Vicarious conditioning: what is this kind of learning like?

Vicarious conditioning is a type of learning that depends on the observation of the reactions of other people to a relevant stimulus both for the subject and for whoever observes, 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 compose it, as well as its relationship with other concepts referring to very similar types of learning, such as modeling, imitation, social and observational learning.

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What is vicarious conditioning?

The concept of vicarious conditioning generally refers to a type of learning that occurs through observation of the consequences of a behavior for another person. The nature of these results increases or decreases the probability that the observer will perform the same behavior.

This type of learning is framed within the paradigm of 

classical conditioning in addition to in the operant. In these cases, an association between a behavior and its consequences is not learned, but rather between a stimulus and a response; for example, young children can develop fear of an animal if they observe this response in other people.

Vicarious learning from the operant paradigm

From operant conditioningIf the result of the action is positive for the person who carries it out, we say that they have obtained a reinforcement. If we observe that an alien behavior is reinforced, the likelihood of us engaging in such behavior increases: a child who sees her father give her sister a soda only after he asks for it will likely 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 speak of “punishment”, which is defined as a consequence of a behavior that reduces the probability that we will do it again.

Reinforcement and punishment are not always material: the reinforcement is sometimes social, and may consist of a smile or a compliment, and in others it is simply identified with the disappearance of an unpleasant emotion; a teacher can punish her students with poor grades, negative comments, and in many other ways.

Differences with other types of learning

The concept "vicarious conditioning" is very similar to others used in learning psychology: "Modeling", "social learning", "observational learning" and "learning by imitation". 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 on the fact that the observed subject (that is, who executes the behavior or responds to the stimulation) is immersed in a conditioning program, which, as we have said, can be classical or instrumental or operant; in the latter case, the subject also receives reinforcement or punishment.

The word “modeling” has very similar implications: in this case, the fact that the person who carries out the behavior serves as a model for the observer stands out. Imitation is understood in a more restrictive way, being simply a copy of the behavior of other people that can generate learning.

"Observational learning" is a broad concept that collects 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

The 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 the focus of attention on the model, that is, in the person (or living being) that originally executes it. Aspects such as the observer's expectations and the relevance of the learning situation for the observer have a decisive influence on the attention process.

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2. Retention

Retention refers to the observer's ability to imitate behavior once it has been observed without the need for the model to be present. For this it is necessary that the learner can encode the information using words or images and repeat it, either in the imagination or in an observable way.

3. Reproduction

Once the answer has been learned, it can be carried out by the observer only if he has the skills required to do so. This process consists of four sub-phases: the generation of an action scheme, the performance of the behavior, the comparison between expectation and actual performance and finally the modification through corrective adjustments.

4. Motivation

The probability of execution of the behavior does not depend only on the subject having learned it correctly, but also that you have enough incentive to feel compelled to carry it out. In this sense, it is worth highlighting the fundamental role of reinforcement in motivating to imitate the behaviors of other people.