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Related Concept Videos

Observational Learning

Observational Learning

Albert Bandura's observational learning, also known as imitation or modeling, occurs when a person observes and imitates another's behavior. It is a quicker process than operant conditioning. A well-known example is the Bobo doll study, where children who saw an adult acting aggressively towards the doll were more likely to act aggressively when left alone, compared to those who observed a nonaggressive adult. Many psychologists view observational learning as a form of latent learning...

Purposive Learning

Purposive Learning

E. C. Tolman emphasized the purposiveness of behavior — the idea that much of our behavior is goal-directed. For instance, employees who aim for a promotion work diligently to meet their targets. Tolman argued that when classical conditioning and operant conditioning occur, the organism acquires certain expectations. In classical conditioning, a child might fear a dog because they expect it to bite. In operant conditioning, a person might consistently work overtime because they expect a...

Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness

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Avoidance learning and learned helplessness are critical concepts in understanding behavioral responses to negative stimuli.
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Steps in the Modeling Process

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Albert Bandura's theory of observational learning identifies four critical processes: attention, retention, motor reproduction, and reinforcement or motivation.
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Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 15, 2026

Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques

Measuring Statistical Learning Across Modalities and Domains in School-Aged Children Via an Online Platform and Neuroimaging Techniques

Published on: June 30, 2020

Model-based learning protects against forming habits.

Claire M Gillan¹, A Ross Otto, Elizabeth A Phelps

¹Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Place, New York, NY, 10003, USA, claire.gillan@gmail.com.

Cognitive, Affective & Behavioral Neuroscience

|March 25, 2015

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

This study reveals how goal-directed actions and habits form. Individual differences in model-based learning predict habit formation, suggesting an associative mechanism influences this bias in healthy individuals.

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Cognitive Psychology
Behavioral Economics

Background:

Behavior can be goal-directed (planned) or habitual (automatic).
This distinction is crucial for understanding compulsive behaviors like drug abuse and OCD.
Outcome devaluation studies assess habit dominance versus goal-directed actions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the trial-by-trial learning dynamics that promote or prevent habit formation.
To understand the mechanisms underlying the development of habitual versus goal-directed control.

Main Methods:

Two experiments used a sequential decision task to differentiate model-based and model-free learning.
Participants' behavior was analyzed for habit formation using outcome devaluation.
Individual differences in computational learning mechanisms were assessed.

Main Results:

Individual differences in model-based learning significantly predicted sensitivity to outcome devaluation.
This suggests a link between model-based learning and habit formation.
An associative mechanism appears to underlie the bias toward habit formation.

Conclusions:

Model-based learning plays a key role in the development of habitual behaviors.
Understanding these learning dynamics may offer insights into compulsive disorders.
Individual learning styles influence the balance between goal-directed and habitual actions.