Running head: OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING IN WILD AND CAPTIVE DOLPHINS

Observational Learning in Wild and Captive Dolphins

Name

Institution
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Observational Learning in Wild and Captive Dolphins

Observational learning was the primary focus of the authors in this article. Dolphins were

used as examples to prove how non-human species tend to imitate the behavior of other living

organisms. According to the authors, the fact that there is limited evidence concerning

observational learning in wild dolphins makes it possible for researchers to conduct further

detailed studies concerning this topic. One of the limited evidence which exists concerning

observational learning among dolphins is their ability to mimic other creatures’ activities (Yeater

et al., 2010). Mimicry occurs out of the free will of such creatures, a factor which makes the

behavior of the dolphins more interesting.

The author employed research studies as their major source of evidence in this article.

Secondary research was therefore employed where cases such as the ones conduct Sexton and

Bender, Herzing and Bjorklund were involved (Yeater et al., 2010). Most of these studies were

based on observational learning evidence obtained from the Wild concerning the behavior of

dolphins. The cases involved concerning the behaviors of the dolphins made it possible to

understand their reaction in various situations.

The researchers concluded that the topic of observational learning can be understood

through the analysis of dolphin’s capacity. Their ability to depict various behaviors such as

imitation means that they can be applied in experiments which are focused on the topic of

observational learning (Yeater et al., 2010). However, most of the conclusions made in the article

were based on results obtained from captive animals. As a result, more research should be based

on wild animals which behave on their own free will. From this study, I have learned that
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observational learning is common among various wild animals. This factor contributes to the

emergence of several studies which are based on the behavior of such wild animals.

References

Yeater, D., Kuczaj, I. I., & Stan, A. (2010). Observational learning in wild and captive dolphins.
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