Modeling: what is it and what are its types in psychology?

This form of learning was investigated especially by the famous psychologist Albert Bandura.

Observational learning is very important for the development of people. A large part of the skills we acquire depends on observing the behavior of others, especially during childhood.

In this article we will describe what modeling isone of the terms used to describe certain facets of social learning. We will also explain the processes that allow modeling to occur, and what types of modeling exist.

What is modeling?

The modeling is a type of learning that is based on the imitation of behavior performed by a model, usually another person.usually another person. This process occurs on a daily basis and can be used as a therapeutic technique to facilitate the acquisition and modification of behaviors.

The term "modeling" has a meaning similar to those of "imitation", "social learning", "observational learning" and "observational learning". "imitation", "social learning", "observational learning" and "vicarious learning". and "vicarious learning". Each of these concepts emphasizes a different characteristic of this type of learning.

Thus, while "modeling" stresses the fact that there is a model to imitate, "social learning" is a broad concept that emphasizes the role of this process in socialization, and "vicarious learning" means that the consequences of the model's behavior are learned by the observer.

Modeling has different functions. Primarily it serves to acquire new behaviorsThe use of the product, for example manual skills, but it can also inhibit or disinhibit behaviors; this depends on the expectations of the person in relation to the consequences.

It is considered that Albert Bandura is considered to be the most prominent author in the field of modeling and social learning. It is well known the experiment he conducted in 1963 with Richard Walters, which showed that children imitated or not the behaviors of adults depending on whether they observed that they were rewarded or punished.

Processes involved.

According to Bandura, learning by modeling takes place thanks to verbal and imaginative mediation: when we learn by imitation we do it through symbolic representations of observed behaviors and their consequences. and their consequences.

For this author there are four processes that allow behavior to be acquired and executed. Attention and retention are necessary for the acquisition of the target behavior, while reproduction and motivation are necessary for execution.

1. Attention

People only learn new behaviors by observation if they are able to pay attention to the model's behavior. pay attention to the behavior of the model. Different types of variables facilitate or hinder the attention process.

For example, we imitate more easily those models that resemble us in their physical or social characteristics, as well as those that we perceive as prestigious and those that obtain greater rewards.

The probability of learning by imitation also depends on the subject himself; thus, anxiety and sensory deficits, such as blindness, make it difficult to pay attention to the model. On the other hand, we tend to imitate others to a greater extent if the situation is uncertain and the if the situation is uncertain and the task has a medium difficulty..

Retention

In order to imitate a behavior, it is necessary that we are able to represent it in the form of images or verbally without the model being present. Cognitive review of the model's behavior is very important for retention.

Another relevant variable for the maintenance of learning is its meaningfulness, i.e., that we can significance, i.e., that we are able to associate it with other previous learning.. Of course, the physical characteristics of the person also have an influence; for example, it is much more difficult for people with dementia to acquire a behavior.

3. Reproduction

Reproduction is the process by which learning is transformed into behavior. First of all a behavioral pattern equivalent to the observed one is generated. equivalent to the observed one; then the behavior is initiated and the result is compared with that mental schema. Finally, corrective adjustments are made to bring the actual behavior closer to the ideal.

4. Motivation

Learning can occur without imitation; whether imitation occurs depends ultimately on the functional value that the person attributes to the acquired behavior. This process involves the expectation of reinforcement.

There must be a probability of obtaining incentives for the behaviorThese can be direct, but also vicarious and self-produced. Thus, motivational processes are key to imitation.

Types of modeling

The different types of modeling are classified according to many different variables, such as the difficulty of the behavior to imitate, the ability of the model or the social appropriateness of the behavior. Let's see what are the most important types of modeling.

Active or passive

We speak of active modeling when the person observing imitates the model's behavior after observing it. In passive modeling, on the other hand, the behavior is acquired but not executed.

2. Target behavior or intermediate behaviors

The distinguishing criterion in this case is the difficulty of the behavior to be difficulty of the behavior to be imitated. If the target behavior is simple, it can be modeled directly; however, the more complex it is, the more difficult it will be to reproduce, so in these cases it is divided into different simpler behaviors, which are called "intermediate".

3. Positive, negative or mixed

In positive modeling, the learned behavior is seen as appropriate by the social environment, while in negative modeling, the learned behavior is acquired as a "negative" behavior. in negative modeling, disruptive behavior is acquired.. For example, when a child sees his father assaulting his mother. In the case of mixed modeling, an inadequate behavior is learned and then an acceptable one.

4. Live, symbolic or covert modeling

In this case the relevant variable is the way in which the model is presented. If it is present, it is live modeling; if it is observed indirectly, as in a video recording, the modeling is symbolic. video recording, the modeling is symbolic; finally, we speak of covert modeling if the learner does so by imagining the model's behavior.Finally, we speak of covert modeling if the learner does so by imagining the model's behavior.

5. Individual or group

Individual modeling occurs when only one observer is present, while in group modeling the number of people learning the behavior is greater.

6. Single or multiple

The distinction is similar to the previous case, although the number of models varies and not the number of observers. When modeling is multiple the generalization of learning is greater because the subject is exposed to different behavioral alternatives.

7. Modeling or self-modeling

In some cases the person who models is the same as the person who observes.In such cases we refer to the process as "self-modeling". Symbolic self-modeling using video montages has been shown to be very useful in the treatment of selective mutism.

8. Participatory and non-participatory

We speak of participatory modeling when the observer interacts with the modelThis would occur in the case of therapists or speech therapists, for example. In non-participatory modeling, on the other hand, the subject does not interact with the model, but only knows the consequences of his or her behavior.

9. Mastery or coping (coping)

The criterion that distinguishes these two types of modeling is the degree of competence of the model. In mastery modeling, the person to be imitated has from the outset the ability to execute the target behavior correctly, without errors.

In contrast coping models are acquiring the skills of the target behavior. necessary to carry out the behavior, similar to the process that will take place in the observer. It is considered that this type of modeling tends to be more effective than mastery because it is more meaningful to the observer.