Mocking frameworks are tools used in software development to create simulated objects that mimic the behavior of real components. They help developers test individual parts of a program in isolation, ensuring that the code behaves as expected without relying on external systems or dependencies. This is particularly useful in unit testing, where the goal is to verify the functionality of small code units. These frameworks allow developers to define how the mock objects should respond to specific calls, making it easier to test various scenarios. Popular mocking frameworks include Mockito for Java, Jest for JavaScript, and unittest.mock for Python.