Abstract
Bandura (1977) has suggested that self-observation, or visual feedback, is an important part of the modeling process because the learner uses it to make correct movements. This research was designed to test Bandura's hypothesis as applied to young children. Primary-grade children (N = 117) learned two different motor tasks, balancing on a stabilometer and jumping a horizontally rotating bar. They performed 15 and 9 trials, respectively, of the tasks under different feedback conditions. Children in the experimental conditions viewed a videotape of their own performance periodically during learning. A three factor (Sex × Condition × Trial Block, 2 × 4 × 3) repeated-measures analysis of variance was applied to performance data. The two major findings extended Bandura's hypothesis to children's observational motor learning. The temporal placement of visual feedback was important during stability learning. The children who viewed their own performance later in learning were able to make subsequent corrections of movement whereas children in the other visual feedback groups did not improve after the initial block of practice trials. The availability of component responses influenced the young boys' ability to reproduce the jumping task. They were unable to anticipate the rotation of the bar even after extensive practice with visual feedback. In conclusion, this investigation suggested that Bandura's hypothesis that self-observation is important may be generalized to children's observational learning of a stability task. Additional research is needed to document the modeling processes during motor development.