Problem: How can I make notes with bullet points in this paragraph? Modeling Behavior Peers influence each other by acting as social models. Children learn a great deal about how to behave simply by observing the actions of their peers. Even 2-year-olds imitate each other and so are able to sustain an interaction and learn more sophis ticated forms of play, such as tossing a ball back and forth (Eckerman, 1993). Pre schoolers who have poor language skills improve when exposed to more linguistically competent peers (Justice et al., 2011). Older children learn about social rules by watching their peers. On the first day at a new school, for instance, a child might learn that students stand when the teacher enters the room, that it is risky to shoot spitballs, and that the big redheaded kid should be avoided because he's a bully. By imitating their peers, especially the ones who don't get in trouble, children learn class rules and develop social skills that help them get along with their new classmates. In adolescence, young people copy peer models as they decide what to wear, how much to eat, when to start smoking, whether to join a gang, and if they should skip school (Albert et al., 2013; Dishion et al., 2001). Given a choice, children are most likely to imitate peers who are older, more powerful, and more prestigious (Bandura, 1986). Need Assignment Help?