Although the children had previously been afraid of dogs, after observing the Fearless Peer, the children were much more likely to approach a strange dog. Certainly the critical factor in determining whether we choose to later imitate a model is whether the model was rewarded for the behavior. We are more likely to copy other people who we see are rewarded for behaving in a particular way. We can thus learn vicariously through the experience of others. Mass media such as movies and television become a large concern to behaviorists who believe that we learn and imitate many important behaviors such as aggression and sex-roles through observational learning of the behavior of models.
Insights are sudden, seemingly creative, understandings or solutions to problems.
Insight psychotherapies , for instance, rely on the sudden personal discovery by the patient of psychological processes that have caused personal problems. Psychoanalysis, humanistic and cognitive therapies all rely on the patient gaining insight, awareness and understanding of relationships, motives or feelings that were previously poorly understood. Perhaps the study of psychology has given you insight into factors such as early childhood experience that affects your behavior today. Certainly insight is one of the most complicated and important ways we learn as humans. Cognitive psychologists research areas such as memory, problem solving, decision-making and reasoning.