Reinforcement learning (RL) excels in fully observable environments but faces significant challenges in partially observable scenarios, modeled as Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs), where agents must infer hidden states from noisy observations. We propose SIGHT (Sequential Inference with Guided Hidden Trajectories), a novel framework that integrates attention-guided hidden state prediction into an actor-critic architecture. By dynamically prioritizing relevant historical information and anticipating future dynamics, SIGHT combines the adaptability of model-free RL with the predictive foresight of model-based methods, creating a hybrid “model-based-like model-free” approach. Validated across position-based and velocity-based tasks, SIGHT outperforms state-of-the-art methods, including the POMDP Baseline, Neural Ordinary Differential Equations, and Variational Recurrent Models, achieving higher returns, stability, and adaptability. Our analysis further demonstrates the impact of sequence length, RL algorithm suitability, and attention mechanisms on performance, highlighting SIGHT's potential for advancing RL in real-world partially observable environments.

ABSTRACT This study investigates how risk behavior detail (RBD) in health messages affects intentions to drive under the influence of cannabis (DUIC). Based on research on cue reactivity and observational learning, we test whether messages with detailed information about risky behaviors related to DUIC may inadvertently teach high-risk audiences these behaviors, thereby increasing their likelihood of engaging in DUIC. An online experiment surveyed 686 adult drivers, ages 18 to 50, who use cannabis. Participants viewed messages with varying levels of detail about behaviors that may reduce the risk of adverse outcomes of DUIC (High vs. Low RBD), or a control video. Exposure to High-RBD messages was associated with increased DUIC intentions and behaviors, mediated by perceptions that the behaviors would be effective at reducing risk (response efficacy), and self-efficacy to perform these behaviors, both immediately and at two-weeks follow-up. Implications for theory, and for effective and responsible message design are discussed.

This study complements existing longitudinal research on voice and silence in organizations by addressing how Implicit Voice Theories (IVTs)—for example, the belief that speaking up is risky—can spread and become deeply embedded in organizational culture. Based on a qualitative longitudinal study conducted over nearly 3 years at an automotive production site in Germany, 48 managers at various hierarchical levels were interviewed repeatedly, resulting in a total of 128 interviews. One specific event emerged as particularly significant, providing the basis for an abductive exploration of how IVTs disseminate within organizations. The findings highlight two key mechanisms: storytelling and Coactive Vicarious Learning (CVL). These processes contribute to shaping colleagues’ communication behavior in organizations, fostering a generalized tendency toward silence—persisting even years later and beyond those directly involved.

Perturbations in observational threat learning predict anxiety symptoms in war-exposed adolescents: A longitudinal study.

Purpose : The study aimed to investigate how Bandura’s observational learning processes can promote social emotional learning in high school physical education. Method : It used a qualitative case study approach to examine attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation processes within daily lessons. Data were collected through focus group interviews, student journals, lesson reflections, and field notes over three academic semesters and analyzed using thematic analysis . Results : The champion, hero, achiever, and peacemaker (CHAP) instructional strategy helped students pay attention to verbal, instructional, and symbolic models to address its associated social emotional skills. Practicing Taekwondo enabled students to rehearse the positive behaviors of the CHAP. Students’ cognitive connections to the CHAP in their living contexts and real-word issues helped mentally reproduce the behaviors. Rewarding students’ practice and ensuring a positive learning environment motivated students to continue the positive behaviors of the CHAP. Discussion/Conclusion : We conclude that the CHAP promoted observational learning processes that led to social emotional learning.

Partially Observable Mean Field Learning for Opportunistic FAMA

Implicit observational learning of second-order conditional repeated sequences presented in rapid serial visual presentation.

BackgroundWhile there is growing evidence demonstrating the usefulness of integrating social features within mobile health approaches, little research has explored how African American women use mobile platforms to facilitate physical activity within the context of a group-based physical activity intervention.ObjectiveThe primary aim of this study was to qualitatively describe how African American women used private group messaging boards on the Fitbit mobile app (eg, the type of social and motivational strategies) during a 10-week group-based physical activity intervention. The secondary aim of this study was to quantitatively test whether greater engagement on the Fitbit mobile app (number of posts per week) was associated with greater daily physical activity (ie, steps and total minutes of physical activity) across 10 weeks.MethodsData were collected from 54 African American women who participated in the Together Everyone Achieves More Physical Activity trial (mean age 51.57, SD 13.89 y). Participants completed weekly in-person group sessions, set group-based weekly physical activity goals, and used the Fitbit mobile app for ongoing group communication and support, including posting in a private group. This study used a QUAN-qual mixed methods design to describe how participants used the private group messaging boards on the Fitbit mobile app and to evaluate whether engagement on the Fitbit app was associated with greater physical activity (ie, steps and total minutes of physical activity) across the 10-week intervention.ResultsThe mean number of posts per week ranged from 1.79 (SD 2.95) in week 1 to 1.11 (SD 2.49) in week 10, with a maximum of 5.06 (SD 7.62) posts in week 5. A thematic content analysis revealed that the private groups reflected numerous topics, including motivational strategies, cognitive strategies, group strategies, informal positive communication, and sharing pictures. The quantitative analyses revealed that participants who posted at least once per week engaged in more steps (P=.006) and total minutes of physical activity (P=.02).ConclusionsParticipants engaged in ongoing social support, positive communication, and vicarious learning through the Fitbit app, suggesting several important directions for future research, including potential interpersonal mechanisms and best practices for enhancing social support and physical activity among African American women.

Background: Emergency medicine requires precise and rapid execution of high‑risk procedures in time-sensitive environments, leaving limited opportunities for safe supervised practice. Neuroscientific discoveries, particularly related to the mirror neuron system (MNS), suggest that observational learning may effectively enhance motor skill acquisition without risk to patients. Aim: To comprehensively review the neurobiological foundations, educational applications, and practical implications of the MNS in emergency medicine procedural training. Material and methods: Narrative review including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science. Literature (2000–2024) concerning neuroscience, medical education, motor learning, and emergency medicine was analyzed. Results: Studies demonstrate that the MNS supports imitation, enhances procedural memory formation, and strengthens early motor skill acquisition. Educational strategies such as expert modeling, action observation, motor imagery, and multimodal simulation appear aligned with MNS activation and may optimize procedural training. Conclusions: The MNS offers a valuable, underutilized framework for optimizing procedural training in emergency medicine. Future research should integrate neurophysiological tools into educational research to directly examine the mechanisms by which observational learning enhances clinical performance.

Reliable information is essential for climate change adaptation and food security. However, the spread of misleading agricultural information, including through digital platforms, can negatively influence farmers' decisions to adopt climate change adaptation practices and hinder agricultural productivity. This study examines Nigerian farmers’ responses to inaccurate or misleading information concerning climate change adaptation in agriculture. Using the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), the study draws on data from an online survey and semi-structured interviews, analyzed through descriptive statistics and thematic coding using NVivo. The findings reveal that female farmers were more likely to attribute the spread of agricultural misinformation to uncertainty rather than to malicious intent. Observational learning plays a central role, as farmers model behaviors based on trust and engagement in social networks. While both men and women share misinformation, female farmers are less likely to spread agricultural misinformation once they identify it, though they are more inclined to remain passive upon receiving it. These gendered dynamics emphasize the importance of designing agricultural communication strategies on climate change that reflect how male and female farmers differently engage with information. Promoting critical thinking and fact-checking behaviors among all farmers, regardless of gender, is also essential to mitigating the impact of agricultural misinformation on climate change adaptation.

Against the backdrop of Industry 4.0, manufacturing firms leverage digital technologies for innovation through two primary modes: exploitative innovation, which refines existing processes, and exploratory innovation, which creates new business processes using digital tools. Although peer influence is known to drive digital innovation adoption, its differential impact on these two types remains insufficiently explored. Using data from 3,113 listed Chinese manufacturing firms, the authors identify an inverted U-shaped relationship between a firm's adoption of exploratory digital innovation and the levels of such innovation among its competitors. In contrast, a positive association is observed between a firm's adoption of exploitative digital innovation and competitors' corresponding levels. Convergence arises through vicarious learning, whereas divergence results from the specialization demands of exploratory innovation. The research further demonstrates the moderating role of product market competition intensity.

Negotiation-based transactional mechanisms provide flexibility and economic benefits to both sellers and buyers on online trading platforms. Although automated negotiation is a highly desired feature among online platform providers, the complexity and uncertainty of human behavior in human-to-computer (HtC) negotiation make it a problematic solution. This study proposes a design theory for a human-learning guided virtual negotiator (HLG-VN) framework that emulates human learning using multiple machine learning (ML) techniques that collectively mimic four human learning activities: didactic, feedback, observational, and analogical learning. Following the design science research methodology, we built an instantiation system for the proposed design theory and empirically tested it using experiments based on HtC negotiations. The empirical results show that our system outperformed the benchmark system in terms of both economic and some key social-psychological outcomes. Furthermore, the experiment results confirm the effectiveness and correctness of the HLG-VN framework. The proposed design theory provides a theoretical base for using ML techniques to build a virtual negotiator agent for an automated negotiation system. Thus, various agents could be designed and developed based on the theory for online trading platforms, thus improving negotiation efficiency and reducing transaction costs.

Young generations are often identified as key actors in promoting sustainability. However, some studies suggest that adolescents may engage in pro-environmental behaviors to a lesser extent than other age groups. The literature on socialization provides useful insights into the factors that may facilitate or hinder these practices, examining how young people develop environmental attitudes and values within their social contexts. This systematic review explores the role of parents and peers in relation to adolescents’ pro-environmental behaviors. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, 23 studies were analyzed, mostly conducted in Western contexts, investigating family dynamics, parental values, social norms, and observational learning processes. The findings highlight the involvement of parents and peers in environmental socialization processes, suggesting that both groups may play a role in adolescents’ sustainable practices. The review also identifies some limitations in existing research and suggests possible directions for future studies.

This study focuses on mentoring activities for male and female students of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Khalafiyah Syafi’iyyah Zainul Hasan Genggong related to children’s development during the school period. The main issue identified is the lack of optimal learning motivation and independence among students, which affects their academic achievement and character formation. The purpose of this study is to improve students’ observation skills, creativity, critical thinking, emotional regulation, social interaction, and learning motivation in an integrated manner. This research employed a descriptive qualitative method with observation, interviews, and in-depth documentation as the primary data collection techniques. The findings indicate a significant improvement in students’ concentration, creative expression through drawing, logical thinking, emotional stability, harmonious social interaction, as well as motivation and discipline in learning. The mentoring activities provide a sustainable positive impact on students’ psychological growth and holistic development within the madrasah environment

Context: Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) frequently encounter difficulties in independently performing self-care activities, which can adversely affect both their development and quality of life. Video modeling (VM) is an evidence-based observational learning technique in which children acquire skills by watching and imitating video demonstrations. Although interest in this approach is increasing, a comprehensive synthesis of VM for self-care in children with NDDs is currently lacking. Objectives: This review examined VM interventions designed to improve self-care in children with NDDs, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disability (ID), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with an emphasis on intervention characteristics, implementation strategies, and outcomes. Methods: A scoping review identified 21 studies from four major databases. Two independent researchers systematically extracted and organized data to ensure accuracy. Quantitative analysis summarized study characteristics, intervention features (such as VM alone or in combination with reinforcement, prompting, chaining, or live modeling), and outcomes (including toothbrushing, toileting, and dressing) using descriptive statistics. Qualitative analysis explored recurring themes related to video devices, visual perspective, model type, integration with other techniques, intervention context (home, school, or clinical settings), and generalization across settings and tasks. Results: The VM interventions primarily employed third-person perspectives and adult models, most often within home environments. There was notable variability in video devices, implementation contexts, complementary techniques, and visual perspectives. Despite these differences, VM consistently improved self-care skills, including dressing, feeding, and personal hygiene. Approximately 95% of studies reported statistically significant improvements. Evidence suggests that tailoring interventions to developmental level, model type, visual perspective, and context enhances outcomes and promotes functional independence. Conclusions: The VM is an effective and adaptable approach for fostering independent self-care in children with NDDs. The key modifiable factors — model selection, visual perspective, and implementation context — identified as primary findings can guide clinicians, educators, and caregivers in optimizing skill acquisition. These insights inform the development of VM-based programs, supporting improved developmental outcomes and quality of life. Future research should focus on standardizing protocols and examining long-term effects to strengthen evidence-based practice.

Children's socio-emotional development is an important aspect that plays a role in their ability to recognize, understand, express, and regulate emotions, as well as interact adaptively in social environments. The family serves as the first environment that provides the foundation for this development through parenting patterns, emotional relationships, daily interactions, and parental behavior models. This study uses the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method by analyzing scientific articles published between 2020–2025 from the Scopus, ERIC, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar databases. The results of the review indicate that parental responsiveness, observational learning, secure attachment, and emotional communication significantly influence children's emotion regulation and social skills. In addition, parenting styles, particularly the authoritative style, have been shown to have a positive impact on psychological well-being, self-control, and social competence, while authoritarian, permissive, and neglectful styles are associated with behavioral problems and low self-esteem. Overall, the quality of the family environment and patterns of emotional communication play a significant role in shaping children's socio-emotional development. These findings underscore the need for support and reinforcement of parenting practices in efforts to enhance children's emotional and social well-being.

Background: Internships are a critical pedagogical component in hotel management education, serving to bridge theoretical knowledge with practical industry application. This report stems from a 12-month training internship at Angel Grandia Echigo Nakazato, a family-oriented resort in Japan, undertaken to gain immersive experience in operational hospitality departments. Objectives: The primary objectives were to acquire hands-on skills in Housekeeping and Food & Beverage Service, understand daily resort operations, apply customer service theory in practice, and analyze the resort’s strategic positioning within the competitive hospitality landscape. Methods: The internship followed a rotational training methodology. Qualitative data was gathered through direct participation, observational learning, and reflective practice across two key departments: Housekeeping (1 month, 20 days) and F&B Service (8 months). A situational analysis (SWOT) was conducted based on operational experience and organizational review. Findings: The internship facilitated significant development of technical and soft skills, including SOP adherence, inventory management, and guest interaction. Key challenges identified were language barriers, seasonal workload management, and maintaining service consistency. Participation in major seasonal events provided crucial insights into large-scale hospitality operations. A SWOT analysis revealed the resort’s strengths in family services and location, alongside weaknesses in facility maintenance and market diversification. Conclusion & Recommendation: The internship was a transformative experience that enhanced professional readiness and industry understanding. It is concluded that immersive, departmental training is essential for competency development. Recommendations for the resort include enhancing language support for international staff, diversifying market segments beyond families, and implementing a proactive digital maintenance system. For academic programs, pre-internship language preparation and structured reflective components are advised. Implementation: The findings can be implemented by hospitality educators to design more effective internship curricula, focusing on pre-departure preparation and reflective assessment. Resort management can apply the operational recommendations to improve staff training programs, guest experience, and strategic marketing initiatives.

This study examines the multifaceted factors influencing students’ academic performance at the Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE) level. Drawing on Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory, Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, and Skinner’s Operant Conditioning Theory, the study explores cognitive, behavioural, motivational, and environmental determinants of learning outcomes. Bloom’s Taxonomy highlights the importance of developing higher-order thinking skills for problem-solving, critical analysis, and application of knowledge, while Skinner’s theory emphasises reinforcement and consequences in shaping student behaviour and motivation. Bandura’s framework underscores the role of self-efficacy, observational learning, and motivation, and Bronfenbrenner situates achievement within interrelated environmental systems, including family, school, community, and policy contexts. The synthesis of these theories suggests that effective academic performance results from an integrated approach addressing cognitive development, behavioural reinforcement, motivational factors, and supportive environments. The study further underscores the relevance of structured instructional strategies, positive reinforcement mechanisms, and balanced extrinsic and intrinsic motivators, including digital learning tools, in enhancing engagement and academic outcomes. Implications for educators, policymakers, and stakeholders include the design of learner-centred lessons, reinforcement of positive behaviours, provision of adequate resources, and the promotion of equitable educational opportunities. The study provides a robust theoretical foundation for future research on interventions aimed at improving secondary school performance in Uganda.

Peer role-playing, in which medical students alternate between provider and patient roles, is a core component of peer-assisted learning. While the educational value of playing the provider is well established, the extent to which students gain medical knowledge through acting as patients remains unclear. In this quantitative study with qualitative components, 178 first-year medical students portrayed patients during a high-fidelity prehospital simulation. Medical knowledge was assessed with a 21-item multiple-choice test after simulation (162 responses; 91.0% response rate). An open-ended reflection prompt captured students' perceived learning. Chi-square analyses compared knowledge performance between students who portrayed a given scenario ("Actors") and those who did not ("nonactors"). Qualitative data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Quantitative analysis revealed no statistically significant differences in performance between actors and nonactors across test items (P = 0.17-0.99). However, 160 students (89.9%) reported perceived gains in medical knowledge. Thematic analysis identified 3 primary learning mechanisms: observational learning, experiential learning, and direct instruction. Although knowledge gains specific to patient roles were not captured through multiple-choice testing, students perceived substantial learning through peer role-play. The student-as-patient role may be intentionally designed to support cognitive as well as affective learning in simulation-based medical education.

The aim of this article is to explore the intersection between entertainment-based teaching and learning models, with particularattention to the pedagogical practices of Indigenous communities, and contemporary contributions from neuroscience and neuroeducation. It analyzes how ancestral foundations of playful, observational, and investigative teaching and learning are supported by neuroscientific findings on the activation of dopaminergic circuits1 and metacognitive processes. Gamification emerges as a methodological bridge between these traditions and modern university pedagogy. The reflection proposes an integrative educational model that honors Indigenous knowledge while incorporating advances in neuroeducation to enhance meaningful learning.experiences in the context of higher education.