explain with suitable examples of four processes of observational learning. how does imitation help in observational learning? (Write in above 500 words)
Answers
Observational learning takes place by observing the behaviour of others. It is a form of social learning. In this learning takes place as a result of association with a social model like a parent, teacher, sibling or friend.
The four processes involved in observational learning are attention, retention, initiation and motivation.
Attention: The student or observer pays attention to what is happening around him. The nature of the model like how much a person likes or identifies with the model, and the nature of the student or observer like the observer's level of emotional arousal or expectations influence this process.
Retention or Memory: The process of learning is based on the student or observer's ability to code or structure the information and remember it. It depends on his capacity to rehearse the model's actions mentally or physically.
Initiation or Motor: The student or observer should have the capacity to perform the act physically or intellectually. In order to replicate the model's action the student or observer may need some skills which he has not yet acquired. For instance, he may observe a circus juggler but may not be able to repeat his actions.
Motivation: A student or observer does not produce learned behaviour until he is motivated to do so. He can be motivated by being given an external reinforcement like a promise of reward or by observing that the models are rewarded.
Some instances of observational learning are:
Children learn to participate in the community by observing their elders.
An example for learning when there is motivation can be seen from an experiment in which the girls aged 11 to 14 performed better on a motor performance task when it was demonstrated by a high-status cheerleader instead of a low-status model.
In the Bobo doll experiment conducted by Bandura showed that one group of children placed in an aggressive environment also acted aggressively while the control group and other group place in a passive role model environment did not show any signs of aggression.
Role of imitation in learning
Imitation plays an important role in learning. Infants imitate simple facial expressions and actions and learn by imitation. Around the age of two they start learning social and personal skills by imitating a social model.
Players imitate the actions of skilled players and become adept in the game. Many other skills are acquired by imitating the proficient people in different fields.
There are three kinds of models who are imitated. They are live, verbal and symbolic models.
Live model - A live model may demonstrate a behaviour personally which the observer can imitate. For instance, yoga students can imitate the correct stance and movement of the yoga teacher.
Verbal model - The behaviour may be explained or described by a verbal instructional model. For instance, a coach may tell his young players how to kick the ball with the side of the foot instead of the toe.
Symbolic model - A symbolic model can be a fictional character or a real person who demonstrates behaviour in movies, books, television shows, internet sources and video games. For example, a child can imitate the behaviour demonstrated by someone on television or in a movie.
Observational learning takes place by observing the behaviour of others. It is a form of social learning. In this learning takes place as a result of association with a social model like a parent, teacher, sibling or friend.
The four processes involved in observational learning are attention, retention, initiation and motivation.
Attention: The student or observer pays attention to what is happening around him. The nature of the model like how much a person likes or identifies with the model, and the nature of the student or observer like the observer's level of emotional arousal or expectations influence this process.
Retention or Memory: The process of learning is based on the student or observer's ability to code or structure the information and remember it. It depends on his capacity to rehearse the model's actions mentally or physically.
Initiation or Motor: The student or observer should have the capacity to perform the act physically or intellectually. In order to replicate the model's action the student or observer may need some skills which he has not yet acquired. For instance, he may observe a circus juggler but may not be able to repeat his actions.
Motivation: A student or observer does not produce learned behaviour until he is motivated to do so. He can be motivated by being given an external reinforcement like a promise of reward or by observing that the models are rewarded.
Some instances of observational learning are:
Children learn to participate in the community by observing their elders.
An example for learning when there is motivation can be seen from an experiment in which the girls aged 11 to 14 performed better on a motor performance task when it was demonstrated by a high-status cheerleader instead of a low-status model.
In the Bobo doll experiment conducted by Bandura showed that one group of children placed in an aggressive environment also acted aggressively while the control group and other group place in a passive role model environment did not show any signs of aggression.
Role of imitation in learning
Imitation plays an important role in learning. Infants imitate simple facial expressions and actions and learn by imitation. Around the age of two they start learning social and personal skills by imitating a social model.
Players imitate the actions of skilled players and become adept in the game. Many other skills are acquired by imitating the proficient people in different fields.
There are three kinds of models who are imitated. They are live, verbal and symbolic models.
Live model - A live model may demonstrate a behaviour personally which the observer can imitate. For instance, yoga students can imitate the correct stance and movement of the yoga teacher.
Verbal model - The behaviour may be explained or described by a verbal instructional model. For instance, a coach may tell his young players how to kick the ball with the side of the foot instead of the toe.
Symbolic model - A symbolic model can be a fictional character or a real person who demonstrates behaviour in movies, books, television shows, internet sources and video games. For example, a child can imitate the behaviour demonstrated by someone on television or in a movie.