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Running Header: Observational Learning

Observational Learning: Defined Through Bandura’s Dolls

Elizabeth Hall

Kaplan University

SS124-02 Introduction to Psychology

Stacy Daniels

09.28.2010

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Observational Learning: Defined Through Bandura’s Dolls

Introduction

Learning, defined as an experience that permanently affects and changes a person’s

mental state and the way they perceive the world around them, is a joint effect of “techniques,

procedures, and outcomes (Gilbert, Schacter, & Wegner, 2009)” that generate permanent

modifications in our perception and behavior. According to Siegel (n.d.), Albert Bandura

believed that people do not come into the world with violent tendencies, but that they learn

violence and aggression through their experiences and by observing other people’s behavior.

When they see a person rewarded for acting out aggression, children will mimic the violent

behavior that they observe because they receive signals that the behavior is socially acceptable.

Mirror neurons exist in our brains that fire when we observe other people’s actions in the world

around us. Our mirror neurons are constantly firing when we perceive new actions and

environments around us (Gilbert, Schacter, & Wegner, 2009). Bandura’s experiments were an

important part of psychological history because they paved the way to establish a pattern

between observational learning and behavior, and provided a good path for future psychologists

to establish links between social settings and drug use, and other troubling behaviors such as

violence and aggression.

Learning and Observational Learning Defined

From the time we are born until we die, we as a species continue learning as long as our

minds remain functional. Learning is defined as any experience that changes our mental states

and the way we perceive the world around us in a permanent or long lasting way. There are over

forty learning “techniques procedures and outcomes (Gilbert, Schacter, & Wegner, 2009)”

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derived from many different sources. Albert Bandura is a pioneer in a learning technique called

observational or social learning. (Gilbert, Schacter, & Wegner, 2009)

Observational learning, defined as learning that has occurred because of watching others

execute an action such as seeing your brother break his leg after jumping off the roof (Gilbert,

Schacter, & Wegner, 2009). The other siblings observing this would also learn not to jump off

the roof by learning the consequences, a broken leg, and would avoid this behavior. On the other

hand, the brother makes the jump, and receives praise from friends for doing something cool, the

siblings would see the reward, and might decide to jump off a roof as well. Albert Bandura

pioneered some convincing evidence with his BoBo doll experiment.

The Experiment- Author’s Theory

Siegel (n.d.) notes that Mr. Bandura held the idea that people were not predisposed to

violent tendencies, but rather that they learn aggression through observing other people. The

system of rewards and punishments within the social circles teaches children through observation

what behavior is acceptable and unacceptable. He devised an experiment in which preschool

children watched a video of adults playing with the BoBo doll. They played quietly at first, and

then began hitting the doll with a mallet, kicking the doll repeatedly, verbally reinforcing the

behavior with shouts of “punch it” etc., and threw it down on the ground (Google Video, 2008).

Some of the children watched portions of video in which the adults were admired for the

aggressive treatment of the dolls. The children, after receiving the positive reinforcement of the

adult behavior rewarded in the video, perceive the aggression and violence as acceptable

behavior. After perceiving aggression as acceptable behavior, then the children feel free to

replicate the behavior, and mimic the adults. Bandura (Google Video, 2008) holds that exposure

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to aggressive modeling teaches children violence through observation, and proves that the

control group, not exposed to the violence does not act aggressively while the experimental

group exposed to aggressive modeling do with this experiment. He also believes that in order for

observational modeling to occur, one must present the behavior, reinforce the behavior by

additional presentation, and the subject must have the motivation and physical ability to mimic

the act (Gilbert, Schacter, & Wegner, 2009). This is clearly defined in the results of the

experiment, and the only part the author’s theory expands upon is the idea that it is the social

acceptance, which allows the children to freely perceive and model the adult behavior.

The Physical and Motivational Factors- Social Growth and Mirror Neurons

The motor skills to follow the adult behavior are present naturally in a growing child, of

preschool age, as are the social growth factors that preempt them to imitate what they see like

small camcorders (Healthy Children, 2010) which allots for motivation. Along with the physical

changes taking place within the child’s natural growth periods, humans, monkeys and birds

posses a mirror neuron system in their brains. What happens when a child sees a video of adults,

or anyone, performing acts of aggression, is that the mirror neurons fire in their brains the same

as the person on the video’s mirror neurons are physically firing. Scientists have discovered that

the same area of the brain that processes observation of actions is the same area as performing an

action yourself, the mirror neurons. Add to this the social perception that the behavior is

accepted, and the children have no reason to avoid mimicking the adults with the new behavior

they have witnessed. In any case, Bandura’s experiments have paved the way for new

technology to explore with machines like the fMRI to observe brain function when learning

observational behavior by gaining visualization into the brain while learning through

observational techniques. (Gilbert, Schacter, & Wegner, 2009)

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Author’s Childhood Observational Behavior

This is a simple example from childhood that I remember clearly. I observed my aunts

at my grandmother’s house cooking French fries using the bacon grease that my great

grandmother kept on the counter. She always knew when the grease was safe because she was

the one that put it in the container. My aunts however were in their late teen years, and early

twenties and had not been cooking long. I had to leave, and thankfully did not eat the fries.

Later that day, my aunts became very ill, and it was because of the unrefrigerated bacon grease.

I do not ever, neither does my mother, use any kind of recycled grease because of the observed

experience that happened to my aunts. Grease ends up straight in the trash, unless I ever own a

car that will work with recycled food oils.

Conclusion

Bandura’s experiments were an important part of psychological history because they

paved the way to establish a pattern between observational learning and behavior, and provided a

good path for future psychologists to establish links between social settings and drug use, and

other troubling behaviors such as violence and aggression. While scientists have a lot of

research left to do on observational behavior, the BoBo doll experiment provides important

groundwork in the field of brain function, and discovering how humans learn.

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References:

Gilbert, D. T., Schacter, D.L. & Wegner, D. M. (2009). Psychology. New York: Worth

Publishing.

Google Video, (2008). Bandura BoBo Doll Experiment Retrieved from:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4586465813762682933#

Healthy Children, (2010). Preschool 3-5 yrs. Retrieved from:

http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/preschool/Pages/default.aspx

Siegel, L. J. (n.d.) Criminology the Core. Third Edition. University of Massachusetts, Lowell:

Thompson Wadsworth & Cengage Learning.