Observational Learning: To See Is to Know

    A group of psychologists, led by Albert Bandura, developed social learning theory, which emphasizes the fact that much learning occurs in a social context. This kind of learning, which results simply from observing and imitating the behavior of others, is called observational learning. Observational learning helps people acquire proper behavior in their families and cultures. By watching others, we learn how to greet people, eat, laugh and tell jokes. Do you still remember your first few days in senior grade one? By watching others, you learned how people talked to each other, what clothes were "fashionable," and how to interact with instructors.

    With modeling, you observe others' behaviors, and then none, some, or all of these behaviors may be learned and repeated, or modified. In one of Bandura's classic studies, children were divided into three groups: One group watched an adult beating up a Bobo doll, one group watched an adult ignoring the Bobo doll, and the third didn't see an adult at all. After being mildly frustrated by being placed in a room with toys, but not being allowed to play with some of them, all of the children were then placed in another room with a variety of toys, including a Bobo doll. Children in the first group tended to imitate what they had seen, mistreating the doll (and inventing new ways to abuse it).

    Researchers have discovered that several characteristics of models can make learning through observation more effective. Not surprisingly, the more you pay attention to the model, the more you learn. You are more likely to pay attention if the model is an expert, is good looking, has high status, or is socially powerful. Second, by watching others, we learn about what behaviors are appropriate for people like ourselves, so models who are seen as similar are more readily imitated. All students need to see successful, capable models who look and sound like them.

    Then, as teachers, how can you apply observational learning? Here are a few guidelines. Above all, model the behaviors and attitudes you desire your students to learn. For example, show enthusiasm for the subject you teach. Be willing to demonstrate both the mental and the physical tasks you expect the students to perform. Second, use peers, especially class leaders, as models. For example, in group work, pair students who do well with those who are having difficulties. Third, you may seek the help of class leaders in modeling behaviors. Examples include letting high­status students lead an activity when you need class cooperation or when students are likely to be reluctant at first.

    Living to the ripe old age of 90 may depend on your body size—both height and weight—as well as your level of physical activity, and geeing to influence a woman's lifespan more than it does a man's.

    The study found women who lived to 90 were, on average, taller and had put on less weight since the age of 20 as compared to women who were shorter and heavier. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} However, men saw more benefit from physical activity than women.

    In 1986 researchers asked over 7, 000 Norwegian men and women between age 55 and 69 about their height, current weight, and weight at age 20. Both genders also told researchers about their current physical activities. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} The men and women were then sorted into daily activity quotas: less than 30 minutes, 30 to 60 minutes, and 90 minutes or more.

    Men and women in the study fared very differently when it came to the impact of body size and exercise.

    Women who weighed less at age 20 and put on less weight as they aged were more likely to live longer than heavier women. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} The study found women who were taller than 5 feet 9 inches were 31％more likely to live into their 90s than women who were less than 5 feet 3 inches.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Men who spent 90 minutes a day or more being active were 39％more likely to live to 90 than men who were physically active for less than 30 minutes.

    However, women who were physically active for more than 60 minutes a day were only 21％more likely to live to 90 than those who did 30 minutes or less. And unlike men, there was no bonus for increasing activity. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    From time to time, we all get a bit down. Maybe we are feeling bad because we're not doing well with our goals. There are many reasons for feeling down, but I'm not able to discuss all of them.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}
    Make a list. Sometimes we are sad simply because we are troubled by all the things we have to do.{#blank#}2{#/blank#}Make a list of the most pressing things you have to do. Thus you're getting things under control. You can see, right in front of you, what you need to do, and that can pick up your mood.
    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}You've made a list, and you still feel puzzled? Well, get started on the first thing you need to do. Once you get into action, you'll feel better. And once you start doing something, you will feel much better than lying around feeling sorry for yourself.
     {#blank#}4{#/blank#}I like Brown Eyed Girl, the Kinks, the Ramones, or an upbeat Beatles tune. You might have your own brand of feel-good music. Whatever it is, let yourself move to the beat. It may just be what the doctor ordered.
    Talk about it. Get a best friend, family member or coworker you can talk to.{#blank#}5{#/blank#}It can also help you work out the reasons you're feeling down.

A. Take action.

B. Play some lively music.

C. Get out of the house and do something.

D. Getting things off your chest makes a big difference.

E. Start simply by picking up a piece of paper and a pen.

F. Do whatever you need to do to feel good about yourself.

G. What I can talk about are some things that have worked for me.

    Unless you think you're the smartest, who doesn't want to be smarter? Of course I want to be smarter too. So I try to find out who's the real smart guy that maybe I can learn from.{#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    ▲ They probably do social media. Not always, but probably.{#blank#}2{#/blank#} They also use this to ensure they can feed their brains with things they otherwise wouldn't have come across.

    ▲ {#blank#}3{#/blank#} They never bother their head about the problem of "work-life balance" and somehow manage to seem 100% engaged in what they're doing, on all fronts simultaneously(同时), even though you know they're taking appropriate steps behind the scenes to make sure their lives are well balanced.

    ▲ They know they are the smartest in the room, but they don't spend much time talking about that.{#blank#}4{#/blank#} That is, they challenge themselves to make everyone else in the room the smartest person too.

    ▲ They never, ever, under any circumstances, make you look stupid, even though it would be easy to do so. They've learned through bitter experience that the only thing that happens when you make someone look bad is that you look bad yourself.

    ▲ If they are managers, they will make every effort to get people more connected and more popular than them in their teams.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} They're not threatened because they know that smartness is synergistic.(相互促进的)

A. It is not only a chance to listen.

B. They know it is an advantage to them.

C. They take it as a personal challenge instead.

D. They will be smiling even when things go wrong.

E. Now I've got an answer about whether someone's smart.

F. They also ensure their smart people look smarter than them.

G. They deal with home, work and personal interests perfectly.

    I'm a survivor of atomic bombing (原子弹轰炸)of Nagasaki, Japan. I was born on December 25, 1944, so when the bombs fell on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, I was only nine months old. My family were not even in the city of Nagasaki. We were outside. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}

    There are three ways that atomic bombs can kill you. One is the blast (冲击波). That knocks down all the buildings nearby. The second is the fireball. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}And those who were touched by the fireball disappeared immediately. And the third way is the radiation (辐射).

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#}

    I remember both my mother and my sister were sick in bed. And when I was six, they died.

    When my sister died, I heard her doctor tell my father that I wouldn't live to see my tenth birthday. So I knew that I was not going to live long. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}Whenever I get a simple cold, I thought this might be the end of my life.

    I also felt that it was wrong for me to stay alive. Why did my sister and my mother, who were wonderful people, had to die? And yet L, who am not worthy, am still alive? {#blank#}5{#/blank#}It kills everything on its way. It kills slowly. and painfully.

    If the United States is attacked with radioactive weapons, millions of people will die. If North

    Korea is attacked, Korea, Japan, part of China and even Russia will be affected I want all nations to come together and start finding a way of getting rid of nuclear weapons altogether.

A. But I always took good care of myself.

B. There was a huge fireball in both cities.

C. Therefore, I was always worried about my health.

D. The radioactive dust was what started killing our family.

E. It always does much more harm than good to human being.

F. This feeling is the kind of weapon that shouldn't be allowed on the earth

G. However, radiation from the bombing went far beyond the city limits and harmed us.

    Imagine that you are in a remote village somewhere with no medical clinic. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}Once the doctors get to you, they examine you and take blood samples, but they won't be able to help you until they take the samples back to the hospital to find out what is wrong. {#blank#}2{#/blank#} Thanks to engineer Andy Ozcan, many people may never be in this situation. He has invented an app that turns your mobile phone into a diagnostic(诊断的)tool.

    Ozcan's invention is important because it is very accurate and easy to use. In many remote places, even if doctors have microscopes and other instruments to help them make diagnoses, there may still be other problems. Many doctors, for example, don't have enough training to correctly interpret what they see. {#blank#}3{#/blank#} With Ozcan's mobile phone app, health workers can take a special photo of a blood sample and send it to a central computer at a hospital. The computer will then automatically interpret the photo and send a diagnosis back in a few minutes.

    {#blank#}4{#/blank#} His technology only requires a mobile phone and an Internet connection. As more than four billion people already have cell phones, the cost of establishing the diagnostic system is fairly low.

By inventing a medical tool that uses existing technology—mobile phones—Ozcan has developed a medical tool that is both practical and economical. Therefore, it can be effectively almost anywhere. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

A. Another reason that Ozcan's invention is important is that it is inexpensive.

B. Even though you may only have a simple infection (感染), you might die because of the delay.

C. People are trying to reduce the cost of this new medical tool.

D. Ozcan's simple, cost-effective tool might just save millions of lives around the world.

E. This tool has become much more popular all around the world.

F. You become very sick and must wait days until a mobile medical unit arrives to help.

G. As a result, they may diagnose illnesses incorrectly.