OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING Meaning and
Definition
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Observational learning, also known as social learning or vicarious learning, is a cognitive process by which individuals acquire new behaviors, skills, or knowledge by observing and imitating others. It is a form of learning that takes place through observing and modeling the actions and behaviors of others without actually performing the behavior themselves.
In observational learning, the individual does not rely solely on trial and error or personal experience to acquire knowledge, but rather learns by watching the actions and consequences experienced by someone else. This process involves four essential components: attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation.
Attention refers to the individual's ability to closely observe and pay attention to the model's behavior. Retention involves the individual's capability to remember the observed behavior in their memory. Reproduction refers to the individual's ability to reproduce the observed behavior accurately, and motivation refers to the individual's internal drive or desire to imitate the observed behavior.
Observational learning has significant implications in various settings, including education, socialization, and the acquisition of skills in different domains such as sports, art, and language. It offers the opportunity to learn from others' experiences, saves time and resources, and allows individuals to acquire new behaviors without facing the consequences of trial and error learning. However, it can also result in the acquisition of negative or undesirable behaviors if the observed models exhibit such behavior.
Etymology of OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING
The word "observational" derives from the Latin word "observare", which means "to watch, to observe". The word "learning" comes from the Old English word "leornian", meaning "to study, to read, to teach oneself". Therefore, the term "observational learning" refers to the process of acquiring knowledge, skills, or behaviors by watching and observing others.
