Observer / Demonstrator Personality And Social Learning...

Observer/Demonstrator Personality and Social Learning Retention McKenzie McFarlane (101649810) Dr. White (PS361) Wilfrid Laurier University October 20, 2014. ï ¿ ¼Running Head: Observer/Demonstrator Personality and Social Learning Retention 2 Introduction Adapting to change in new situations is the basis for all survival instincts. Whether or not an animal will make it to adulthood will be determined surviving varying degrees of danger and change. In all cases of adaptive change, an individuals must first discover this rift in knowledge and then communicate their findings to the rest of the group. Therefore, animals who lack the ability to speak language must communicate through other means. Social learning is a monumental concept within animal learning. For animals who lack the ability to communicate verbally, they must find other ways to discover food sources, escape predators, and learn acceptable social behaviours. Social Learning involves knowledge that is gained through observing or interacting with another individual or its products (Heyes, 2011). This definition is distinct from teaching as this type of learning does not involve the demonstrator intending to communicate information to the observer (Heyes, 2011). Therefore, social learning can be understood in terms of â€Å"copying behaviour† (Laland, 2004). However, copying others is not always a recipe for success (Laland, 2004). There are many variables that interact with an individuals propensity to copy a demonstratorsShow MoreRelatedManagement Course: Mba−10 General Management215330 Words   |  862 Pagesworld? How can companies renew and sustain those factors in the face of the business slowdowns and major fluctuations that challenge the longterm continuation of profitable earnings? As we continue to experience the twenty-first century’s economic, social, and political churning, how will these driving factors be influenced by the brutally competitive global economy in which organizations do not have any particular geographic identity or travel under any particular national passport? What will be the