Results indicate that reward and ignore conditions were not different but both yielded higher imitative scores than the punishment condition; same-sex models yielded higher imitation scores than opposite-sex models; lowest imitation scores were obtained by children exposed to a male experimenter and a female model. (Author/BJG)

Nineteen socially isolated preschool children were exposed either to four videotapes in which social skills were modeled (treatment) or to four sequences of a nature film (control). Observations indicated that treatment produced increases in the frequency with which subjects dispensed and received social reinforcement and the frequency of social…

Reports on study employing drawings of high-interest cartoon models to symbolize and teach skills contributing to the social and educational development of children in a child-care center. Results demonstrate such models are effective and feasible agents for positive behavioral change when used within the generalized imitation framework. (CMG)

In a single case study which incorporated a reversal within a multiple-baseline-across-subjects design, two women presented individual children (N=3) with eight natural-appearing opportunities to behave prosocially in each session (two opportunities each of helping, sharing, teaching, and sympathy). The training procedure involved a standardized…

The paper defines and discusses various social learning theories. Central to most theories of how an individual acquires socially acceptable behaviors are the processes of imitation, or observational learning, and identification, or modeling. The effectiveness of each process is noted. (SB)