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The association of observational learning with Albert Bandura is rooted in his groundbreaking research and theories on how individuals learn by observing the behaviors of others. Bandura proposed that much of human behavior is learned through a process he referred to as social learning, which involves observing, imitating, and modeling the actions of others. This concept is famously illustrated through his Bobo doll experiment, where children who observed an adult behaving aggressively towards a doll were more likely to exhibit similar aggressive behavior themselves.

Bandura emphasized that observational learning does not require direct reinforcement; instead, the watcher can learn and internalize behavior simply by witnessing it, making it a significant departure from the behaviorist views predominant during his time. He introduced the idea that cognitive processes play a critical role in this form of learning, as individuals not only imitate what they see but also make judgments about when to imitate based on their understanding of the observed behavior's consequences.

This framework allows for a richer understanding of learning in social contexts, underscoring the importance of models and the environment in human behavior. Other figures like B.F. Skinner, Sigmund Freud, and Lev Vygotsky contributed valuable theories to psychology and education, such as behaviorism and psychoanalysis, but their frameworks do not