Albert Bandura
Canadian-American psychologist of social learning and self-efficacy
Stanford psychologist who showed through the Bobo doll studies that children imitate observed aggression, developed social learning theory, and later focused on self-efficacy beliefs.
Why this person matters
Bandura challenged the view that learning needs direct reward and punishment by showing learning through observation and imitation. His later social cognitive theory and self-efficacy construct shaped research on motivation and behaviour change. Richard Walters, Dorothea Ross and Sheila Ross were collaborators.
Main contributions
Bobo doll studies
Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961) exposed 72 nursery school children to an aggressive adult model, a nonaggressive model or no model. Children who watched the aggressive adult reproduced many of the model's physical and verbal acts. Boys in that condition showed more physical aggression than girls, but the sexes did not differ on verbal aggression.
Social learning theory
His 1977 book Social Learning Theory held that people learn by observing and imitating others. Earlier books with Richard Walters included Adolescent Aggression (1959) and Social Learning and Personality Development (1963).
Self-efficacy
Bandura first explored self-efficacy, beliefs in one's own capabilities, in snake-phobia studies and later applied it to health and education. The key book is Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control (1997).
Context and limits
The Bobo studies involved 72 children, aged 37 to 69 months, from one Stanford nursery school, tested in a different room with toys that allowed aggressive or nonaggressive play. They measured imitation of aggression towards a doll, not violence towards people. The sources read do not report later critique or replication.
In your introductory course
Learning.Bandura appears in the learning chapter as observational learning, with the Bobo doll study, and in personality and motivation as self-efficacy.
Related course reading: Psychology 2e, section 6.4. This is course context rather than a biographical source.
Years of active work
- 1952
Received his PhD from the University of Iowa.
- 1953
Joined the Stanford University faculty.
- 1961
Published Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models with Dorothea Ross and Sheila Ross.
- 1977
Published Social Learning Theory.
Sources
- Classics in the History of Psychology (York University), Bandura, Ross and Ross, Transmission of Aggression Through Imitation of Aggressive ModelsOriginal work. Text passages inspected.
- Association for Psychological Science, Albert Bandura, Leading Psychologist of Social Learning Theory, DiesSociety or association. Institutional biography inspected.
- Wikipedia, Albert BanduraReference work. Reference article inspected.