Vicarious Conditioning: How Does This Type Of Learning Work?
Vicarious conditioning is a type of learning which depends on the observation of other people’s reactions to a stimulus relevant to both the subject and the observer, or the perception of the contingency between a response and consequences determined from the behavior of others.
In this article we will describe the main characteristics of vicarious conditioning and the phases that comprise it, as well as its relationship with other concepts referring to very similar types of learning, such as modeling, imitation, social and observational learning.
The concept of vicarious conditioning generally refers to a type of learning that occurs through observation of the consequences that a behavior has for another person The nature of these outcomes increases or decreases the probability that the observer will perform the same behavior.
This type of learning is framed in the paradigm of classical conditioning as well as operant. In these cases, an association is not learned between a behavior and its consequences, but rather between a stimulus and a response; For example, young children may develop fear of an animal if they observe this response in other people.
Vicarious learning from the operant paradigm
From operant conditioning, if the result of the action is positive for the person who carries it out, we say that he or she has obtained reinforcement. If we observe that someone else’s behavior is reinforced the probability that we will perform that behavior increases: a child who sees his father give his sister a soft drink only after she asks for it please will probably imitate her.
On the other hand, when the behavior is followed by an aversive stimulus or by the withdrawal of a reinforcing stimulus, we will learn that we should not do it. In these cases we talk about “punishment”, which is defined as a consequence of a behavior that reduces the probability that we will carry it out again.
Reinforcement and punishment are not always material : reinforcement is sometimes social, and may consist of a smile or praise, and at other times it is simply identified with the disappearance of an unpleasant emotion; A teacher can punish her students with bad grades, negative comments, and many other ways.
Differences with other types of learning
The concept “vicarious conditioning” is very similar to others used in the psychology of learning: “modeling”, “social learning”, “observational learning” and “imitation learning” Although in general all these terms refer to very close processes, there are significant nuances since each one highlights different aspects.
In the case of vicarious learning, the emphasis is placed on the fact that the observed subject (that is, the one who executes the behavior or responds to the stimulation) is immersed in a conditioning program , which as we have said can be of the classical or instrumental or operant type; In the latter case, the subject also receives reinforcement or punishment.
The word “modeling” has very similar implications: in this case it highlights the fact that the person carrying out the behavior serves as a model for the person observing. Imitation is understood in a more restrictive way, being simply a copy of other people’s behavior that can generate learning.
“Observational learning” is a broad concept which includes the connotations of the rest of the terms previously described. Finally, social learning refers to the behaviors involved in life in society; It is the most macro of all these types of learning, since it also includes others such as symbolic or verbal learning.
Phases of vicarious conditioning
Psychologist Albert Bandura described four processes necessary for vicarious or observational learning, which can also be understood as the phases through which this type of conditioning occurs.
1. Attention
The first step in acquiring a response through observation is focusing attention on the model , that is, in the person (or living being) who originally executes it. Aspects such as the observer’s expectations and the relevance of the learning situation for him or her have a decisive influence on the attention process.
2. Retention
Retention refers to the observer’s ability to imitate the behavior once it has been observed without the model being present. To do this, it is necessary that the person learning can encode the information using words or images and repeat it, either in imagination or in an observable way.
3. Playback
Once the response has been learned, it can be executed by the observer only if he or she has the skills required to do so. This process consists of four subphases: the generation of an action scheme, the performance of the behavior, the comparison between expectation and actual performance and finally modification through corrective adjustments.
4. Motivation
The probability of executing the behavior does not depend only on whether the subject has learned it correctly, but also on whether he or she has sufficient incentives to feel compelled to carry it out. In this sense it is worth highlighting The fundamental role of reinforcement in the motivation to imitate the behaviors of other people.
