Albert Bandura
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BiographyAlbert Bandura is a psychologist who is best known for his social learning theory, the concept of self-efficacy, and his famous Bobo doll experiments. His work is part of the cognitive revolution in psychology that began in the 1960s. His theories have had a impact on personality psychology, cognitive psychology, and education. He is regarded as one of the greatest psychologists.
He was born in Alberta, Canada. He was the youngest of six children. Bandura’s parents were hardworking and self-educated. The school he attended was led by only two teachers and had limited resources for educational materials. He was forced to rely on his own intelligence and the world around him to grasp the concepts that would serve to further his knowledge. Bandura entered the University of British Columbia. He instantly fell in love with psychology and earned his degree in three years. He continued his studies at the University of Iowa where he earned his MA and his PhD. In 1974, he was elected president of the American Psychological Association. Today, Bandura is arguably one of the greatest living psychologists as well as one of the most influential psychologists of all time. In 2014, Bandura was awarded the National Medal of Science by President Barack Obama. |
Observational LearningThis describes the process of learning through watching others, remembering the information, and then later duplicating the behaviors that were recalled.
It can take place at any point in life but it tends to be most common during childhood as children learn from the authority figures early on. Also plays an important role in the socialization process, as children learn how to behave and respond to others by observing how their parents interact with each other and with other people.
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Social Learning TheoryLearning occurs through observations and interactions with other people. People learn by watching others and then imitating these actions.
Albert Bandura found three models of observational learning:
Sometimes we are able to learn things that are not immediately obvious. Behaviorists believed that learning led to a permanent change in behavior but observational learning demonstrates that people can learn new information without demonstrating new behaviors. |
Bobo Doll Experiment
Aim: Determine how kids learn aggression through observation.
The participants for the experiment were 36 boys and 36 girls The children ranged in age between 3 and 6 years. There were a total of eight experimental groups. Out of these participants, 24 were assigned to a control group that would not be exposed to adult models. The rest of the children were divided into two groups of 24 participants each. One of the experimental groups would be exposed to aggressive models, while the other 24 children would be exposed to non-aggressive models.
Method: The experimenter invited an adult model into the playroom and over a ten minute period, the adult models began to play with sets of toys. In the non-aggressive condition, the adult model played with the toys and ignored the Bobo doll. In the aggressive model condition, the adult models would violently attack the Bobo doll.
Each child was then taken to another room that contained a number of toys including a doll set, fire engine, and toy airplane. The children were allowed to play for a brief two minutes, then told they were no longer allowed to play with any of the toys.
Each child was taken to the last experimental room. This room contained a number of toys including a mallet, a tether ball, dart guns, and a Bobo doll. The room also included several other toys including crayons, paper, dolls, plastic animals, and trucks. Each child was then allowed to play in this room for a period of 20 minutes while the experimenters observed the child's behavior from behind a one-way mirror and judged each child's levels of aggression.
Independent Variable: Experiment Groups (Aggressive Models/Non-Aggressive Models)
Dependent Variable: Children choosing to imitate behavior that was previously displayed by the adult model
Results:
The participants for the experiment were 36 boys and 36 girls The children ranged in age between 3 and 6 years. There were a total of eight experimental groups. Out of these participants, 24 were assigned to a control group that would not be exposed to adult models. The rest of the children were divided into two groups of 24 participants each. One of the experimental groups would be exposed to aggressive models, while the other 24 children would be exposed to non-aggressive models.
Method: The experimenter invited an adult model into the playroom and over a ten minute period, the adult models began to play with sets of toys. In the non-aggressive condition, the adult model played with the toys and ignored the Bobo doll. In the aggressive model condition, the adult models would violently attack the Bobo doll.
Each child was then taken to another room that contained a number of toys including a doll set, fire engine, and toy airplane. The children were allowed to play for a brief two minutes, then told they were no longer allowed to play with any of the toys.
Each child was taken to the last experimental room. This room contained a number of toys including a mallet, a tether ball, dart guns, and a Bobo doll. The room also included several other toys including crayons, paper, dolls, plastic animals, and trucks. Each child was then allowed to play in this room for a period of 20 minutes while the experimenters observed the child's behavior from behind a one-way mirror and judged each child's levels of aggression.
Independent Variable: Experiment Groups (Aggressive Models/Non-Aggressive Models)
Dependent Variable: Children choosing to imitate behavior that was previously displayed by the adult model
Results:
- Children with the violent model were more likely to imitate the behavior they had observed from the adult model.
- The researchers were correct in their prediction that boys would behave more aggressively than girls.
- The results of the Bobo doll experiment supported Albert Bandura's social learning theory. The experiment demonstrates how specific behaviors can be learned through observation and imitation.
Attention: For a behavior to be imitated, it has to grab the attention of the person. We observe many behaviors on a daily basis, therefore it is important in whether a behavior influences others imitating it.
Retention: The behavior may be noticed but is it not always remembered so it is important that a memory of the behavior is formed to be performed later by the observer. Social learning is not immediate so this process is vital. Even if the behavior is reproduced shortly after seeing it, there needs to be a memory to refer to.
Reproduction: We see behavior on a daily basis that we would like to be able to imitate but that this not always possible. We are limited by our physical ability and for that reason, even if we wish to reproduce the behavior, we cannot.
Motivation: The rewards and punishment that follow a behavior will be considered by the observer. If the perceived rewards outweigh the perceived costs, then the behavior will be more likely to be imitated by the observer. If the action is not seen to be important enough to the observer, then they will not imitate the behavior.
Retention: The behavior may be noticed but is it not always remembered so it is important that a memory of the behavior is formed to be performed later by the observer. Social learning is not immediate so this process is vital. Even if the behavior is reproduced shortly after seeing it, there needs to be a memory to refer to.
Reproduction: We see behavior on a daily basis that we would like to be able to imitate but that this not always possible. We are limited by our physical ability and for that reason, even if we wish to reproduce the behavior, we cannot.
Motivation: The rewards and punishment that follow a behavior will be considered by the observer. If the perceived rewards outweigh the perceived costs, then the behavior will be more likely to be imitated by the observer. If the action is not seen to be important enough to the observer, then they will not imitate the behavior.
