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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences pp 1–2Cite as

Observational Learning

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Synonyms

Modeling; Social learning; Vicarious learning

Definition

Observational learning is the acquisition of new behaviors that occurs when an individual, or observer, watches a model, or actor, perform the target behavior.

Introduction

Observational learning, also referred to as vicarious or social learning or modeling, is learning that occurs from watching another actor perform the behavior. This theory of learning was first presented by Albert Bandura (1965) and was in stark contrast to the behavioral movement which emphasized the role of first-hand experience of reinforcement in learning.

Observational Learning involves an individual, or observer, to learning to perform a behavior of a model, or actor. This model has four components, all of which must occur for an observer to learn: attention, retention, motor reproduction, and motivation.

Attention

“Attentional processes determine what is selectively observed” (Bandura 1977, p. 24). In other words, an individual must first...

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References

  • Bandura, A. (1965). Influence of models’ reinforcement contingencies on the acquisition of imitative responses. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1(6), 589–595.

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  • Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.

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  • Bandura, A. (2004). Observational learning. In J. H. Byrne (Ed.), Learning and memory (2nd ed., pp. 482–484). New York: Macmillan Reference USA.

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  • Bandura, A. (2006). Toward a psychology of human agency. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1(2), 164–180.

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  • Brewer, K., & Wann, D. (1998). Observational learning effectiveness as a function of model characteristics: Investigating the importance of social power. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 26, 1–10.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National University, La Jolla, CA, USA

    Betsi Little

Authors
  1. Betsi Little
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Betsi Little .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Division of Social Sciences, New College of Florida, Sarasota, FL, USA

    Catherine Cottrell

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Cite this entry

Little, B. (2018). Observational Learning. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1801-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1801-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

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