Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

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...

Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness

Avoidance Learning and Learned Helplessness

Avoidance learning and learned helplessness are critical concepts in understanding behavioral responses to negative stimuli.
Avoidance learning occurs when an organism learns that a specific behavior can prevent an unpleasant outcome. For example, a student who receives a bad grade may start studying harder to avoid future poor grades. This behavior persists even when the negative outcome is no longer present. Avoidance learning is powerful because it maintains behavior in the absence of the...

Associative Learning

Associative Learning

Associative learning is a fundamental concept in behavioral psychology, wherein a connection is established between two stimuli or events, leading to a learned response. This process is critical in understanding how behaviors are acquired and modified. Conditioning, the mechanism through which associations are formed, can be divided into two main types: classical conditioning and operant conditioning, each elucidating different aspects of associative learning.
Classical conditioning, also known...

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...

Learning Disabilities

Learning Disabilities

Learning disabilities are cognitive disorders caused by neurological impairments that affect cognitive functions like language and reading, without indicating overall intellectual or developmental challenges. These disabilities differ from global intellectual or developmental disabilities as they are limited to distinct cognitive functions. Common learning disabilities include dysgraphia, dyslexia, and dyscalculia, each of which impacts unique aspects of learning.
Dyslexia
Dyslexia is a...

Introduction to Learning

Introduction to Learning

Learning is the process of acquiring knowledge or skills through practice or experience, leading to long-lasting behavioral changes. This acquisition occurs through interaction with the environment and requires practice or experience. For instance, mastering a skill such as surfing requires considerable practice and experience, highlighting the essential role of repeated interactions with the environment in learning.
In contrast to learned behaviors, unlearned behaviors such as crying, sexual...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Estimating the motor exploration in reinforcement learning.

iScience·2026

Same author

Multimodal system for recording individual-level behaviors in songbird groups.

PeerJ·2025

Same author

Sharp Waves, Bursts, and Coherence: Activity in a Songbird Vocal Circuit Is Influenced by Behavioral State.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2025

Same author

A synchrotron X-ray CT-based 3D atlas of the songbird syrinx with single muscle fibre resolution implies fine motor control of syringeal vocal folds.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2025

Same author

Visually-guided compensation of deafening-induced song deterioration.

Frontiers in psychology·2025

Same author

Familiarity of an environment prevents song suppression in isolated zebra finches.

PloS one·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 6, 2026

High Resolution Quantitative Synaptic Proteome Profiling of Mouse Brain Regions After Auditory Discrimination Learning

High Resolution Quantitative Synaptic Proteome Profiling of Mouse Brain Regions After Auditory Discrimination Learning

Published on: December 15, 2016

Learning auditory discriminations from observation is efficient but less robust than learning from experience.

Gagan Narula^1,2, Joshua A Herbst^1,2, Joerg Rychen¹

¹Institute of Neuroinformatics, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.

Nature Communications

|August 15, 2018

Summary

Social learning in zebra finches reveals distinct learning strategies. Observational learning is faster for initial tasks, while trial-and-error learning offers more robust generalization.

More Related Videos

An Objective and Reproducible Test of Olfactory Learning and Discrimination in Mice

An Objective and Reproducible Test of Olfactory Learning and Discrimination in Mice

Published on: March 22, 2018

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents

Published on: July 8, 2015

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Feb 6, 2026

High Resolution Quantitative Synaptic Proteome Profiling of Mouse Brain Regions After Auditory Discrimination Learning

High Resolution Quantitative Synaptic Proteome Profiling of Mouse Brain Regions After Auditory Discrimination Learning

Published on: December 15, 2016

An Objective and Reproducible Test of Olfactory Learning and Discrimination in Mice

An Objective and Reproducible Test of Olfactory Learning and Discrimination in Mice

Published on: March 22, 2018

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents

The Double-H Maze: A Robust Behavioral Test for Learning and Memory in Rodents

Published on: July 8, 2015

Area of Science:

Animal behavior
Neuroscience
Cognitive science

Background:

Social learning is crucial for complex societies.
The comparative robustness of observational versus experiential learning is poorly understood.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the differences in learning robustness between observational and trial-and-error learning in zebra finches.
To compare generalization abilities after different learning paradigms.

Main Methods:

Zebra finches were trained using aversive reinforcement to discriminate auditory stimuli.
One group ('experimenters') learned through direct experience, while another ('observers') learned by watching.

Main Results:

Experimenter finches were slower to discriminate initial stimuli but generalized learning immediately to new stimuli.
Observer finches discriminated initial stimuli faster but required more time for generalization.
This suggests different underlying learning mechanisms and efficiencies.

Conclusions:

Observational learning may prioritize rapid acquisition of sensory statistics.
Experiential learning appears to incorporate a form of regularization for robust inference.
These findings offer insights into the evolution of learning strategies and their neural underpinnings.