Observational Learning Issues - Assignment Example

Answers What is learning? Learning is the outcome of experiencing a meaningful act from observation and/or imitation of a model, or from associating this act with a desirable reward, and where the outcome is influenced by the environment, evolution or mental processes, acting individually or in combination. Learning takes place with or without the learner being aware of such process occurring. In this sense, learning is differentiated either as explicit or implicit. More importantly, learning can not be viewed simply from the behaviorist perspective as posited by exponents of behaviorism, classical conditioning, and operant conditioning. Rather, learning is also grounded on cognitive or mental processes such as in observational learning. Hence, learning is a complicated process which can not be explained merely on the context of behavior, but also in terms of processes going on inside the mind. 2. Discuss your own theory about how observational learning occurred in regards to the Bobo Experiment. How does this compare to Bandura’s idea that for observational learning to occur, one must give attention to the behavior, retain the observation of the behavior, have the motor skills to carry it out and also have the motivation to do so? Grounded on Bandura’s Bobo Experiment explained in Schacter, Gilbert and Wegner (2010), my personal theory of the basic processes involved in observational learning starts with an awareness of the occurrence of a meaningful action. This awareness would be set off by an interesting stimulus that should catch the attention of the subject (the observer). In Bandura’s experiment, it is surmised that the interesting stimulus would be an adult playing with a doll. In this regard, mental processes already come into play because the interest would have been initiated by recall of the association between children and playing. The subject’s interest was sparked when an adult, instead of a child was observed playing. Once the attention of the subject is focused on the model, what was perceived by the former as a meaningful action is then stored in the brain as a mental representation of the behavior of the model. Again, mental processes are involved in accumulating the representation in the brain in the form of memories of the behavior witness. Retention is not possible without mental activity to preserve the memory. Recall of stored memory is also necessary for the next process in observational learning, reproduction of the modeled behavior with the use of the subject’s motor skills. Coordination of motor skills requires mental processes, and this is already a well-established fact. However, the behavior observed should also lead to a favorable outcome in order that the so called modeled response as discussed in Weiten (2010) is strengthened and result in the subject reproducing the behavior. My personal theory of observational learning is, therefore, very similar with Bandura’s idea, except for the awareness phase. Comparison is graphically depicted in the Figure 1 next page. Finally, I have one question nagging my thoughts regarding the Bobo Experiment, would the outcome be similar if a child model was used instead of an adult model? In my theory, the interest was sparked because an adult, not a child was playing. My readings revealed that my question was actually one of the hypotheses in the Bandura experiment, which proved to be inconclusive (Shuttleworth, 2008). Figure 1. Comparison of Bandura’s and my personal theory of observational learning My theory: Bandura’s theory 3. With a clear behavior of learning in mind and having developed your own thoughts, reflect back to your reading in Unit 3 on Neuroscience and Behavior. Specifically look at the “Mirror, Mirror in My Brain” article found in Chapter 3, and the “Observational Learning in Animals” section in Chapter 6 of your textbook. How might neurons play a part in observational learning? Based on the two sections specified in the question, it may be inferred that neurons, particularly mirror neurons, play an important role in observational learning. As discussed in Mirror, Mirror in My Brain, mirror neurons fire either when a person does an action, or when another person does an action. In other words, mirror neurons fire when a person is doing an action or is watching another person perform actions–which are actually the two components of observational learning. It is also possible that the mental processes involved in observational learning, such as in retention or storage of a mental representation of the behavior being observed, are activated by mirror neurons when they fire. It may, therefore, be safe to argue that observational learning is assisted by cognition, which is a mental function, and most probably made possible by the firing of mirror neurons. Hence, the biological basis for observational learning may be explained in part by the action of mirror neurons in the brain (Schacter, et al., 2009; Bernstein, Penner, Clarke-Stewart & Roy, 2008). Interestingly, the neurological mechanisms involved in observational learning work more efficiently when the model and the observer share some common ground. As with any other mode of learning which is influenced by the environment (i. e., from my definition of learning), observational learning is also facilitated when the behavior exhibits a purpose and is embedded in a context. 4. Think of one behavior from your childhood and discuss how observational learning influenced that behavior in you today. I have this habit of biting on the eraser at the upper tip my pencil when I was in pre-school. Eventually when we started using ballpoint pens, I found myself nibbling the pen cap, instead. As I look back, I used to observe my father while working on some complex computations or writing important letters/reports to his clients / patrons when I was probably three or four years old. My father used to bite the tip of the pencil or ball pen he was using to write with. It seemed to me that the biting action helped my father as he worked with numbers. Whenever he bites, he would have figured out what the problem was in a few minutes. I noticed the same thing even when he was writing letters or business reports before typing them in the electric typewriter. My mother told me that while I was watching my dad with his biting, I also appear to be chewing something, as if imitating my father without the pen or the pencil. Later on, I came to associate this biting habit with the gratification of being able to accomplish a goal while working on numbers or text. When I started schooling, my attention always was called regarding the biting habit. I consciously struggled not to do that in school, but at home, while working on my assignments, I always enjoyed biting on the eraser or the tip of the pen cover. I thought the biting made the task easier for me. However, because of the pressure from my teachers and the guidance counselor, I labored to unlearn the habit. Every once in a while, I unconsciously bite the tip of the pencil when I am using one, even if I thought that I already kicked the habit. I would say that this experience with the pens and the pencils was a product of observational learning, with my father as model and me as the observer. References Bernstein, D. A., Penner, L. A., Clarke-Stewart, A. & Roy, E. J. (2008). Psychology (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. Schacter, D.L., Gilbert, D.T., & Wegner, D.M. (2009). Psychology. New York, New York: Worth Publishers. Shuttleworth, M. (2008). Bobo doll experiment. Retrieved December 14, 2010, from: http://www.experiment-resources.com/bobo-doll-experiment.html Weiten, W. (2010). Psychology: themes and variations (8th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth / Cengage. Read More