Class notes on Observational learning and Language

Introduction to Learning
Observational learning & language
The criticisms of behaviourism
 Watson (1924): ‘All human behaviour, from mental disorder to
scientific skill, is determined by learning’.
 Main objection: the complexity of human behaviour is difficult to
explain through operant conditioning alone.
 Learning theory cannot easily explain imitation and observational
learning.
Observational (social) learning
 Many different forms of social learning
 People can improve performance on many tasks, including sports,
simply by watching others perform
 DIY – can’t rewire a plug – watch some chap on YouTube do it and
follow his actions.
 Learning at the subliminal level – advertising.
Simple: contagious behaviour
 Instinctive or reflexive
 Triggered automatically by the same behaviour in others
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk9-gkT2bI8
Simple: stimulus enhancement
 Stimulus enhancement allows behavioural triggers to be noticed
o Monkey observes termites running when poked with a stick
and monkey picks up a stick… imitation, or is the monkey
driven just by the goal?
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyy2ko191s0
Observational learning in animals?
 Can animals learn by observation?
o Rats will watch what other rats eat to determine food safety
(Galef, 1996)
o True imitation is defined as duplicating a novel behaviour to
achieve a specific goal
 Animals often do not duplicate a model’s behaviour
exactly
 Stimulus enhancement may explain some apparent
imitation by animals
Observational learning
 Also known as social learning