College students predicted the outcomes of a series of fictitious horse races after exposure on each trial to the prediction and correctness of the prediction made by a simulated partner. Under training to imitate, the results indicate that the greater the model's competence, the greater is the facilitation of the learning process. Under training to nonimitate, learning was facilitated when the model's competence was high or low but was poorer when the model's adequacy was mediocre. The results were discussed as reflecting the effect of prior social learning experiences on current social behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)