How does biology play a role in operant conditioning? Researchers have found that animals will not go against their natural instincts if a certain desired behavior compromises their instincts. This is known as instinctive drift, when animals will follow their instincts rather than performing a desired behavior, even if they are being trained to do so otherwise.
Research after Skinner: Skinner believed that behavior was shaped by external experiences, rather than thoughts. So he felt that we should give rewards to promote a desirable behavior and not worry about a person’s freedom or dignity. He believed that in the classroom, individualized instruction should be performed, which has begun to occur and studies have been conducted to determine whether this and the use of positive reinforcements have a positive impact on the grade a student receives. Recently researchers have studied the effects of primary and secondary reinforcers. While many were and still are critical of Skinner, his ideas are currently in existence today.
(The following apply to observational learning)
Modeling: Modeling is the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior. From this is where we can trace many of our social behaviors. What we see or observe, we do ourselves, and this is modeling.
Mirror neurons: Mirror neurons are frontal lobe neurons that fire when performing certain actions or when observing another doing so. The brain’s mirroring of another’s action may enable imitation, language learning, and empathy.
Albert Bandura: Albert Bandura is one of the original researchers when it comes to dealing with observational learning. Bandura’s experiment with the children outlashing against the Bobo doll shows that children, and others, tend to observe certain behaviors from others, and when they are faced with certain situations they are likely to act in a similar fashion. His findings can help explain why some connections exist. For example, they may help explain why abusive parents tend to have aggressive children.
Prosocial models: Prosocial models are positive, constructive, helpful behaviors. Prosocial models can help change people actions or influence their actions to be positive or socially pleasing based on their own actions.
The impact of television (dun dun dun): (page 338) During the first eighteen years of someone’s life who lives in a developed country, they are more likely going to spend more time watching TV then they will spend in school. With so many violent shows on, especially during prime time hours for these children, through observational learning, children are more likely to repeat these violent of negative behaviors.
The good news about TV (from Chapter 1): (page 338) If a child sees prosocial behavior on the TV and is frequently exposed to positive behavior, then the child is most likely going to act in a more positive way in society.
Desensitizing of youth: (page 340) By watching more TV, and the violence that occurs, the youth are likely to pick up on what is happening and learn by observing what is happening on their show. When this occurs, they become less likely to react or respond when an actual violent crime occurs in real life.
Provide one example of Observational Learning from your lifetime (make sure that each group member has their own example to post to the blog): In soccer, I watched my favorite player do a move that would continually beat players over and over again. The move was quite easy but if done properly could be very deceptive. I practiced this move and have since used it to my advantage. Another example is when I saw two kids get into a fight and then their consequences. By seeing the outcome, I learned to not do what they did, in this case fight.
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