Children need models more than they needcritics.”

- Joseph Joubert

Learning by Observation

Higher animals, especially humans,

learn through observing and

imitating others.

The monkey on the right imitates the

monkey on the left in touching the pictures in a certain order to

obtain a reward.

© H

erb Terrace

©H

erb Terrace

Mirror NeuronsNeuroscientists discovered mirror neurons

in the brains of animals and humans that are active during observational learning.

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“Our brain’s mirror neurons underlie ourintensely social nature.” - David Myers

Imitation Onset

Learning by observation begins early in life. This

14-month-old child imitates the adult on TV

in pulling a toy apart.

Mel

tzof

f, A

.N. (

1998

). I

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tion

of te

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Bandura's Experiments

Bandura's Bobo doll study (1961)

indicated that individuals (children)

learn through imitating others who receive rewards and

punishments.

Cou

rtes

y of

Alb

ert B

andu

ra, S

tanf

ord

Uni

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Applications of Observational Learning

Unfortunately, Bandura’s studies show that antisocial models (family, neighborhood

or TV) may have antisocial effects.

Positive Observational Learning

Fortunately, prosocial (positive, helpful) models may have prosocial effects.

Bob

Dae

mm

rich

/ The

Im

age

Wor

ks

Television and Observational Learning

Gentile et al., (2004) shows that children

in elementary school who are

exposed to violent television, videos, and video games express increased

aggression.

Ron

Cha

pple

/ Tax

i/ G

etty

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ages

Modeling Violence

Research shows that viewing media violence leads to an increased expression of aggression.

Children modeling after pro wrestlers

Bob

Dae

mm

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/ The

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Modeling Violence

Research shows that viewing media violence leads to an increased expression

of aggression.“…an evil psychologist could hardly imaginea better way to make people indifferent tobrutality than to expose them to a graded seriesof scenes, from fights to killings to themutilations in slasher movies. Watchingcruelty fosters indifference.”

- David Myers

HomeworkStudy!

“Television viewers are learning about life froma rather peculiar storyteller, one that reflects theculture’s mythology but not its reality.”

- David Myers

Observational Learning Chapter 7, Lecture 4 “Children need models more than they need critics.”...

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