Observational learning plays an important role in advertising. People are more likely to imitate behaviors that are modeled by attractive people and that result in positive reinforcement. Advertisers thus typically use attractive models demonstrating the desired behaviors of using or purchasing a product, with the behavior being rewarded in some way. Negative advertising aims to decrease unwanted behaviors by depicting unattractive models participating in the behavior and being punished as a result.

1. Observational Learning in Advertising

2. Learning by Observation Higher animals, especially humans, learn through observing and imitating others. The monkey on the right imitates the monkey on the left in touching the pictures in a certain order to obtain a reward. © Herb Terrace ©Herb Terrace

3. Imitation Onset Learning by observation begins early in life. This 14-month-old child imitates the adult on TV in pulling a toy apart. Meltzoff, A.N. (1998). Imitation of televised models by infants. Child Development, 59 1221-1229. Photos Courtesy of A.N. Meltzoff and M. Hanuk.

4. Modeling Is the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior For example, this woman could be modeling the behavior of picking out and eating healthy fruit Because she is attractive, it makes you want to imitate her behavior

5. Reinforcement Subjects are more likely to model behavior if the person doing the behavior is attractive and is being reinforced by something good happening after doing the behavior

6. Punishment Subjects are less like to model a behavior if the person doing the behavior is punished by something bad happening after doing the behavior

7. Modeling in Advertising Advertising tends to use attractive people Who are modeling use of a product that the advertiser wants to sell And use of that product is reinforced by something good happening For example, drink this soda and an attractive person will fall in love with you

8. Negative advertising If you want to use advertising to decrease a behavior, you would show unattractive people modeling the behavior you want to decrease And that behavior is being punished by something bad happening after the behavior For example, this ad would make people not want to smoke cigarettes and drink beer so they could avoid being fat and dumpy