A nursery school teacher spends some time each day reading ...

[MGLQZ]

A nursery school teacher spends some time each day reading stories such as The Little Engine That Could (a story of a little locomotive that chugged up a hill saying, I think I can, I think I can.). Using social cognitive theory as a basis, explain why a teacher would choose to read stories such as these.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

A middle-age man who has become a little rotund would like to get in shape but is reluctant, since he hasn't worked out for a long time, and he has long ago lost his athletic appearance. At the urging of friend, he finally goes to a fitness club near where he lives just to take a look.
  Upon arriving at the club he is surprised to see several people about his age and build laboring over the machines and free weights. The man is now consistently working out.
  Using social cognitive theory as a basis, provide a detailed explanation for the man's behavior. Include the form of modeling, the modeling outcome, and the effectiveness of the modeling in your explanation.
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[qytan]

Answer to Question 1

The teacher is using the story as a form of symbolic modeling to facilitate conscientiousness and effort on the part of her students.

Answer to Question 2

The man's behavior can be explained through direct modeling, perceived similarity, and facilitating existing behaviors. The other people serve as direct models, and because they are about his age and build, he perceives them as similar. Since he has worked out in the past, we can assume he knows how to work out, so the models are facilitating an existing behavior in him.