Vicarious Reinforcement

Vicarious reinforcement is a process, central to social learning theory, in which a person's behavior is influenced by observing another person be rewarded for a similar behavior, making the observer more likely to perform that behavior even though the observer was not directly reinforced for it. The concept was developed by psychologist Albert Bandura as part of his broader social learning theory, which held that much human learning occurs through observation of others rather than through direct personal experience of reward and punishment. It is complemented by vicarious punishment, in which observing another person being punished for a behavior makes the observer less likely to perform it.