Final answer:
Albert Bandura's research on observational learning highlights the importance of internal mental states in the learning process, where learning goes beyond imitation and includes cognitive factors such as attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Albert Bandura, a psychologist who extended the boundaries of learning theory, proposed that internal mental states are significant in the learning process and that observational learning encompasses much more than mere imitation. Observational learning involves attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation. Unlike imitation, which is a direct copy of a model's actions, observational learning is a more intricate process where an individual observes, processes, and replicates behavior in a specific context.
This type of learning takes into account personal factors like self-efficacy, which dictates one's confidence in replicating observed behaviors, and it also considers the potential consequences of a behavior, similar to the behaviorist principle of reinforcement.
Through Bandura's concept of observational learning, we conclude that learning can take place without direct action but rather through watching and internalizing the actions of others. This has implications for understanding the way humans, as well as other animals, learn complex behaviors and social norms by observation.