Observational Learning - Observational Learning and Effects On Infants

Observational Learning and Effects On Infants

Infancy is a period in life where children are quickly acquiring new skills. In one study utilizing 8-, 10-, 12-, 15- and 18-month-old infants, the researchers used an indirect object retrieval task, in which the object was not directly retrievable, to examine the development of observational learning in infants when learning a new skill. There was a control condition that acted as a baseline measure, in which the children were given the object for 30 seconds and their reaction to the stimulus was recorded. This was compared to the demonstration condition, where the infants received three demonstrations of a task relative to their age group’s ability, and two minutes after they had seen the last demonstration, they were given the object for 30 seconds to try and perform the task they had seen. Due to the difference in abilities between 8- and 18-month-old infants, the researchers had each age group perform the same relative task with a different absolute difficulty, reflecting what each age group can perform at that age. For example, 8-month-olds had a toy placed inside a box in front of them where only the two sides were open to retrieve the object, while 15-month-olds had a bottle with a small peg inside. Both tasks required the infants to retrieve the object, but the means by which they did it and the level of difficulty varied.

The researchers found that through observation, there was an increase in performance that occurred between the ages of 10- and 12-months. This means that once an infant reaches 12-months of age, they are able to perform significantly better on an object retrieval task if they have learned through observational learning compared to if they did not receive a demonstration of the object retrieval task. The authors took this to mean that observational learning starts to become an effective tool for learning new motor tasks for infants by the time they reach their first birthday. The authors mentioned that these results might also suggest that children younger than 12-months may need more demonstrations than older infants do when learning a new task. These results should be available and advertised to parents and caregivers of infants in order for them to be informed of the best ways to teach children new motor tasks at different ages. Understanding the results of studies such as this and being able to apply that knowledge can help caregivers in providing an environment conducive to optimal development for infants.