Peer Models and Children's Behavioral Change

Abstract

This article critically reviews the research literature on peer modeling among children as a function of model attributes. Peer modeling is hypothesized to depend in part on perceived similarity between model and observer. Similarity serves as an important source of information for gauging behavioral appropriateness, formulating outcome expectations, and assessing one's self-efficacy for learning or performing tasks. Research is reviewed on the effects of model age, model sex, model competence, number of models, and model background. Peer models can foster diverse types of behavioral change in children, but attribute similarity does not automatically enhance modeling. The conditions under which similarity promotes behavioral change are discussed. Future research needs to assess children's self-perceptions, as well as maintenance and generalization of behavioral changes. It is suggested that classroom peers can help train social skills, enhance self-efficacy, and remedy skill deficiencies. Article: Modeling is an important means of acquiring skills, beliefs, and novel behaviors (Bandura, 1986; Rosenthal & Zimmerman, 1978). In school, teachers serve as powerful models for children, but children also are exposed to many peers who are the same age and who often are similar in other ways (e.g., sex, competence). Peer models can affect many aspects of children's lives (Hartup & Lougee, 1975). The purpose of this article is to critically review the literature on peer modeling among children as a function of various model attributes. As used throughout this article, peer denotes a child who is roughly equivalent in development to the observer, model is an individual whose behaviors, verbalizations, and expressions are attended to by the observer and serve as cues for subsequent modeling, and modeling refers to behavioral change that derives from observing others (Berger, 1977; Field, 198 1; Hartup, 1978).

Positive and Negative Opinion Modeling: The Influence of Another's Similarity and Dissimilarity.

“…These caveats regarding domain noted, we believe our results nonetheless suggest that past conclusions that similar models have more influence than dissimilar models likely have been wrong in some instances and more generally have oversimplified the influence of model similarity (e.g., Bandura, 1986;Berger, 1977;Schunk, 1987). Studies demonstrating, for example, that children more frequently imitate same-than opposite-sex models (e.g., Wolf, 1973), although typically taken as evidence that similar models produce more influence, could reflect also, or instead, that children avoid acting like opposite-sex others-that is, negative modeling.…”

Self-Efficacy: An Essential Motive to Learn

“…The frequency and immediacy of enactive feedback also created higher perceptions of personal efficacy (Schunk, 1983). When students were taught to attribute their enactive feedback to effort, they perceived greater progress, maintained higher motivation, and reported greater efficacy for further learning (Schunk, 1987). In these investigations, Schunk and his colleagues not only demonstrated the sensitivity of efficacy beliefs to instructional interventions, but also the mediational role of these beliefs in explaining changes in learners' self-regulation and achievement outcomes (Berry, 1987;Schunk, 1981).…”

Peer-delivered physical activity interventions: an overlooked opportunity for physical activity promotion

“…Social cognitive theory [35] specifies that individuals learn behaviors by observing and imitating others, a process referred to as observational learning or modeling. This process has been extensively studied in motor skill learning and educational contexts (e.g., see [36,37]). Aside from an individual possessing the fundamental capacity to produce an observed behavior, learning a behavior is dependent on the degree to which one attends to relevant elements of a model's behavior, retains SYSTEMATIC REVIEW those elements, and is motivated to produce the action.…”