Observational Learning

Observational learning is a form social leaning where learning occurs by observing the behavior of others. This is a powerful method for learning and most of what children learn is by observing their parents or other adults (Fryling, Johnston, & Hayes, 2011). Observational learning can take place at any time in a person's life, but it mostly tends to be the most common learning method during childhood. It also plays a vital role in the socialization process, as children will learn how to behave and respond by observing their parents. The articles selected comprise of 7 primary sources and 3 secondary sources, which means that the 7 articles are all research articles. The other 3 comprise of 1 literature review, and 2 practice articles. The content covered is mostly on behavioral learning and how it can be used to change behavior or learn new behavior. The research is not only conducted on humans but also on rats in order to demonstrate the learning behaviors.
Literature Review
In order to identify the appropriate literature, we made use of numerous search strategies that employed different keywords. We conducted the search using Ovid SP and PubMed. The key words used were observational learning, behavior change, social cognitive theory, and effect of observational learning. The main challenge that we faced was that identifying appropriate articles was difficult because some of the abstracts were not clear on what the article covered. This forced us to review our keywords and delve deeper in our search. We managed to locate articles that we feel were able to cover the topic and the results were positive. The selection process was a learning opportunity as it taught us the vital skills necessary for selecting and appraising articles for literature review.
From the articles that we have selected it is clear that the theory is not used for human subjects, but also for animals. This means that it is possible to train both humans and animals in order for them to learn a new habit or change a particular behavior. What is encouraging is that the results of all the researches demonstrated that the participants modified or they learnt a new skill (Cordovani & Cordovani, 2016). Learning is at the heart of this theory and this has been clearly shown within the articles selected. Participants have managed to pick up new skills by observing or learn something bad all by observation (Fryling et al., 2011; Grierson, Roberts, & Welsher, 2017). According to Harris et al. (2017) the participants in the intervention were able to pick up the good and also the bad habits all through observation. What this demonstrates is that observational learning is not only used for good behavior, but can also be used to learn bad behaviors. This is reaffirmed by Dunne, D'Souza, and O'Doherty (2016) in their research where there used functional magnetic resonance imaging to demonstrate how the brain selects and picks up behavior.
There is no indication on whether the theory works better with a particular population, but from the literature we have gathered, it seems the theory will work on populations. As demonstrated by Bem, Jura, Bontempi, and Meyrand (2018) in their study of rats. Spatial discrimination is picked up by the rodents based on what they observe. This would also be true for humans who would all be able to pick up certain skills all by learning (Ashuri, Dvir-Gvisman, & Halperin, 2018). The literature also shows that it is possible to teach new skills to children with autism as shown by Brown (2016). Therefore, it is our belief that observational learning can be employed or used by anyone in order for the to learn and adopt to a new behavior or skill (Thoma, Norra, Juckel, Suchan, & Bellebaum, 2015). It is also possible to influence the behavior of other even though you are not meeting them in person. Using social networking the behavior of individuals can be influenced by that of people they follow or admire (Qiu & Whinston, 2017).
As the name for the theory suggests observation was the main way that people were able to learn and change their behavior. However, it is possible to influence this behavior by using social networking. The decisions that people make are also mostly influenced by their participation in certain circles. Learning of skills is enhanced by skill observing. This is mostly true for medical students who mostly learn new skills by observing their mentors or experts as they perform a skill. The theory has been used to positively and negatively influence behavior. This was done to demonstrate the efficacy of observational learning.
Conclusion
According to the selected literature, we feel that the articles have managed to cover a majority of the topics that involve observational learning. The literature has shown that observational learning is effective and a sure way of teaching individuals new skills and behavioral change. The recommendation for further research on how to develop curriculum in order to incorporate observational learning was intriguing. This is because by incorporating observational learning, there is an opportunity to reach out to slow learners in the classrooms and can also be effective in modifying behavior. The theory is not limited in any way. There are opportunities to employ it in different scenarios as has been shown in two of the articles selected. Using the theory, it is possible to gauge how people interact and share on social networks. Also, one can shape the mind of buyers to influence their spending power. Public health can be improved if people could learn how to follow some key cleanliness guidelines. These behaviors could be taught to populations using video or advertisements where people are encouraged and shown how to maintain good hygiene and health.
References
Ashuri, T., Dvir-Gvisman, S., & Halperin, R. (2018). Watching Me Watching You: How Observational Learning Affects Self-disclosure on Social Network Sites? Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 23(1), 34-68.
Bem, T., Jura, B., Bontempi, B., & Meyrand, P. (2018). Observational learning of a spatial discrimination task by rats: learning from the mistakes of others? Animal Behaviour, 135, 85-96.
Brown, A. M. (2016). A comparison of two imitation training protocols to teach independent play skills and promote observational learning in children with autism spectrum disorder. University of Kansas.
Cordovani, L., & Cordovani, D. (2016). A literature review on observational learning for medical motor skills and anesthesia teaching. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 21(5), 1113-1121.
Dunne, S., D'Souza, A., & O'Doherty, J. P. (2016). The involvement of model-based but not model-free learning signals during observational reward learning in the absence of choice. Journal of neurophysiology, 115(6), 3195-3203.
Fryling, M. J., Johnston, C., & Hayes, L. J. (2011). Understanding observational learning: An interbehavioral approach. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 27(1), 191-203.
Grierson, L. E., Roberts, J. W., & Welsher, A. M. (2017). The effect of modeled absolute timing variability and relative timing variability on observational learning. Acta psychologica, 176, 71-77.
Harris, D. J., Vine, S. J., Wilson, M. R., McGrath, J. S., LeBel, M.-E., & Buckingham, G. (2017). The effect of observing novice and expert performance on acquisition of surgical skills on a robotic platform. PLoS ONE, 12(11), e0188233.
Qiu, L., & Whinston, A. B. (2017). Pricing Strategies under Behavioral Observational Learning in Social Networks. Production and Operations Management, 26(7), 1249-1267.
Thoma, P., Norra, C., Juckel, G., Suchan, B., & Bellebaum, C. (2015). Performance monitoring and empathy during active and observational learning in patients with major depression. Biological psychology, 109, 222-231.