Monkeys

Monkey see monkey do (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_see,_monkey_do)

"learning of a process without an understanding of why it works. "

I wouldn't have thought it, the phrase, as like that. I saw it as

Monkey see => Object/Process has value (e.g coat, coding, whatever)

{In between the lines} The 'seeing' imparts an emotional response which mitigates the formation of rational thinking, 1+1\neq2 (yes I just typed that) but 1+1 could equal 5 if it's shiny!

Monkey do => Subject operates/purchases.

But if it's

Monkey do => Subject operates/purchases {e.g coat, coding, whatever)

{In between the lines} Because the monkey already operates in a certain way the monkey will have a distorted view and will influence what it 'sees' .

Monkey see => Object/Process has value (e.g coat, coding, whatever) or has a completely different meaning.

Devil's Advocate:

The process is like chicken-egg (although egg is clearly first). The monkey from birth is taught by the mother and as it grows up learns iteratively from weighted experiences and training. So the original phrasing fits this better but one should always keep in mind that the next thing we see might not be a unequivocal as we think.