Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following
passage. To say that the child learns by imitation and
that the way to teach is to set a good example oversimplifies. No child
imitates(模仿)every action he sees. Sometimes, the example the parent wants
him to follow is ignored while he takes over contrary patterns from some other
examples. Therefore we must turn to a more subtle theory than "Monkey see,
monkey do." Look at it from the child’s point of view. Here he
is in a new situation, lacking a ready response. He is seeking a response which
will gain certain ends. If he lacks a ready response for the situation, and
cannot reason out what to do, he observes a model who seems able to get the
right result. The child looks for an authority(权威)or expert who can show
what to do. There is a second element at work in this situation.
The child may be able to attain his immediate goal only to find that his method
brings criticism from people who observe him. When shouting across the house
achieves his immediate end of delivering a message, he is told emphatically that
such a racket(喧闹)is unpleasant, that he should walk into the next room
and say it quietly. Thus, the desire to solve any objective situation is
overlaid with the desire to solve it properly. One of the early things the child
learns is that he gets some actions and criticizes others. If one is to maintain
the support of others and his own self-respect, he must adopt responses his
social group approves. In finding trial responses, the learner
does not choose models at random. He imitates the person who seems a good person
to be like, rather than a person whose social status he wishes to avoid. If the
pupil wants to be a good violinist, he will observe and try to copy the
techniques of capable players; while some other person may most influence his
approach to books. Admiration of one quality often leads us to
admire a person as a whole, and he becomes an identifying figure. We use
some people as models over a wide range of situations, imitating much that they
do. We learn that they are dependable and rewarding models because imitating
them leads to success. By imitating a person to his liking, the child tends to become______.