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. 1984 Fall;7(2):83–95. doi: 10.1007/BF03391892

Observational learning from a radical-behavioristic viewpoint

Hikaru Deguchi
PMCID: PMC2741741  PMID: 22478602

Abstract

Bandura (1972, 1977b) has argued that observational learning has some distinctive features that set it apart from the operant paradigm: (1) acquisition simply through observation, (2) delayed performance through cognitive mediation, and (3) vicarious reinforcement. The present paper first redefines those three features at the descriptive level, and then adopts a radical-behavioristic viewpoint to show how those redefined distinctive features can be explained and tested experimentally. Finally, the origin of observational learning is discussed in terms of recent data of neonatal imitation. The present analysis offers a consistent theoretical and practical understanding of observational learning from a radical-behavioristic viewpoint.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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