Question

Three-year-old Sam watches as his s-year-old sister, Mindy, draws on her bedroom wall with crayons. Their mother enters the room, but doesn't yell at Mindy. Instead, as Sam watches, their mother gets cleaning supplies and scrubs the wall clean. The next day, Sam displays modeling when he _______ a. stops himself from drawing on the walls to avoid punishment b. thinks about where they have a coloring book he can color in c. yells at Mindy for drawing on the walls d. gets his markers and colors on the laundry room wall

Short answer

d. gets his markers and colors on the laundry room wall

Step-by-step solution

Analyze the options

Let's analyze each of the provided options: a. stops himself from drawing on the walls to avoid punishment - This option shows Sam learning to avoid punishment but does not indicate that he is modeling the behavior of his mother or sister. b. thinks about where they have a coloring book he can color in - This option suggests that Sam might be looking for an alternative to drawing on walls but again, it does not show him modeling the behavior of his mother or sister. c. yells at Mindy for drawing on the walls - While this option could be seen as Sam imitating their mother's potential disapproval of Mindy's actions, it wasn't something Sam observed. Their mother didn't yell at Mindy in the exercise description. d. gets his markers and colors on the laundry room wall - This option shows Sam modeling the behavior he observed from his sister, Mindy. He sees her drawing on the wall with crayons, and then tries a similar behavior by coloring on a different wall with his markers.

Choose the correct answer

Based on our analysis, the best answer is: d. gets his markers and colors on the laundry room wall In this scenario, Sam is displaying the concept of modeling by imitating the behavior that he observed in his sister, Mindy, when she was drawing on her wall with crayons.

Key concepts

Observational Learning

Observational learning is a core principle within the psychological doctrine that explains how we acquire new behaviors simply by watching others. It's like copying a friend's dance moves; by attention to what they do, we can often replicate the action without direct instruction or practice.

Take the case of three-year-old Sam from our exercise. Sam observed his sister, Mindy, drawing on the wall and later mimicked this action elsewhere. This form of learning didn't come from direct teaching; instead, Sam learned by paying attention to the consequences of Mindy's behavior. Observational learning is often effective because it comes with fewer risks – we see others make mistakes, and learn to avoid them, or we see positive outcomes, and choose to replicate the successful actions.

Observational learning doesn't solely lean on mimicry but also involves paying attention to the aftermath of the behavior. Sam's choice indicates he didn't just watch; he learned from the overall event, including his mother's response.

Behavioral Imitation

Behavioral imitation is a natural learning method that plays a pivotal role during our early childhood development. It's the human version of 'monkey see, monkey do', where we replicate the actions of those around us to understand our world better.

In the instance of Sam from our exercise, when he uses his markers to color on the laundry room wall, he's demonstrating behavioral imitation. It's not about the wall or the coloring; it's about Sam reproducing the action he witnessed his sister perform, reinforcing this learning behavior. Kids often exemplify this behavior when they 'cook' with pans and spoons or try on oversized shoes imitating adults.

Imitation can be quite nuanced; it often incorporates the context and tools at hand. Sam used markers, not crayons, and a different wall, showing how behavioral imitation also allows for individual variations of the modeled action.

Social Learning Theory

Social learning theory bridges observational learning and behavioral imitation by suggesting that learning occurs within a social context, through observation, imitation, and modeling. It tells us that behaviors can be learned not just by direct experience, but by watching the behaviors of others, and the outcomes that follow these behaviors.

In our example, Sam’s learning fits perfectly within the scaffold of social learning theory, which was introduced by psychologist Albert Bandura. Through Mindy's experience and their mother's non-punitive response, Sam understood that drawing on the wall led to a noteworthy outcome. Bandura would argue that Sam is more likely to engage in this behavior because he observed his sister doing it without suffering negative consequences.

Essential elements such as attention, retention (memory), reproduction (ability), and motivation play significant roles in social learning theory. Sam had to pay attention to his sister's actions, remember what she did, have the ability to do it himself, and feel motivated to draw on the wall – all of which lead to his modeled behavior the following day.