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Training counselors role models: the basics and beyond.

Article Excerpt
Children do much of their learning by watching the important people in their lives. Referred to as "observational learning" by social psychologists and cognitive scientists, most professionals who work with children simply refer to this process as role modeling. Role modeling, of course, is more than simply the act of mimicking adults by nearby children. Ask any camper about how the "role models" presented by various media outlets (certain athletes and "musicians" come to mind) influence their thoughts, feelings, and behavior, and assuming they are being honest, you will get an earful. More likely, you will see their influence reflected in campers' behavior in any number of ways. Whether campers are able or willing to put the impact into words, their role models create one of the lenses through which they view the world.

The Science of Observational Learning and Social Cognition

The science behind the importance of role modeling is robust and has an extensive history. For those of you who can remember back to your introductory psychology classes, you probably remember one of the earliest and most famous studies of observational learning, the classic "Bobo Doll" studies of Albert Bandura. In a series of studies, Bandura documented the increased likelihood of boys and girls to exhibit aggressive behavior towards an inflatable doll after watching another adult act as a model by exhibiting aggression towards the doll him/herself. These studies sparked an explosion of research on how role models in a child's life influence behavior and learning. Combined with research on persuasion, psychologists have since identified several factors that increase the influence role models have on children.

For camp professionals, some of the important factors include:

* Proximity: A role model that is physically closer to a child (e.g., in the same room, as opposed to watching on a monitor or television screen), is more likely to influence a child.

* Similarity: Role models who are similar on any number of physical factors, such as gender, ethnicity, or resemblance to other significant people in a child's life (such as a parent or peer).

* Likeability:...

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