Observational Learning

Observational learning, also known as social learning or modeling, is a form of learning in which people acquire new behavior by watching someone else perform that behavior. The person performing the behavior is known as the model, and the learner is known as the observer. Observational learning involves two basic components: observation and imitation. Observed behavior must exist in order for a person or animal to imitate the behavior. For example, in the Bobo experiment, children imitated actions towards Bobo, a doll that would bounce back after being hit. One last important note is that observational learning is dealing within the same species.