Observational learning

Observational learning is learning by watching another person’s behavior and its consequences. It can change what an observer knows, expects, or does without direct practice.

Social learning theory: A theory that explains learning through observation, imitation, and social interaction. It frames observation as learning shaped by models and their social context.
Modeling (psychology): The presentation or observation of behavior that can be learned or imitated. A model supplies the behavior from which observational learning can occur.
Albert Bandura: A Canadian-American psychologist known for social cognitive theory and research on observational learning. Bandura developed influential accounts of how people learn by observing models.
Mirror neuron: A neuron that responds both when an action is performed and when a similar action is observed. These neurons offer one proposed neural link between seeing and doing, though their role in learning remains debated.
Overimitation: The tendency to copy unnecessary actions when learning a task from another person. It raises questions about why observers reproduce steps that do not cause the result.
Attention: The selection of information for focused processing from competing inputs. An observer must notice a model’s actions to learn from them.
Operant conditioning: Learning in which behavior changes because of its consequences. It often involves direct consequences, unlike learning solely by watching another person.
Bobo doll experiment: A 1961 experiment in which children exposed to aggressive adult models later imitated some actions toward a Bobo doll. The experiment demonstrated that children could acquire aggressive actions by watching.
Observational learning in animals: Learning by watching conspecifics or other animals, documented across multiple species. Animal studies show observation-based learning is not limited to human social settings.
Implicit learning: The acquisition of knowledge without conscious awareness of what has been learned. Observed patterns may guide behavior even when observers cannot describe what they learned.

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