MCAT Psychological Social Foundations Flashcards: 7c Observational Learning Modeling

What this deck covers

This deck focuses on 7c Observational Learning Modeling, giving you a quick way to review the definitions, rules, and examples that matter most for MCAT Psychological Social Foundations.

How to use these flashcards

Work through these flashcards in short sessions. Try to answer each prompt before flipping the card, then revisit any cards you miss until the explanation feels automatic.

Flashcard 1: What does the attention process refer to in observational learning?

Answer: Noticing the model's behavior and relevant cues. Attention is the initial step where observers must focus on the model's actions to encode relevant information for learning.

Flashcard 2: Identify the correct prediction: a child sees a model praised for sharing; what happens to sharing?

Answer: Sharing increases via vicarious reinforcement. Positive consequences for model encourage observer imitation.

Flashcard 3: Which model characteristic most increases imitation: similar to the observer or dissimilar?

Answer: Similar to the observer. Observers more likely to imitate models they identify with.

Flashcard 4: Identify the term for learning that a behavior is possible but not performing it yet.

Answer: Latent learning. Knowledge exists but remains hidden until motivation arises.

Flashcard 5: What does the reproduction process refer to in observational learning?

Answer: Ability to perform the observed behavior. Physical and cognitive capacity enables behavioral execution.

Flashcard 6: What is inhibition in observational learning?

Answer: Reduced behavior after observing negative consequences. Suppression occurs when observing leads to avoidance.

Flashcard 7: What is disinhibition in observational learning?

Answer: Increased behavior after seeing it go unpunished or rewarded. Previously suppressed behaviors emerge when seen as acceptable.

Flashcard 8: Identify the term for learning that occurs without immediate behavioral performance.

Answer: Latent learning. Knowledge exists but isn't demonstrated until motivated.

Flashcard 9: Which observational learning process involves the physical ability to perform the behavior?

Answer: Reproduction. Requires motor skills to physically perform the observed action.

Flashcard 10: Which process is most impaired when an observer forgets the sequence of actions after watching a model?

Answer: Retention. Memory failure prevents later behavioral reproduction.

Flashcard 11: Which option best fits observational learning: behavior changes after watching consequences for another person?

Answer: Vicarious conditioning (learning from others' outcomes). Encompasses both reinforcement and punishment learned through observation.

Flashcard 12: What is the Bobo doll experiment best known for demonstrating?

Answer: Children imitate observed aggressive behavior. Bandura's classic study showed modeling of aggression without direct reinforcement.

Flashcard 13: Identify the correct term: learning a behavior by watching, without performing it during learning.

Answer: Observational learning. No direct practice needed; learning occurs through observation alone.

Flashcard 14: What is the key distinction between observational learning and operant conditioning?

Answer: Observational learning does not require direct reinforcement. Learning occurs without personally experiencing consequences of the behavior.

Flashcard 15: What does the motivation process refer to in observational learning?

Answer: Having incentive or expectation of benefit to imitate the behavior. Desire to perform depends on expected outcomes or rewards.

Flashcard 16: What is self-efficacy in Bandura's social cognitive theory?

Answer: Belief in one's ability to succeed at a specific task. Confidence in performing specific behaviors influences motivation to attempt them.

Flashcard 17: Identify the term for belief in one's ability to succeed at a specific task.

Answer: Self-efficacy. Confidence in capability affects performance attempts.

Flashcard 18: Which option best describes the reproduction process in observational learning?

Answer: Having the ability to physically and cognitively enact the behavior. Third step: requires physical/mental capacity to perform the behavior.

Flashcard 19: What is inhibition in observational learning?

Answer: Reduced behavior after seeing a model punished for it. Witnessing negative outcomes creates avoidance learning.

Flashcard 20: Identify the concept: a child imitates a behavior only after seeing peers praised for it.

Answer: Vicarious reinforcement. Witnessing others' rewards increases likelihood of imitation.

Flashcard 21: Which model characteristic most increases imitation: high or low status?

Answer: High status. Prestigious models are more likely to be imitated.

Flashcard 22: Which process is missing if a person can perform a behavior but chooses not to due to no incentive?

Answer: Motivation. Lacks desire or reason to perform despite having the capability.

Flashcard 23: What is the Bobo doll experiment best known for demonstrating?

Answer: Children imitate observed aggression toward a model. Bandura showed children copy aggressive acts they witnessed.

Flashcard 24: Which term describes an observer becoming less likely to perform a behavior after seeing negative outcomes to a model?

Answer: Inhibitory effect. Punishment of model suppresses observer's behavior.

Flashcard 25: In Bandura's model, which process refers to the ability to physically perform the behavior?

Answer: Reproduction. Physical capability must match observed behavior for successful imitation.

Flashcard 26: What is observational learning in social cognitive theory?

Answer: Learning a behavior by watching others and its consequences. Occurs without direct experience through observation of others.

Flashcard 27: Which process best explains why watching an aggressive model can increase aggression?

Answer: Vicarious reinforcement of the observed aggressive behavior. Observing rewards for aggression motivates imitation through indirect reinforcement, as per Bandura's experiments.

Flashcard 28: Identify the missing process: notices behavior, remembers it, can do it, but does not try due to no reward.

Answer: Motivation. Without incentive, learned behaviors may not be performed despite capability.

Flashcard 29: What is the difference between learning and performance in observational learning?

Answer: Learning can occur without immediate imitation or behavior change. Knowledge acquisition doesn't require observable behavioral expression.

Flashcard 30: What are Bandura's four processes required for observational learning?

Answer: Attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. These sequential steps enable successful observational learning.

Flashcard 31: What is self-efficacy in Bandura's theory?

Answer: Belief in one's ability to succeed at a specific task or behavior. Observing successful models increases confidence in one's abilities.

Flashcard 32: Which process of observational learning determines whether the observer will imitate the behavior?

Answer: Motivation. Includes incentives, expectations, and perceived consequences.

Flashcard 33: What is vicarious punishment?

Answer: Decreased behavior after seeing a model punished. Observer learns from model's negative consequences.

Flashcard 34: Which observational learning process depends most on physical ability and practice?

Answer: Reproduction. Motor skills and coordination limit behavioral imitation.

Flashcard 35: What does the retention process refer to in observational learning?

Answer: Encoding and remembering the observed behavior. Retention involves storing the observed behavior in memory through symbolic coding or imagery for later retrieval.

Flashcard 36: What does the motivation process determine in observational learning?

Answer: Whether the observer chooses to enact the behavior. Incentives influence decision to perform learned behavior.

Flashcard 37: Which model characteristic most increases imitation: high status/prestige or low status?

Answer: High status or prestige. People tend to imitate those they perceive as successful or authoritative.

Flashcard 38: Identify the concept: Behavior change driven by belief that one can do the task.

Answer: Self-efficacy. This belief promotes behavior change by enhancing confidence and reducing avoidance of challenging tasks.

Flashcard 39: What is the main finding of Bandura's Bobo doll experiments?

Answer: Children imitate observed aggression, especially when it is rewarded. Demonstrated that aggression can be learned through observation alone.

Flashcard 40: What is modeling in the context of observational learning?

Answer: Demonstrating a behavior that an observer may imitate. The model serves as the behavioral template for observers to copy.

Flashcard 41: What does the retention process refer to in observational learning?

Answer: Encoding and remembering the observed behavior. Mental representation allows later behavioral reproduction.

Flashcard 42: What is the key difference between observational learning and operant conditioning?

Answer: Observational learning is vicarious; operant depends on own consequences. Learning from others' experiences vs learning from personal reinforcement.

Flashcard 43: What is the Bobo doll experiment primarily used to demonstrate?

Answer: Observational learning of aggression through modeling. Bandura's study showed children imitating aggressive actions toward the doll after observing adult models.

Flashcard 44: Which process of observational learning refers to physically performing the modeled behavior?

Answer: Reproduction. Requires translating mental representations into actual behavior.

Flashcard 45: What is a key finding from Bandura's Bobo doll studies about aggression?

Answer: Children imitate aggressive models, especially when rewarded. Demonstrated that aggression can be learned through observation alone.

Flashcard 46: Which observational learning process is most influenced by expected outcomes?

Answer: Motivation. Anticipated rewards or punishments drive imitation decisions.

Flashcard 47: What is the motivation process in Bandura's model?

Answer: Wanting to perform the behavior due to expected outcomes. Incentives drive whether learned behavior is actually performed.

Flashcard 48: What is the Bobo doll experiment primarily used to demonstrate?

Answer: Observational learning of aggression through modeling. Children imitated aggressive behaviors after watching adult models.

Flashcard 49: What is modeling in the context of observational learning?

Answer: Demonstration of a behavior by a model that observers may imitate. In social cognitive theory, modeling serves as a mechanism for transmitting behaviors, enabling observers to learn vicariously.

Flashcard 50: What is disinhibition in observational learning?

Answer: Increased behavior after seeing a model do it without punishment. Absence of negative consequences removes behavioral restraints.

Flashcard 51: Which observational learning process depends most on memory encoding?

Answer: Retention. Must store observed behavior in memory for later use.

Flashcard 52: What is the key difference between observational learning and classical conditioning?

Answer: Observational learning occurs via watching; classical requires stimulus pairing. No automatic response needed; learner actively observes and chooses.

Flashcard 53: Which process is missing if a person recalls a behavior but lacks the physical ability to do it?

Answer: Reproduction. Physical or skill limitations prevent executing the observed behavior.

Flashcard 54: Identify the term: after seeing a classmate punished for cheating, a student avoids cheating.

Answer: Vicarious punishment. Student avoids behavior after observing peer's punishment.

Flashcard 55: Identify the term for an internal mental representation that guides future behavior.

Answer: Cognitive (mental) representation. Mental models organize observed information for later behavioral guidance.

Flashcard 56: Which process is most impaired when an observer cannot physically perform the modeled behavior?

Answer: Reproduction. Physical limitations prevent behavioral execution despite learning.

Flashcard 57: Which observational-learning process is primarily impaired if the observer expects no benefit from copying the act?

Answer: Motivation. Without incentive, learned behaviors remain unperformed.

Flashcard 58: Identify the best explanation: A teen imitates a celebrity's habit because the celebrity is admired.

Answer: Identification with a high-status model. Admiration for high-status figures promotes imitation through identification and aspirational modeling.

Flashcard 59: Which observational learning process involves encoding and remembering the behavior?

Answer: Retention. Must store the observed behavior in memory for later use.

Flashcard 60: What are Bandura's four processes required for observational learning?

Answer: Attention, retention, reproduction, motivation. Sequential steps necessary for successful observational learning to occur.

Flashcard 61: Which model characteristic most increases imitation: similar to observer or dissimilar?

Answer: Similar to the observer. We more readily imitate those we perceive as like ourselves.

Flashcard 62: Which option best describes prosocial modeling: copying helping, copying stealing, copying avoidance, copying reflexes?

Answer: Copying helping. Modeling positive social behaviors promotes helpful actions in observers.

Flashcard 63: What is the key distinction between observational learning and classical conditioning?

Answer: Observational learning does not require direct CS–US pairing. Classical conditioning requires direct stimulus association experiences.

Flashcard 64: What is observational learning in social-cognitive theory?

Answer: Learning by watching others and later imitating their behavior. Occurs without direct experience or reinforcement of the behavior.

Flashcard 65: What is the Bobo doll experiment best known for demonstrating?

Answer: Children imitate observed aggression, especially when reinforced. Bandura showed children copy aggressive acts toward inflatable dolls.

Flashcard 66: Which concept describes mutual influence among person, behavior, and environment?

Answer: Reciprocal determinism. Bandura's model where all three factors continuously influence each other.

Flashcard 67: What is observational learning in social cognitive theory?

Answer: Learning by watching others and the consequences of their behavior. Bandura's theory emphasizes learning through observation without direct experience.

Flashcard 68: What does the motivation process refer to in observational learning?

Answer: Having incentive or expectation of benefit to perform the behavior. Motivation drives performance of the learned behavior based on anticipated rewards or punishments.

Flashcard 69: What is the term for a learned behavior that is not shown until there is an incentive?

Answer: Latent learning. Behavior is acquired but only expressed when reinforcement is available.

Flashcard 70: Which Bandura process is most directly influenced by anticipated rewards or punishments?

Answer: Motivation. Expected outcomes drive whether learned behaviors are performed.

Flashcard 71: What is vicarious punishment?

Answer: Decreased imitation after observing a model being punished. Seeing others punished discourages copying their behavior.

Flashcard 72: Which observational learning process involves having a reason or incentive to imitate?

Answer: Motivation. Without incentive, learned behaviors may not be performed.

Flashcard 73: What does Bandura's Bobo doll experiment primarily demonstrate?

Answer: Children can learn aggression through observing an aggressive model. Showed that children imitate aggressive behaviors they observe in adults.

Flashcard 74: What is modeling in the context of observational learning?

Answer: Demonstrating a behavior that an observer may imitate. The model performs actions that serve as examples for observers.

Flashcard 75: What is modeling in the context of observational learning?

Answer: Demonstrating a behavior that an observer may imitate. The model serves as the source of behavioral information for observers.

Flashcard 76: What is modeling in the context of observational learning?

Answer: Demonstration of a behavior by a model that an observer may imitate. The model serves as the source of information for new behaviors.

Flashcard 77: Which model characteristic most increases imitation: similar to observer or dissimilar?

Answer: Similar to the observer. Perceived similarity increases identification and imitation likelihood.

Flashcard 78: What is vicarious punishment?

Answer: Decreased imitation after seeing a model punished. Observer avoids behaviors that led to negative outcomes for others.

Flashcard 79: What term describes learning that occurs without immediate behavioral change?

Answer: Latent learning. Knowledge is acquired but not expressed until needed or motivated.

Flashcard 80: Which factor most increases imitation: model is similar to observer, model is dissimilar, behavior is punished, behavior is ignored?

Answer: Model is similar to observer. Perceived similarity increases identification and imitation likelihood.

Flashcard 81: What model characteristic most increases imitation according to social learning research?

Answer: High status or perceived similarity to the observer. People preferentially imitate those they respect or see as similar.

Flashcard 82: What is self-efficacy in Bandura's theory?

Answer: Belief in one's ability to perform behaviors to reach goals. Confidence in executing behaviors influences motivation to attempt them.

Flashcard 83: Identify the term for learning a behavior but not performing it until later.

Answer: Latent learning (performance depends on motivation). Behavior is learned but not displayed until incentive exists.

Flashcard 84: What is the response facilitation effect in observational learning?

Answer: Modeling increases a behavior already in the observer's repertoire. Observation triggers existing but dormant behaviors.

Flashcard 85: Which option best distinguishes observational learning from classical conditioning?

Answer: Observational learning occurs by watching others, not by CS–US pairing. No direct stimulus association needed, just observation.

Flashcard 86: Identify the term: an observer imitates a model more when they are similar in age or gender.

Answer: Model similarity increases imitation. Observers identify with and copy similar models more readily.

Flashcard 87: Which Bandura process involves encoding and storing what was observed?

Answer: Retention. Memory storage allows later reproduction of observed behaviors.

Flashcard 88: Which option best distinguishes observational learning from operant conditioning?

Answer: Observational learning can occur without direct reinforcement of the learner. Unlike operant conditioning's reliance on personal consequences, observational learning uses vicarious experiences.

Flashcard 89: What is the retention process in Bandura's model?

Answer: Encoding and remembering the observed behavior. Mental storage allows later reproduction of behavior.

Flashcard 90: Which Bandura process is missing: a student watches a skill but cannot perform it due to poor coordination?

Answer: Reproduction. Lacks physical/cognitive ability despite attention and retention.

Flashcard 91: Which option best predicts imitation: model similarity to observer or model dissimilarity?

Answer: Model similarity to the observer. People more readily imitate those they perceive as like themselves.

Flashcard 92: What is the reproduction process in Bandura's model?

Answer: Having the ability to physically and cognitively perform the act. Physical and mental capabilities determine if behavior can be performed.

Flashcard 93: Identify the missing process: attention, retention,  , motivation.

Answer: Reproduction. Third step involves physical ability to perform the behavior.

Flashcard 94: What is reciprocal determinism in Bandura's social cognitive theory?

Answer: Mutual influence among person, behavior, and environment. Reciprocal determinism explains how personal factors, actions, and surroundings dynamically interact to shape behavior.

Flashcard 95: What is the term for imitating others to obtain accurate information in ambiguity?

Answer: Informational social influence. Conformity driven by assuming others have better knowledge.

Flashcard 96: What is observational learning in social-cognitive theory?

Answer: Learning by watching others and the consequences of their actions. Bandura's theory emphasizes learning without direct experience or reinforcement.

Flashcard 97: Which option best describes reciprocal determinism in social cognitive theory?

Answer: Person, behavior, and environment mutually influence one another. Bandura's model emphasizes bidirectional causation among factors.

Flashcard 98: What is vicarious reinforcement?

Answer: Increased imitation after observing a model being rewarded. Seeing others rewarded motivates us to copy their behavior.

Flashcard 99: What is observational learning in social cognitive theory?

Answer: Learning by watching others and the consequences of their actions. Bandura's theory emphasizes learning without direct experience.

Flashcard 100: Which four processes did Bandura propose for observational learning to occur?

Answer: Attention, retention, reproduction, motivation. Sequential stages required for successful observational learning.