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an experimental room in which similar toys OBSERVATIONAL L EARNING were placed around. The children were allowed The next form of learning takes place by to play with the toys. These groups were observing others. Earlier this form of learning secretly observed and their behaviours noted. was called imitation. Bandura and his It was found that those children who saw aggressive behaviour being rewarded were colleagues in a series of experimental studies most aggressive; children who had seen the investigated observational learning in detail. In this kind of learning, human beings learn aggressive model being punished were least social behaviours, therefore, it is sometimes aggressive. Thus, in observational learning observers acquire knowledge by observing the called social learning. In many situations model’s behaviour, but performance is individuals do not know how to behave. They observe others and emulate their behaviour. influenced by model’s behaviour being This form of learning is called modeling. rewarded or punished. Examples of observational learning You must have noticed that children observe adults’ behaviours, at home and abound in our social life. Fashion designers during social ceremonies and functions. They employ tall, pretty, and gracious young girls and tall, smart, and well-built young boys for enact adults in their plays and games. For popularising clothes of different designs and instance, young children play games of marriage ceremonies, birthday parties, thief fabrics. People observe them on televised and policeman, house keeping, etc. Actually fashion shows and advertisements in magazinesandnewspapers.Theyimitatethese they enact in their games what they models. Observing superiors and likeable observe in society, on television, and read in books. persons and then emulating their behaviour Children learn most of the social in a novel social situation is a common behavioursbyobservingandemulatingadults. experience. In order to understand the nature of The way to put on clothes, dress one’s hair, and conduct oneself in society are learned observational learning we may refer to the through observing others. It has also been studies conducted by Bandura. In one of his shown that children learn and develop various well-known experimental study, Bandura showed a film of five minutes duration to personality characteristics through observational learning. Aggressiveness, pro- children. The film shows that in a large room social behaviour, courtesy, politeness, there are numerous toys including a large diligence, and indolence are acquired by this sized ‘Bobo’ doll. Now a grown-up boy enters method of learning. the room and looks around. The boy starts showing aggressive behaviour towards the toys in general and the bobo doll in particular. He Activity 5.2 hits the doll, throws it on the floor, kicking it and sitting on it. This film has three versions. Youcanhavefirst-handexperienceofobservational learning by doing the following exercise. In one version a group of children see the boy Collect four or five school going children and (model) being rewarded and praised by an adult for being aggressive to the doll. In the demonstrate how to make a boat out of a sheet of second version another group of children see paper.Doittwoorthreetimesandaskthechildren the boy being punished for his aggressive to observe carefully. After having shown how to fold the paper in different ways for a number of behaviour. In the third version the third group times, give them sheets of paper and ask them to of children are not shown the boy being either make a toy boat. rewarded or punished. Most children will be able to do it somewhat After viewing a specific version of the film successfully. all the three groups of children were placed in 86 Psychology Reprint 2026-27