Educators have proposed that admired behavior by media characters evokes audience emulation if subsequent personal reflection results in audience members realizing that they want to and are able to behave in a similar manner. Two experiments investigated this. In Study 1, exposure to prosocial media models increased altruistic inclinations among teenagers only if they were also instructed to reflect on the personal significance of what they had seen. In Study 2, medical students exposed to prosocial media models had higher empathic and altruistic intentions if they reflected on the personal rather than the professional significance of what they had seen. Personal inspiration and recognition of enactment possibilities seemed key determinants of emulation.Don Quixote is arguably the finest novel ever written (Chrisafis, 2002). Cervantes' eponymous hero is driven mad trying to live up to chivalric ideals exemplified by characters in the historical romances he loves. In turn and in time, Don Quixote inspires idealism in his hitherto skeptical manservant, Sancho Panza. In emulating his master, Panza discovers that seeking a life of nobility can bring immense personal rewards potentially more satisfying even than those accruing from hardheaded and materialistic pragmatism.The story of Don Quixote references a number of key psychological processes, including modeling and selfregulation (cf. Bandura, 1991). People can be influenced by examples set by others and also by setting and pursuing personal goals. Sometimes, these processes operate in tandem, with people pursuing personal goals suggested by the examples of others. At other times, others' behavior is not considered appropriate for emulation. Identifying when others' behavior does and does not lead to emulation holds the key to understanding the processes by which role models are influ-
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