A controlling relation between the behavior of a model and the imitator is inferred when a novel model evokes a similar behavior in the absence of a history of reinforcement.

• A. Sometimes
• B. Not applicable
• C. False
• D. True

Answer: (D)

Observational learning shows that a model’s behavior can control an imitator’s responses even when the imitator has no prior reinforcement for that behavior. When a novel model demonstrates a behavior and the observer later reproduces that same behavior, it indicates that the model’s actions serve as a cue or source of stimulus control for the imitator. The learner picks up the new behavior by watching, not by direct reinforcement of their own past experiences, which is a hallmark of modeling. For example, a child who watches another person tie a knot may imitate the knot-tying correctly even if the observer has never been reinforced for knot-tying before. This is why the statement is true: it captures how observational learning can establish a functional relation between the modeled behavior and the imitator’s behavior without a history of reinforcement for the imitator.