What are the strengths and limitations of observational learning?

Answer 1

In the third type of learning technique, observational learning, or modeling, a new behavior is learned simply by watching someone else behave. In a very real sense, such learning is the ability to profit from another's successes or mistakes. This type of learning is important because the learning can occur without an individual ever having to perform the behavior. The strengths of observational learning would be that if a child sees positive attitudes, and observes only good behavior, then he will, too, react the same way as he was shown. The limitations would be that if the child is put into a negative environment, then the child will only react the way he was shown to. For example, children that grow up in violent families became not only the victims of aggressions, but also see it has the normal. So, when they, themselves, become adults, many times they are violent and do what they saw their parents did when they were children.