Social learning of placebo effects in pain: a critical review of the literature and a proposed revised model.

Relatively recently, in 2009, experimental studies were undertaken to determine the role of social observational learning in forming hypoalgesic, analgesic and hyperalgesic responses to a placebo. The research findings obtained in studies published before 2018 were integrated and formed the basis of the theoretical model of social learning of placebo effects in pain proposed by Bajcar and Babel. This model considered the involvement of different types of modeling (i.e., behavioral modeling, symbolic modeling, and verbal modeling) in shaping placebo hypoalgesia/analgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia. The model assumed that pain expectancies might be involved in observationally induced placebo effects in pain and that the effectiveness of observational learning in shaping placebo effects could be moderated by the observer's dispositions, especially empathy. Based on the latest research data, we propose a modified and significantly extended version of this model. The revised model includes the involvement of particular types of modeling in placebo effects and their role in shaping conscious pain-related expectancies. It explains the role of dispositional empathy in shaping observationally induced placebo effects. Notably, the extended version of the model considers the contribution of the characteristics of the observed person to the magnitude of placebo effects induced by social learning. PERSPECTIVE: The paper proposes a comprehensive theoretical approach to explaining the role of observational learning in shaping placebo effects in pain. The proposed model emphasizes the potential of this form of learning in shaping placebo responses and indicates factors that can modify the effectiveness of observational learning.

Learning by observing: a systematic exploration of modulatory factors and the impact of observationally induced placebo and nocebo effects on treatment outcomes.

Introduction: Observational learning (OL) refers to learning through observing other people's behavior. OL has been suggested as an effective and simple tool to evoke treatment expectations and corresponding placebo and nocebo effects. However, the exact mechanisms by which OL shapes treatment outcomes, its moderating factors and possible areas of application remain unclear. We thus reviewed the existing literature with two different literature searches to answer the following questions: Which influencing factors contribute to OL-induced placebo and nocebo effects (in healthy volunteers and patients) and how large are these effects (search 1)? In which medical fields has OL been used so far to modulate treatment expectancy and treatment outcomes in patients, their caregivers, and at-risk groups (search 2)? We also aimed to explore whether and how the assessment of treatment expectations has been incorporated. Methods: We conducted two independent and comprehensive systematic literature searches, both carried out on September 20, 2022. Results: We identified 21 studies that investigated OL-mediated placebo and nocebo effects for pain and itch, the (placebo) efficacy of sham treatment on anxiety, and the (nocebo) induction of medication side effects (search 1). Studies showed that OL can efficiently induce placebo and nocebo effects across different presentation modes, with medium effect sizes on average: placebo effects, d = 0.79 (range: d = -0.36-1.58), nocebo effects, d = 0.61 (range: d = 0.04-1.5). Although several moderating factors have been investigated, their contribution to OL-induced effects remains unclear because of inconsistent results. Treatment expectation was assessed in only four studies. Regarding medical applications of OL (search 2), we found 12 studies. They showed that OL was effectively applied in preventive, therapeutic and rehabilitative interventions and that it was mainly used in the field of psychosomatics. Discussion: OL effects on treatment outcomes can be both positive and negative. Future research should investigate which individuals would benefit most from OL and how OL can be implemented most effectively to induce placebo and avoid nocebo effects in clinical settings. Systematic review registration: This work was preregistered at the Center for Open Science as open-ended registration (doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/FVHKE). The protocol can be found here: https://archive.org/details/osf-registrations-fvhke-v1.

A novel paradigm for observational learning in rats.

The ability to learn by observing the behavior of others is energy efficient and brings high survival value, making it an important learning tool that has been documented in a myriad of species in the animal kingdom. In the laboratory, rodents have proven useful models for studying different forms of observational learning, however, the most robust learning paradigms typically rely on aversive stimuli, like foot shocks, to drive the social acquisition of fear. Non-fear-based tasks have also been used but they rarely succeed in having observer animals perform a new behavior de novo. Consequently, little known regarding the cellular mechanisms supporting non-aversive types of learning, such as visuomotor skill acquisition. To address this we developed a reward-based observational learning paradigm in adult rats, in which observer animals learn to tap lit spheres in a specific sequence by watching skilled demonstrators, with successful trials leading to rewarding intracranial stimulation in both observers and performers. Following three days of observation and a 24-hour delay, observer animals outperformed control animals on several metrics of task performance and efficiency, with a subset of observers demonstrating correct performance immediately when tested. This paradigm thus introduces a novel tool to investigate the neural circuits supporting observational learning and memory for visuomotor behavior, a phenomenon about which little is understood, particularly in rodents.

The Evolution of the Optimization of Cognitive and Social Functions in the Cerebellum and Thereby the Rise of Homo sapiens Through Cumulative Culture.

The evolution of the prominent role of the cerebellum in the development of composite tools, and cumulative culture, leading to the rise of Homo sapiens is examined. Following Stout and Hecht's (2017) detailed description of stone-tool making, eight key repetitive involvements of the cerebellum are highlighted. These key cerebellar learning involvements include the following: (1) optimization of cognitive-social control, (2) prediction (3) focus of attention, (4) automaticity of smoothness, appropriateness, and speed of movement and cognition, (5) refined movement and social cognition, (6) learns models of extended practice, (7) learns models of Theory of Mind (ToM) of teachers, (8) is predominant in acquisition of novel behavior and cognition that accrues from the blending of cerebellar models sent to conscious working memory in the cerebral cortex. Within this context, the evolution of generalization and blending of cerebellar internal models toward optimization of social-cognitive learning is described. It is concluded that (1) repetition of movement and social cognition involving the optimization of internal models in the cerebellum during stone-tool making was the key selection factor toward social-cognitive and technological advancement, (2) observational learning during stone-tool making was the basis for both technological and social-cognitive evolution and, through an optimizing positive feedback loop between the cerebellum and cerebral cortex, the development of cumulative culture occurred, and (3) the generalization and blending of cerebellar internal models related to the unconscious forward control of the optimization of imagined future states in working memory was the most important brain adaptation leading to intertwined advances in stone-tool technology, cognitive-social processes behind cumulative culture (including the emergence of language and art) and, thereby, with the rise of Homo sapiens.

Observational activation of anterior cingulate cortical neurons coordinates hippocampal replay in social learning.

Social learning enables a subject to make decisions by observing the actions of another. How neural circuits acquire relevant information during observation to guide subsequent behavior is unknown. Utilizing an observational spatial working memory task, we show that neurons in the rat anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) associated with spatial trajectories during self-running in a maze are activated when observing another rat running the same maze. The observation-induced ACC activities are reduced in error trials and are correlated with activities of hippocampal place cells representing the same trajectories. The ACC activities during observation also predict subsequent hippocampal place cell activities during sharp-wave ripples and spatial contents of hippocampal replay prior to self-running. The results support that ACC neurons involved in decisions during self-running are reactivated during observation and coordinate hippocampal replay to guide subsequent spatial navigation.

Cheerful tails: Delving into positive emotional contagion.

This review delves into the phenomenon of positive emotional contagion (PEC) in rodents, an area that remains relatively understudied compared to the well-explored realm of negative emotions such as fear or pain. Rodents exhibit clear preferences for individuals expressing positive emotions over neutral counterparts, underscoring the importance of detecting and responding to positive emotional signals from others. We thoroughly examine the adaptive function of PEC, highlighting its pivotal role in social learning and environmental adaptation. The developmental aspect of the ability to interpret positive emotions is explored, intricately linked to maternal care and social interactions, with oxytocin playing a central role in these processes. We discuss the potential involvement of the reward system and draw attention to persisting gaps in our understanding of the neural mechanisms governing PEC. Presenting a comprehensive overview of the existing literature, we focus on food-related protocols such as the Social Transmission of Food Preferences paradigm and tickling behaviour. Our review emphasizes the pressing need for further research to address lingering questions and advance our comprehension of positive emotional contagion.

Enriching Thinking Through Discourse.

Great effort is invested in identifying ways to change people's minds on an issue. A first priority should perhaps be enriching their thinking about the issue. With a goal of enriching their thinking, we studied the views of community adults on the DACA issue-young adults who entered the United States illegally as children. A dialogic method was employed, offering dual benefits in providing participants the opportunity to further develop their own ideas and to consider differing ideas. Yet, participants engaged in dialog only vicariously by observing the talk of a pair of actors who held opposing positions on DACA. The effect on participants' thinking was greatest in the condition in which they viewed a dialog between the two actors, rather than a comparison condition in which the actors individually expressed their positions. In control conditions, no presentation was observed. Probing questions included in all conditions encouraged a participant to examine and clarify for themselves their own position, potentially enriching it. This condition proved unsuccessful in enriching thinking; participants' justifications for their own positions in fact became simpler and less qualified. In contrast, observing a video of a like-minded and opposing other did enrich observers' thinking, yet to a greater degree in the dialogic than nondialogic condition. The findings thus suggest observed dialog as a promising practical approach in promoting deeper thinking.

The social transmission of empathy relies on observational reinforcement learning.

Theories of moral development propose that empathy is transmitted across individuals. However, the mechanisms through which empathy is socially transmitted remain unclear. Here, we combine computational learning models and functional MRI to investigate whether, and if so, how empathic and non-empathic responses observed in others affect the empathy of female observers. The results of three independent studies showed that watching empathic or non-empathic responses generates a learning signal that respectively increases or decreases empathy ratings of the observer. A fourth study revealed that the learning-related transmission of empathy is stronger when observing human rather than computer demonstrators. Finally, we show that the social transmission of empathy alters empathy-related responses in the anterior insula, i.e., the same region that correlated with empathy baseline ratings, as well as its functional connectivity with the temporoparietal junction. Together, our findings provide a computational and neural mechanism for the social transmission of empathy that accounts for changes in individual empathic responses in empathic and non-empathic social environments.

Distinct Effects of Brain Activation Using tDCS and Observational Practice: Implications for Motor Rehabilitation.

Complex motor skills can be acquired while observing a model without physical practice. Transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) applied to the primary motor cortex (M1) also facilitates motor learning. However, the effectiveness of observational practice for bimanual coordination skills is debated. We compared the behavioural and brain causal connectivity patterns following three interventions: primary motor cortex stimulation (M1-tDCS), action-observation (AO) and a combined group (AO+M1-tDCS) when acquiring a bimanual, two-ball juggling skill. Thirty healthy young adults with no juggling experience were randomly assigned to either video observation of a skilled juggler, anodal M1-tDCS or video observation combined with M1-tDCS. Thirty trials of juggling were performed and scored after the intervention. Resting-state EEG data were collected before and after the intervention. Information flow rate was applied to EEG source data to measure causal connectivity. The two observation groups were more accurate than the tDCS alone group. In the AO condition, there was strong information exchange from (L) parietal to (R) parietal regions, strong bidirectional information exchange between (R) parietal and (R) occipital regions and an extensive network of activity that was (L) lateralized. The M1-tDCS condition was characterized by bilateral long-range connections with the strongest information exchange from the (R) occipital region to the (R) temporal and (L) occipital regions. AO+M1-tDCS induced strong bidirectional information exchange in occipital and temporal regions in both hemispheres. Uniquely, it was the only condition that was characterized by information exchange between the (R) frontal and central regions. This study provides new results about the distinct network dynamics of stimulating the brain for skill acquisition, providing insights for motor rehabilitation.

Behavioral Modeling and its Association with PrEP and ART Use in Ugandan HIV-Serodifferent Couples.

Integrating Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) delivery into Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) programs bridges the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevention gap for HIV-serodifferent couples prior to the partner living with HIV achieving viral suppression. Behavioral modeling is one mechanism that could explain health-related behavior among couples, including those using antiretroviral medications, but few tools exist to measure the extent to which behavior is modeled. Using a longitudinal observational design nested within a cluster randomized trial, this study examined the factor structure and assessed the internal consistency of a novel 24-item, four-point Likert-type scale to measure behavioral modeling and the association of behavioral modeling with medication-taking behaviors among heterosexual, cis-gender HIV-serodifferent couples. In 149 couples enrolled for research, a five-factor model provided the best statistical and conceptual fit, including attention to partner behavior, collective action, role modeling, motivation, and relationship quality. Behavioral modeling was associated with medication-taking behaviors among members of serodifferent couples. Partner modeling of ART/PrEP taking could be an important target for assessment and intervention in HIV prevention programs for HIV serodifferent couples.

Placebo Hypoalgesia and Nocebo Hyperalgesia Induced by Observational Learning May Be Difficult to Disentangle in a Laboratory Setting.

Observational learning (OBL) (seeing pain/pain treatment in others) can evoke placebo hypoalgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia. Data that compare these effects and illuminates the role of expectations and empathy are scarce. Healthy participants (n = 105) were randomized to: 1) placebo OBL, 2) nocebo OBL, or 3) no-observation control group. OBL consisted of a model simulating pain relief or increase after a sham ointment was applied to one arm. Pain was evoked with thermal stimuli on both arms (ointment, contralateral) at baseline and postobservation. Expectations, pain ratings, and physiological data (eg, skin conductance level) were collected. A 3 × 2 × 2 (Group × Arm × Phase) mixed analyses of variance revealed a 3-way interaction that confirmed that OBL modulates pain: F(2, 93) = 6.08, P = .003, ηp2 = .12. Significant baseline-to-post-observation pain increases were shown in the nocebo OBL group, with a bigger increase for the arm with ointment (both P ≤ .007). In the placebo OBL group, pain was higher for the contralateral relative to the ointment arm (P < .001). Baseline-to-post-observation pain increase was significant for the contralateral arm (P < .001). Expectation mediated these effects. Skin conductance level decreased over time during ointment trials in the nocebo OBL group, suggesting reduced physiological arousal. The findings illustrate that OBL modulates pain through expectations. In the placebo OBL group, the pain did not decrease for the ointment but increased for the contralateral stimuli, which may reflect nocebo learning. Experimental OBL paradigms typically examine relative differences between ointment and contralateral cues. This can complicate disentangling placebo hypoalgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia in laboratory settings. Implications for existing theories are discussed. PERSPECTIVE: Data that systematically compare placebo hypoalgesia and nocebo hyperalgesia induced by OBL are scarce. The current work illustrates that these effects may be more difficult to disentangle than previously assumed, which could have implications for existing theories on OBL and placebo effects and their translation to clinical practice.

An observer tool to enhance learning of incoming anesthesia residents' skills during simulation training of central venous catheter insertion: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Central venous catheter (CVC) insertion using simulation is an essential skill for anesthesiologists. Simulation training is an effective mean to master this skill. Given the large number of residents and the limited duration of training sessions, the active practice time is limited and residents remain observers of their colleagues for much of the session. To improve learning during observation periods, the use of an observer tool (OT) has been advocated but its educational effectiveness is not well defined. METHODS: Incoming anesthesia residents were randomized to use an OT (i.e. procedural skill-based checklist) (OT+) or not (OT-) when observing other residents during a simulation bootcamp. The primary outcome was a composite score (total 60 points) evaluating CVC procedural skills rated immediately after the training. This score covers theoretical knowledge explored by multiple choice questions (MCQs) (/20), perceived improvement in knowledge and skills (/20), perceived impact on future professional life (/10) and satisfaction (/10). Measurements were repeated 1 month later. Residents in each group recorded the number of CVCs placed and their clinical outcomes (attempts, complications) during the first month of their clinical rotation using a logbook. RESULTS: Immediately after training, the composite score was similar between the two groups: 45.3 ± 4.2 (OT+, n = 49) and 44.4 ± 4.8 (OT-, n = 42) (p = 0.323). Analysis of sub-items also showed no difference. Results at 1 month were not different between groups. Analysis of the logbook showed no difference between groups. No serious complications were reported. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a procedural task-based OT by incoming anesthesia residents and used during CVC insertion simulation training was not associated with better learning outcomes, neither immediately after the session nor when re-evaluated 1 month later. The training at least once on simulator of all residents could limit the impact of OT. Further studies are necessary to define the place of OT in simulation training.

Pain Rating is Worth a Thousand Words: Nocebo Hyperalgesia Induced by Verbal Modeling Prevails Over the Effects of Symbolic Modeling and Verbal Suggestion.

This study compares the effectiveness of verbal modeling, symbolic modeling, and verbal suggestion in inducing nocebo hyperalgesia. It is the first study to examine the contribution of stress to observationally induced nocebo hyperalgesia. This study's experimental groups represented various sources of social information: a group of people participating in the study (verbal modeling), a single participant (symbolic modeling), and an experimenter (verbal suggestion). During the experiment, participants received electrocutaneous stimuli at the same intensity, some of which were applied with a nocebo (sham device). Participants in the verbal modeling group were acquainted with pain ratings that had allegedly been provided by other participants. The ratings suggested that other participants experienced more pain in the nocebo trials than in the control trials. In the symbolic modeling group, participants observed a videotaped model experiencing more pain in the nocebo than in the control trials. In the verbal suggestion group, participants received a verbal suggestion of hyperalgesia in the nocebo trials and no suggestion in the control trials. No manipulations were used in the control group. To investigate whether nocebo hyperalgesia is stable over time, an additional extinction phase was conducted. Nocebo hyperalgesia was induced by verbal modeling only and was partially mediated by expectancy. Stress was a significant moderator of the induced effect. Nocebo hyperalgesia was extinguished during the extinction phase. The obtained results provide potential implications for minimizing nocebo hyperalgesia in clinical practice by, for instance, controlling patients' expectancies and stress levels. PERSPECTIVE: The study shows the role of pain-related information derived from other people in shaping negative treatment experiences in the individual. Because information from others has a particular impact on individuals experiencing stress, both this information and the stress level of patients should be monitored in the treatment process.

Observational Learning in Surgical Skill Development.

Observation plays a key role in the development of surgical skills, as it allows trainees to learn from experts and improve their performance through trial-and-error practice. This process, known as motor learning, involves the creation of new neural pathways that enable precise control of surgical instruments through hand movements. In recent years, there has been a shift towards minimally invasive surgery, which requires surgeons to continually learn new motor skills to control specialized instrumentation. Motor learning can be enhanced through repetition and the observation of expert performances. Observational learning is particularly useful when it is used in combination with physical practice, as it can provide hints and clues about important aspects of the task that may not be immediately apparent through verbal instruction alone. The role of mirror neurons, which are activated both when an action is performed and when it is observed, is also important in the process of observational learning. By understanding the mechanisms behind observational learning and the factors that influence its effectiveness, trainers can optimize the use of this method in surgical training.

The Optimal Learning Cocktail for Placebo Analgesia: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Individual and Combined Techniques.

This study investigated for the first time the effects of individual and combined application of 3 learning techniques (verbal suggestions, classical conditioning, and observational learning) on placebo analgesia and extinction. Healthy participants (N = 206) were assigned to 8 different groups in which they were taught through either a verbal suggestion, a conditioning paradigm, a video observing someone, or any combination thereof that a placebo device (inactive transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation [TENS]) was capable of alleviating heat pain, whereas one group did not (control). Placebo analgesia was quantified as the within-group difference in experienced pain when the placebo device was (sham) 'activated' or 'inactivated' during equal pain stimuli, and compared between groups. Placebo analgesia was induced in groups with 2 or 3 learning techniques. Significantly stronger placebo analgesia was induced in the combination of all 3 learning techniques as compared to the individual learning techniques or control condition, underlining the additional contribution of 3 combined techniques. Extinction did not differ between groups. Furthermore, pain expectancies, but not state anxiety or trust, mediated placebo analgesia. Our findings emphasize the added value of combining 3 learning techniques to optimally shape expectancies that lead to placebo analgesia, which can be used in experimental and clinical settings. PERSPECTIVE: This unique experimental study compared the individual versus combined effects of 3 important ways of learning (verbal suggestions, classical conditioning, and observational learning) on expectation-based pain relief. The findings indicate that placebo effects occurring in clinical practice could be optimally strengthened if healthcare providers apply these techniques in combination.

Conscious awareness of others' actions during observational learning does not benefit motor skill performance.

The conscious awareness of motor success during motor learning has recently been revealed as a learning factor. In these studies, participants had to learn a motor sequence and to detect when they assumed the execution had reached a maximal fluidity. The consciousness groups showed better motor performance during a delayed post-training test than the non-consciousness control groups. Based on the "similar mechanism" hypothesis between observational and physical practice, we tested this beneficial effect of the conscious awareness of action in an observational learning context. In the present study, two groups learned a motor sequence task by observing a videotaped human model performing the task. However, only the consciousness group had to detect the maximal fluidity of the learning human model during observational practice. Unpredictably, no difference was detected between groups during the post-training test. However, the consciousness group outperformed the non-consciousness control group for tests that assessed the motor knowledges.

Fully robotic social environment for teaching and practicing affective interaction: Case of teaching emotion recognition skills to children with autism spectrum disorder, a pilot study.

21st century brought along a considerable decrease in social interactions, due to the newly emerged lifestyle around the world, which became more noticeable recently of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, children with autism spectrum disorder have further complications regarding their social interactions with other humans. In this paper, a fully Robotic Social Environment (RSE), designed to simulate the needed social environment for children, especially those with autism is described. An RSE can be used to simulate many social situations, such as affective interpersonal interactions, in which observational learning can take place. In order to investigate the effectiveness of the proposed RSE, it has been tested on a group of children with autism, who had difficulties in emotion recognition, which in turn, can influence social interaction. An A-B-A single case study was designed to show how RSE can help children with autism recognize four basic facial expressions, i.e., happiness, sadness, anger, and fear, through observing the social interactions of two robots speaking about these facial expressions. The results showed that the emotion recognition skills of the participating children were improved. Furthermore, the results showed that the children could maintain and generalize their emotion recognition skills after the intervention period. In conclusion, the study shows that the proposed RSE, along with other rehabilitation methods, can be effective in improving the emotion recognition skills of children with autism and preparing them to enter human social environments.

Observing a trained demonstrator influences associative appetitive learning in rats.

The ability to acquire information about the environment through social observation or instruction is an essential form of learning in humans and other animals. Here, we assessed the ability of rats to acquire an association between a light stimulus and the presentation of a reward that is either hidden (sucrose solution) or visible (food pellet) via observation of a trained demonstrator. Subsequent training of observers on the light-reward association indicated that while observation alone was not sufficient for observers to acquire the association, contact with the reward location was higher in observers that were paired with a demonstrator. However, this was only true when the light cue predicted a sucrose reward. Additionally, we found that in the visible reward condition, levels of demonstrator orienting and food cup contact during the observation period tended to be positively correlated with the corresponding behaviour of their observer. This relationship was only seen during later sessions of observer training. Together, these results suggest that while our models were not sufficient to induce associative learning through observation alone, demonstrator behaviour during observation did influence how their paired observer's behavioural response to the cue evolved over the course of direct individual training.

Generalization of navigation memory in honeybees.

Flying insects like the honeybee learn multiple features of the environment for efficient navigation. Here we introduce a novel paradigm in the natural habitat, and ask whether the memory of such features is generalized to novel test conditions. Foraging bees from colonies located in 5 different home areas were tested in a common area for their search flights. The home areas differed in the arrangements of rising natural objects or their lack, and in the existence or lack of elongated ground structures. The test area resembled partly or not at all the layout of landmarks in the respective home areas. In particular, the test area lacked rising objects. The search flights were tracked with harmonic radar and quantified by multiples procedures, extracting their differences on an individual basis. Random search as the only guide for searching was excluded by two model calculations. The frequencies of directions of flight sectors differed from both model calculations and between the home areas in a graded fashion. Densities of search flight fixes were used to create heat maps and classified by a partial least squares regression analysis. Classification was performed with a support vector machine in order to account for optimal hyperplanes. A rank order of well separated clusters was found that partly resemble the graded differences between the ground structures of the home areas and the test area. The guiding effect of elongated ground structures was quantified with respect to the sequence, angle and distance from these ground structures. We conclude that foragers generalize their specific landscape memory in a graded way to the landscape features in the test area, and argue that both the existence and absences of landmarks are taken into account. The conclusion is discussed in the context of the learning and generalization process in an insect, the honeybee, with an emphasis on exploratory learning in the context of navigation.

Observational learning in rats: Interplay between demonstrator and observer behavior.

BACKGROUND: Observational learning is a vital skill for survival. This form of learning has been seen in humans and certain non-human animals. However, the neural circuitry underlying this form of learning is still poorly understood. NEW METHOD: To better understand the factors underlying successful observation in rats, we employed a task where an observer must base its behavior on that of a demonstrator rat to identify a reward location. A comparison was made of behavior during a social and non-social observation condition. RESULTS: Observers oriented more, responded faster and omitted less responses in the social compared to the non-social condition. Observer performance was also linked to initial orientation, proximity, and the manner in which the demonstrator rat performed the task. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHOD: Previous work on observational learning encompassed multiple exposures to a single solution over days or weeks. The current method provides data from multiple individual novel observational learning trials, leading to much faster and more robust social learning. This method provides a clearly defined interval in which observation must take place. Allowing for precise tracking of both the observer and demonstrator behavior during the learning period. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights observer and demonstrator interplay in successful observational learning and provides a novel method for analyzing social behavior in rodents.