Observational learning occurs when people observe and mimic the behaviors of others, such as parents, siblings, teachers, or other role models. This type of learning is most common in childhood as young children learn about the world from observing those around them. However, observational learning continues throughout life as people unconsciously pick up habits and behaviors from frequent exposure and interaction with others. While observational learning can help children acquire positive behaviors from good role models, it also carries the risk that children may mimic undesirable behaviors without understanding the consequences.

1. Journal Entry 5: 26th Oct 2015
Observational Learning
Observational learning is a learning process which occurs by observing
behaviours and actions of others. It is a form of social learning which occurs
throughout a person’s life through direct experience, reinforcement, motivation or
even punishment. Observational learning involves humans where they can copy and
learn from as a role model. In children’s childhood, their role models are often
parents, siblings, teachers and other people who are close to them but also have an
authority figure over them or higher status than themselves. Although observational
learning is very common during early childhood, it is still a continuous psychological
phenomenon which occurs throughout a person’s life. This is because social learning
happens when an individual observes how other people interact with either
themselves or with other people. In our daily lives, we can never miss interaction
between ourselves and the society both directly and indirectly so observational
learning can happen subconsciously over a period of time. It is said to be most
delicate and occurs most frequent during childhood, because young children have not
experienced any sort of interaction. This learning process contributes to their primary
schema of the world.
Observational learning shows a person’s ability to copy and mimic actions of
others then translate it into their own personalities or actions. It is learned mostly
through indirect interaction whereby they automatically copy without knowing the
consequences or circumstances of their behaviour which awaits them. Observational
learning can be behaviours that are learned consciously or subconsciously. When a
behaviour is learned consciously, it is because the individual is convinced that their
model’s actions are worthy of copying and bring a good impact on themselves or to
the society. The conscious mind knows and acknowledges the learned behaviour
because a schema is purposely installed in order for the brain, the mind and the body
to process that behaviour. On the other hand, when a behaviour is learned
subconsciously, it is due to overexposure to a habit or behaviour over a period of
time. The individual gradually picks up behaviours which are similar to their role
model with a possibility that they might not know that that they do possess such
behaviour. The mind could be unconscious about the possessed behaviour because it
was picked up instead of being stored as a schema on purpose.
Observational learning is a very good way of teaching children on how to act
if the role models whom they are exposed to have good behaviours. This way, they
are not only able to observe and learn consciously through installations of schema,
they can also pick up good habits because they are constantly exposed to positive
behaviours of their role models. However, observational learning is dangerous in a
way where the individual can be mimicking an action which has low ethnic or does
harm to the society without knowing what their behaviour can actually cause. All the
learned behaviours might not seem to affect them negatively because they are too
used to seeing such behaviour in their lives. When people try to correct their
behaviours, the individual might come off as defensive because they choose to believe
that the learned behaviour is a normal behaviour or action.

2. In my previous study days, it was common for students to lie and say that they
did not study for a test or exam but in actual fact, they did study and they managed to
score high marks during exam. I’m not sure if that was a tactic to get other students to
not study alongside them, but I was effected in a way where I believed that they did
not study for the exam. Knowing that my classmates did not study for the upcoming
exams made me slack while they were actually working hard as preparations for
exams. When I realized that they got good results compared to mine, it was
unbelievable that they did not study for the exams. As I moved up to better classes,
the amount of people who convinced me saying that they did not study for the exams
grew in number but their results were extremely remarkable. So one day my cousin,
who is a top scorer in class, said that he himself lies to his friends that he did not study
for the exam when he was actually preparing since a long time ago. Later on, I
became someone who did the same thing because, in a way, my cousin has convinced
me that saying so is like a norm for students in that class. In short, I picked up the
behaviour from my classmates saying that I did not prepare for the exam when I
actually did because it constantly happened every day.
Back when I was younger, it was also common for schools to pick student role
models and announce their positive behaviours to the rest of the students in the
school. They always picked students who dress up neatly, complete their homework,
scores high marks and does well is exams, greet teachers and other behaviours that
complete the characteristics of a good student. I agree that in one way, it is true that
this might be an effective way for students to observe that student role model’s
behaviour and shape their behaviours. Students will have a positive outcome if they
learn and interpret the role model’s actions or behaviours as positive while interacting
with them. However, I never understood the purpose of choosing one because other
students will then purposely greet teachers and make it obvious that they scored high
marks in exams so that the teacher notices them in hope that they will be chosen as
the next role model. It is true that students should greet teachers as a form of respect,
but doing it on purpose so that the teacher will notice you defeats the purpose of
choosing a role model to show behaviours that will have a strong positive impact on
other students. I find it ridiculous especially when enthusiastically greeting teachers
became a form of respect and cheerfulness was something a role model should be.
However, in actual fact, these were all just all fake actions in order to achieve the title
of being a role model. Even if I did learn to greet teachers later on, I often questioned
myself if I was supposed to learn to be respectful or learn to try all sorts of methods
no matter positive or negative in order to achieve our goals from the role model. It
was confusing because role modelling is something which is determined by the self
and not by other people. What if the appointed role model was a bully towards
yourself? Would that person still be your role model?
After being confused with such thoughts, I was then exposed to essay writings
which commonly consists of statements which states that “parents have to portray
good behaviour in order to be role models to their children because they are the
closest human beings to each child”. I have been blindly following and copying this
sentence thinking that it only occurs to some children who willingly follow their
parent’s behaviours until today when I learned that children will most likely copy as

3. long as they are continuously exposed to their parent’s behaviour over a span of time.
Unlike student role models, parent role models are not chosen by a third party, they
are automatically registered as your role models since birth. A child may choose to
not think of their parents as role models, but it is undeniable that children are able to
pick up positive and negative behaviours from parents through subconscious learning.
This is because the image a parent show their children is most likely to be a reflection
of how their children might grow up to become. It is the same concept in where a
child from a family which is constantly involved in domestic violence to become
violent in the future. The image of their violent parents have caused the child to learn
to be violent towards others. The violent behaviour of the child is actually picked up
and learned which is shown as a reflection of the child’s parents previous violent
actions and behaviour.
I have always looked at my parents as role models when it comes to positive
actions and behaviours which my parents portray. So most of the personality I have
installed within myself is a reflection of how my parents are, and how my parents
have raised me to become. As for their negative behaviours, I would try to tell myself
to not follow and copy them so that I will remind myself to not show behaviour that I
myself do not like. But lately, not only did I learn from their positive behaviours, I
have come to know that I have picked up negative behaviours along the way due to
continuous exposure towards such habits. I used to always get shouted at for using “I
don’t know” without trying before saying that I really didn’t know. So I knew that
saying it meant getting into trouble with my parents. But what I did not know, until
today, was that my parents did use that phrase a lot towards each other and me. An
example of it is when my dad said that he does not know how to get to a specific
location without trying to search for it on the map or use applications to get to that
place. Initially, I took it in like it was just another normal phrase from him until my
mom pointed out that he said “I don’t know” before trying to understand how to get to
that location when he gets frustrated when we say “I don’t know” to him without
trying first. “I don’t know” was used so often without thinking twice in my family that
even if we hated it when someone used it on us, we were actually using it to each
other, and I was in fact subconsciously learning it (without my mind processing this
piece of information) from both my parents. A more serious and obvious case is when
my parents get extremely frustrated and easily aggravated when they are sweaty and
hot. They tend to get mad easily at the smallest mistake when they feel hot and
sweaty. Sometimes, they might end up scolding my sister and I for pushing their
buttons too far when we are only acting the way we usually are. This ended up with
me easily getting aggravated when I feel hot and sweaty too. I usually get frustrated
easily for no reason just because of the hotness and sweatiness I feel. Other people,
like my friends, usually sit down and just try to cool themselves down by being calm
even if people purposely piss them off while I just get mad immediately even if it is
just a small, tiny matter. This has made me realize how powerful observational
learning can be in the society.
Observational learning has two sides of the story where the outcome of the
learning process can either be positive or negative, depending on how each individual
interprets the situation they are observing or involved in.