Modelling/vicarious experience

Modelling/vicarious experience

1. WHY DO WE LEARN FROM OTHERS?

   • For most activities, there's no absolute measure of adequacy.
     • So people must appraise their capabilities in relation to the attainment of others.
       • SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY - BANDURA
         • PSYCHOSOCIAL FUNCTIONING is product of dynamic interplay of personal factors (cognitive, affective, biological), behavioural patterns and environmental events.
           • Learning occurs in a social context - much of what is learned is gained through observation of models
             • Observational learning is the second most important source of SELF-EFFICACY information after enactive mastery.
               • 4 processes in observational learning: Attentional processes: exploring and deciding what behaviour we are going to model and from whom/where.
                 • Retention: the active process of transforming and restructuring information about events for memory representation in the form of rules and conceptions. Cognitive rehearsal of the coded information. •
                   • Production: conceptions are translated into appropriate courses of action. •
                     • Motivational Processes: experiencing a gain from the modelled behaviour, which makes the effort required worthwhile.
                       • FESTINGER - SOCIAL COMPARISON THEORY
                         • Social Comparison Theory centers on the belief that there is a drive within individuals to gain accurate self-evaluations.
                           • The theory explains how individuals evaluate their own opinions and abilities by comparing themselves to others in order to reduce uncertainty in these domains, and learn how to define the self. •
                             • If people want to achieve something, they model themselves on people who do it a little better. •
                               • Vicarious experience, refers to seeing a ‘similar other’ successfully perform the behaviour and appraising one’s own performance against the performance of that similar other. Modelling is learning by observing someone else doing it. If they can do it, I think I can do it too.
                                 • Not imitation, but ACTIVE LEARNING PROCESS through appraisal and social comparison processes ƒ - not just doing what others are doing - process of appraisal of other’s behaviour, social comparison.
                                   • In order for modelling/vicarious experience methods to be effective, the target group should be ready to change behavior.
                                     • The method should be used for people who need to improve their self-efficacy. • Model should perform slightly better on target behaviour • Model should demonstrate steps taken to achieve success in the behaviour • Model should show visible positive results from success in the behaviour -There needs to be a clear reward for the behaviour. • Model should share similar personal characteristics as target group • Model has to be attractive to target group • Model should display coping - struggled and succeeded, with detailed steps along the route to success • model needs to show what steps they took to master the behaviour, how they struggled and overcame challenges • Model must demonstrate mastery of sub-skills that are needed in a step-by-step process toward performing and maintaining the behavior. • Model needs to be chosen and portrayed in such a way as to provide information that can be used for appraisal and effect on self-efficacy
                                       • Mobile phone intervention for smoking cessation in which the role models were ex-smokers who had the same struggle as the participants. The people in the intervention group were asked to select one out of six role models (all ex-smokers) from whom they would receive messages. The role models were discussing issues they had found difficult and coping strategies they used to remain smoke-free. Participants could ask for extra support messages on demand.
                                         • The North Karelia Project is long-term project in Finland to reduce cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. It conducted mass media campaigns featuring peer modeling in a reality television format: people in North Karelia were followed in news and public affairs programming as they learned to quit smoking, lose or maintain weight and control hypertension. Interpersonal communication networks were organized to provide direct modeling and social reinforcement for new behaviours and advocacy of environmental changes such as smoking-free environments and higher cigarette taxes. Over 25 years these activities led to changes in behaviour that translated into a 70% reduction in cardiovascular disease, 65% reduction in lung cancer and longer life expectancy.
                                           • For physical activity a meta analysis showed that interventions that used vicarious experience and feedback on past performance produced significantly higher levels of physical activity self-efficacy than interventions that did not include these techniques.