The authors argue that imitation is a flexible and adaptive learning mechanism in that children do not always reproduce all of the details they can from a demonstration. Instead, they vary their replications depending on their interpretation of the situation. Specifically, the authors propose that when children do not understand the overall reason…

Internet extends the reach of existing laboratory and training infrastructure to beyond the walls of such facilities. Though nothing can replace the hands-on experience in a laboratory; a carefully developed web-based digital lab may be the next best thing. In some cases, there may be benefits associated with a "distance laboratory" that…

This article proposes the Teacher Observation Programme for in-service teacher trainees. The program is reflective, collaborative, and builds confidence. It enables teachers to grow in their ability to self-evaluate. Trainees who have made decisions about their own observation, who have created and used their own observational tools, and who have…

Research shows that many students hold misconceptions related to plant functions (Hershey 2004). Some of these students will become teachers with little content understanding to identify their students' misconceptions about plants (Amir and Tamir 1994). The literature on teaching about plants doesn't help; it contains frequent errors,…

The study compared the effectiveness of peer and adult models in teaching an expressive language task to four autistic boys (9-11 years old). Ss had well developed imitative repertoires and some spontaneous language. Using a BCBC design, counterbalanced across modeling conditions and replicated across Ss, autistic Ss were taught to respond to…

Traditional perspectives on children's fears and anxiety neither provide satisfying answers to fundamental and important questions nor provide paths to effective clinical intervention. Recently, investigators assessing and treating phobic children by means of active, multi-layered, coping-oriented, temporally extended, and child-centered methods…

The primary purpose of this study was to examine whether localized motor activity could be induced in an observer as a consequence of his exposure to specific acts by a model. (Author)

Children are exposed to aggression and social stereotypes through the actions, words and demeanor of entertainment characters on television. They are socialized through the three stage observational learning process of exposure, acquisition, and acceptance. Research supports the statement that all television is educational television. (BJG)

A discussion of the use of media to study behavior, the application that is used by microteaching. (HB)

Children's sharing and helping behaviors were observed after they had seen an adult who modeled donation behavior and/or who preached either about the importance of sharing or about the importance of helping others. (Author/JMB)

Reports a study conducted to determine whether individuals who observed others experiencing noncontingency would develop learned helplessness vicariously. Subjects were 75 college female undergraduates. (MP)

In a naturalistic setting, boys and girls were exposed to a same- or opposite-sex live adult model who played with sex inappropriate toys. The results are explained in terms of the inappropriateness of toy playing for adults and the theoretical importance of adult vs. peer influences. (GO)

A study attempted to determine the extent of actual disagreement among adult educators over the definition of "professionalism" and to examine assumptions underlying the ideological debate. Data on adult educators' attitudes toward professionalism were gathered. Subjects strongly supported "more professionalism" for adult…

Twenty-four 14- and 30-month-old children observed a model use 20 new words as labels for objects of varied semantic associations. Age was highly and positively correlated with elicited and spontaneous imitation and scores for recognition of the objects associated with the words. (Author/SB)