Why sitting next to the class topper may help children learn better

For years, many Indian parents have given their children the same advice: “Sit with the topper and you will become smart too.” The idea is familiar. If a child spends more time around someone who consistently scores well, perhaps their discipline, study habits and motivation will eventually rub off. Psychology suggests that there may be some truth behind this old-school advice, but it is not because intelligence can somehow be transferred from one student to another. What matters is what children observe, learn and experience through their relationships with classmates. A high-performing student may model useful habits, explain difficult concepts or show a struggling classmate how they approach their studies. But simply sharing a bench with the class topper is not enough. The quality of the interaction matters.Psychology says children can learn by watching their peersOne explanation comes from Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory.