Albert Bandura

Social Cognitive Learning

Theory

Albert Bandura
Albert Bandura is a
contemporary
psychologist specializing
in developmental
psychology and
educational psychology
Much of his work
centers around social
learning theory

Albert Bandura

Early Life
Born on December 4, 1925 in
a small town called Mundare in
northern Alberta, Canada
His parents were Polish wheat
farmers
The youngest and only boy of
six children
He and his family struggled
through many hardships
during his younger years

Early Life
Banduras parents were
hardworking and self-educated
They instilled in him the joy for
celebrating life and the
importance of education
His primary education was
explorative and practical
only two teachers
had limited resources for
educational materials

Early Life
forced to rely on his own
inquisitiveness and the world around
him to grasp the concepts that
would serve to further his
knowledge

"The students had to take

charge of their own
education" (Stokes, 1986)
He realized that while "the
content of most textbooks
is perishable...the tools of
self-directedness serve one
well over time" (Stokes, 1986)

Professional Life
Attended the University of British Columbia in
Vancouver (1949)
Chose psychology class as a filler for his curriculum
and fell in love with the field
Earned his BA in only 3 years
He went on to study psychology at the University of
Iowa where he earned a M.A. degree in 1951 and a
Ph.D. degree in clinical psychology 1952
In 1953, he joined the faculty of Stanford University
where he remained throughout his long career

Professional Life

1953
1959
1963
1963

Began teaching at Stanford University

- Published Adolescent Aggression
Conducted Bobo Doll Experiment
Published Social Learning and Personality
Development
1972 Won Guggenheim Fellowship Award
1974 Elected President of the APA
1980 Received the APAs Award for
Distinguished
Scientific Contributions
2004 - Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to
Psychology, APA
2008 Won Grawemeyer Award in Psychology

Professional Life
He has been listed as one of
the most influential figures
in modern psychology and is
cited fourth behind Skinner,
Freud and Piaget
At 89 years old, he is often
described as the

greatest living
psychologist

Contribution to Psychology
Began his research endeavors by
focusing on human motivation,
action, and thought
He worked with Richard Walters to
explore social aggression
This research led to a program of
laboratory research into
observational learning
Wrote his first book, entitled

Adolescent Aggression

Bobo Doll Experiment

(1963)

children learn in a social

milieu and often imitate
the behavior of others

Social
Learning

Think about this.

Does the violence that children observe on
television, movies, and video games lead them to
behave aggressively?
This is a hot question today, but it was also of
great interest years ago when Bandura led an
experiment to determine how kids learn
aggression through observation.

Think about this.

Albert Bandura believed
television was a source of
behavior modeling

Contribution to Psychology
Later on, Bandura focused on cognitive factors
such as beliefs, self-perceptions, and
expectations, his theory is now called Social
Cognitive Theory
Social Cognitive Theory
expands social learning
theory to include
cognitive factors.

Contribution to Psychology
Theory of Moral Agency
Moral behavior is a product of self-regulation but
has to be activated in a social context

Bandura argues that people have two choices:

to act humanely or inhumanely

Inhumane behavior becomes possible when a

person can justify such behavior

This justification involves a kind of cognitive

restructuring,

Contribution to Psychology
Theory of Self-Efficacy

Contribution to Psychology
self-efficacy is a persons belief in his or
her ability to succeed in a particular
situation
Bandura found that people who
believed they could overcome their
phobias , for example, were more likely
to do so
in educational psychology, students
who believe they can master a concept
are more likely to meet that goal

Selected Publications by Albert

Bandura
Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory.
New
York: General Learning Press.
Bandura, A. (1973). Aggression: A Social
Learning Analysis. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice-Hall.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of
Thought and Action. Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
Prentice-Hall.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise
of
control. New York: W.H. Freeman.

References
http://des.emory.edu/mfp/bandurabio.html.
http://www.ship.edu/`cgboeree/bandura.html
http://www.valdosta.edu/~whuitt/psy702/behsys/social.html
Stokes, D. "Chance Can Play Key Role in Life, Psychologist Says." Stanford
Campus Report