Albert Bandura's contributions to psychology revolutionized our understanding of learning and behavior. His social learning theory introduced the idea that people learn through observation and imitation, not just through direct reinforcement. Bandura's Bobo Doll experiment provided empirical evidence for this theory, demonstrating that children could learn aggressive behaviors by watching adults. He also developed the concept of self-efficacy, which describes an individual's belief in their ability to succeed, and reciprocal determinism, which outlines the interplay between personal factors, environment, and behavior.
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Albert Bandura was born on December 4, 1925, in Mundare, Alberta, Canada, and was the youngest of six children in a family of Eastern European descent
University of British Columbia
Bandura's interest in psychology was sparked by a class he took at the University of British Columbia, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1949
University of Iowa
Bandura earned his master's and Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Iowa in 1951 and 1952, respectively
Stanford University
In 1953, Bandura joined the faculty at Stanford University, where he conducted groundbreaking research and published influential works
Bandura's social learning theory challenged the behaviorist theories of the time by emphasizing the role of observation and imitation in learning
Bandura's theory introduced the concept that learning occurs within a social context through observation and imitation
Bandura's collaborative works, "Adolescent Aggression" and "Aggression: A Social Learning Analysis," provided empirical evidence supporting his social learning theory
The first key process in observational learning is attention, which involves the learner noticing the behavior being modeled
Retention is the process of remembering the observed behavior, which requires encoding and storing the information
The learner's ability to perform the observed behavior is known as reproduction, which depends on their physical capabilities and the accuracy of their memory
Motivation plays a crucial role in observational learning, as it determines whether the observer will act on the observed behavior
Self-efficacy, or an individual's belief in their ability to succeed, is a central element of Bandura's social cognitive theory
Bandura's research showed that self-efficacy influences not only the choices people make and the effort they put forth, but also their resilience to adversity
Bandura's concept of reciprocal determinism suggests that a person's behavior is influenced by personal factors, the environment, and the behavior itself
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Bandura's family background and early education setting
Youngest of six, Eastern European descent, small town with limited cultural diversity
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Bandura's academic achievements pre-Stanford
BA from University of British Columbia, MA and Ph.D. from University of Iowa in clinical psychology
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Bandura's first major collaborative publication
Co-authored 'Adolescent Aggression' with Richard Walters
