Biography of Albert Bandura

● Albert Bandura was born in 1924 in Mundare, Alberta, Canada.

● Took psychology at the University of British Columbia.
● A survey conducted at the turn of the century ranked Dr. Bandura as the fourth
frequently cited psychologist after B.F. Skinner, Freud, and Piaget. He was ranked as
the most cited living psychologist as well.
● After graduating from British Columbia with honors, he then obtained a master’s degree
from the University of Iowa, a leading school in theoretical psychology at that time.
● From there, Dr. Bandura obtained his PhD at Iowa in 1952. His faculty advisor was
Arthur Benton, and his time at Iowa gave him access to leading theorists of the day. After
school, he worked at the Wichita Guidance Center to complete his post-doctoral
internship. From there, he accepted a year’s long teaching position at Stanford, where he
is still a faculty member. While at Stanford, Dr. Bandura was awarded the David Star
Jones Chair of Social Psychology of the Psychology Department.
● He spent 10 years as the dean of the Psychology Department and in 2010 became a
professor emeritus at the University.

Self-Efficacy Theory
● He is known for his work in the field of aggressive behavior, social interactions and self-
efficacy theory.
● Self-efficacy which means confidence in one's ability to perform a task. The more
confident we feel about our abilities, the more likely we are to try new things.
● He used his Bobo doll experiments as the basis for his new theory. He also identified
new responses to aggressive behaviors.
● His self-efficacy theory established the factors that cause a high or low level of self-
efficacy. Those with low levels of self-efficacy will have the most difficult time changes
behaviors and facing difficulties during their life. Those with high self-efficacy will have
the easiest time changing behaviors and facing up to life issues.
Awards

● He has been named an Officer of the Order of Canada which makes him a Knight of
Canada.
● The nursing theorist has received 16 honorary doctorates, including from the
Universities of Greece, Spain and the United Kingdom.
● He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
● He has received the Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology Award from
the American Psychological Association.
● In 1999, Dr. Bandura received the Thorndike Award for Distinguished Contributions
of Psychology to Education.
● In 2001, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for the
Advancement of Behavior Therapy.
 ● Other awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Western Psychological
Association, the Gold Medal Award from the American Psychological Foundation, and
the James McKeen Cattell Award from the American Psychological Society, all
prestigious awards.

Publications

● During his lifetime, Dr. Bandura has published over 190 research articles in
professional psychological, health care and educational journals.
● His first article was based on his doctor’s thesis.
● He has also published 11 major books.
● His most famous are Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control and Social Foundations of
Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. A complete list of his published
works can be found here organized by year.

Albert Bandura (1901–1994) was a psychologist who developed social learning theory. He
studied children in order to understand how they learn from others. His studies showed that
children imitate each other because they observe the actions of others and copy them. This
process is called observational learning. His most famous work is Social Learning Theory,
published in 1977. The theory states that humans learn socially, not just intellectually. This
means we learn from our peers, parents, teachers, coaches, etc., rather than solely from books.

Psychologist Albert Bandura and Robert Sears proposed the Social Learning Theory as an
alternative to the previous work of fellow psychologist B.F. Skinner, was famous as a proponent
of the behaviorist theory.

● Albert Bandura's Social learning theory is based on the philosophy that individuals
can learn through observing and imitating the observable behavior of others.

According to Social Learning Theorists both cognitive and environmental factors interact to
affect observable behavior and the learning process.

In cognitive theory, Albert Bandura and Robert Sears agree with the behaviorist learning theories
of operant conditioning and classical conditioning. But, he adds two significant evolution
process ideas in human learning behaviors:

1. In a human society, people learn behavior from the environment through

the observational learning process;
2. Mediating processes take place between the stimulus and response.
‍
Observational Learning
● Knowledge acquisition through observing and modelling others' emotional expressions,
attitudes or behavior in human society. It is largely believed that the observer will copy
the model.
● Four conditions needed: attention, motivation, reproduction, and retention.
● Focus on how people learn through their interactions with the environment.
● According to these theories, behavior is shaped by the consequences that follow it. If a
behavior is reinforced, it is more likely to be repeated in the future. Bandura's emphasis
on the role of reinforcement in observational learning highlights the importance of
positive feedback in shaping behavior.
● Retention of what we have learned is also important, as it allows us to apply
our knowledge in new situations. Overall, Bandura's social learning theory offers a
valuable framework for understanding how we learn from the world around us.
‍
Conditions for Social Learning (ARRM)

1. Attention (whether students notice the behavior)

● Learner must be paying attention to the model's observable human learning behaviours.
● There are many reasons for disturbance in the observer’s attention. For instance, if the
observer is distracted, ill, or sleepy, he may not learn the modelled behavior and imitate
it in his classroom model.

2. Retention (whether they memorize the Pro-Social Behavior)

● According to social cognition theorists, the second condition of observational learning is
to memorize the witnessed behavior. If a student does not memorize the social
behavior, there are fewer chances of imitating in his classroom behavior.

3. Reproduction (whether they can perform the Pro-Social Behavior)

● According to Child behaviour and development theorists, it is a complex process which
includes the mental and physical ability of the person to copy the observed behavior
while doing a physical task.
● For example, a child may see an adult basketball player put on a ball. Afterwards, when
the kid has a basketball, he may try to put a ball like the adult player. But, the
child's physical capabilities are not like that of the adult player, and, regardless of how
many times he attempts, will not reach the basket to put the ball. A teenager or an adult
may be able to put the ball but possibly only after a lot of practice.

4. Motivation (whether the perceived rewards exceed the perceived costs).

● According to Child behaviour and development theorists, motivational factors provide
the most significant knowledge acquisition opportunities of observational learning.
According to behavioral theories, if someone has no reason for the classroom model
 imitation, then no quantity of reproduction, retention, or attention will overcome the
absence of motivational factors. According to Classical Theory, motivational factors such
as emotional experience punishment and positive reinforcement play an important
role in motivation.
● For instance, in a classroom model, if a student sees another student praised by the
teacher for doing a physical task, the first child might start to engage in the same physical
task too. Similarly, if the child knew that the other child was punished for making a
mistake in the physical task, he would avoid that mistake in his task.

‍
What are Mediational Processes?
According to Bandura's theories, a Mediational process is a complex evolution process of
cognitive or mental situational factors that lie in the middle of stimulus and response. According
to Social Learning Theorists, mediating factors affect whether students are exposed to direct
experience of reinforcement behaviors, imitate them and how they show emotional reactions
toward direct reinforcement.
● Mediation processes are basically ways to change behavior. They're often used in social
psychology experiments where researchers want to test whether changing attitudes leads
to behavioral change.
● For example, when Albert Bandura conducted his famous experiment, he wanted to find
out whether changing children's beliefs would lead them to act differently toward others.
He did this by having some children watch a video about a bully who was mean to
another child. The children were told that the bully had been punished for being mean.
Then, the children watched a second video showing the same bully bullying the same
 child again. After watching the videos, the children were asked questions about the
bully's actions.
● Bandura found that children who saw the video about punishment changed their beliefs
about bullies, but didn't actually behave any better towards the bully. This means that
changing children's beliefs doesn't necessarily lead to positive behavior change. Instead,
these findings suggest that changing children's beliefs may be useful for reducing
negative behavior, but not necessarily for increasing positive behavior.
What was Albert Bandura's Famous Bobo Doll Experiment?
● The controversial Bobo doll experiments were performed by Albert Bandura between
1961 and 1965. He used the popular Bobo doll to perform 3 separate
social cognition experiments involving vicarious reinforcement of a topic of societal
concern.
In Bandura’s 1st experiment, students and an adult, who aggressively hit the doll, were present
in the same room.
In his second experiment, the children saw a video of society's concern on national television in
which an adult demonstrated violent actions and antisocial behavior toward the doll.
In the third experiment, there were two groups of children instead of one, and each group saw
that an adult was exhibiting aggressive cognition toward the Bobo doll on national television.
However, Bandura changed the ending of the video for both groups.
One group of children watched a video of a social concern in which an adult got something to eat
after demonstrating deviant behaviour toward the doll; whereas, the other group watched a
video in which the adult was criticized for demonstrating aggressive behavior toward the doll.
After the first two experiments, the students repeated the observed behavior that they witnessed.
But, the results were different for both groups in the third experiment. This time, the behavior of
students who watched the instructional model of aggressive cognition adult being rewarded,
mimicked his aggressive actions; whereas, the students who watched the positive
role models video in which the adult aggressor was being criticized for his aggression, developed
fear in response to the video and did not demonstrate the same tendency to exhibit aggressive
classroom behavior in students.
● The first comprehensive theory of social cognitive theory by Bandura is a theory
aligned with behavioral theories but added imitation and modelling as a primary impetus
for education, hence showing the observational learning concept to the world, a process
of human agency in which children learn through observing emotional experience
that others demonstrate.
● Bandura revised his social cognitive theory in 1977 and added the concept of self-
efficacy, a feeling of confidence in their ability to handle pressure from social factors.
● In 1986, Bandura again revised this social cognitive theory, combining aspects of
classical and operant conditioning with Bandura's belief that verbal persuasion,
vicarious experience, social factors, motor cognition and other cognitive factors have an
impact on the behaviour of students and how humans show affinity toward people
and learn. Proponents of the Contemporary learning theory perspective criticize
Bandura's bobo doll experience.
‍
‍

Banduras-Theory
What is the difference between social cognition theory and social learning theory?
Bandura's social cognition theory highlights the critical role of self-belief in reinforcement
behaviors of human behavior, cognition, and motivation.
According to book theories, there are various key differences between the two behavioral
theories. Social cognition theory is a comprehensive theory that pays more attention to the idea
of motor cognition and positive reinforcement. However, Social cognition theory focuses more
on the role of Pro-Social Behavior motor cognition and cognitive processes.
Moral judgments in a classical theory, involve an evolution process of considering people by
gender and weighing various gender development criteria in a gendered society. For social
learning theory, gender development, gendered society issues, and gender knowledge have to do
with the association of numerous social factors.

Self-regulatory systems lie at the very heart of causal processes. They not only mediate the
effects of most external influences, but provide the very basis for purposeful action. Self-
regulation operates through three major sub-functions as a self-governing system. The first sub-
function involves monitoring one's performances. Self-monitoring provides the information
needed for setting performance standards and for evaluating one's progress toward them. In the
second sub-function, individuals evaluate their behavior against their standards, situational
circumstances and valuation of the activities. The referential comparisons set the occasion for the
third sub-function, affective self-reactions to one's judged performances. Anticipatory self-
sanctions not only serve as guides and motivators of behavior but affect satisfaction people
derive from what they do.

The Applications of Social Learning Theory

● The instructions they follow from their teachers are also among the many examples of
how social learning theory applies to life.
● Still, the use of social learning theory in education is not confined to the classroom
setting. It is also used in research, and now, even in eLearning. In a broader context, it
is even considered in policymaking, especially in those related to crime. Even media and
corporations sometimes incorporate the Social Learning Theory. Nevertheless, this story
focuses on social learning theory in education.

Social Learning Theory in the Classroom

Bandura's theory is applicable to classroom management, collaborative learning, and feedback.

In reference to the four conditions of the modeling process, teachers can do the following:

● To call attention, teachers can use physical and/or verbal cues like initiating a call-and-
response, using a hand signal, or pointing to an object.
● For retention, teachers could use multimodal learning so that students retain new
information. They may present new content through visual, auditory, and kinesthetic
modes.
● For production, teachers can create time in each lesson for students to practice and learn
with diverse peers. They can ask students to do exercises or drills to mimic or apply
what they have taught or shown in class.
● As for motivation, teachers can use positive and negative reinforcement like verbally
praising a student who is staying on task, participating, or showing up prepared to learn
consistently. They can also use rewards and reinforcement to build students' confidence,
self-efficacy, and love of learning by offering verbal praise or constructive feedback.
Social Learning Theory in Research

● Social learning theory emphasizes the reciprocal connection between cognitive,

behavioural, and environmental determinants of human behavior (Bandura, 1977). Social
learning theory has become widely used in various research, particularly on crime and
criminality.
● In research, social learning theory has been employed to explain a wide range of
criminal behaviours. Ronald L. Akers in 1973 used social learning theories widely in
the study of crimes. His hypothesis states that the same learning process in a social
structure, interaction, and environment causes, both conforming and deviant behavior.
The direction of the balance of factors on behavior differs (Sellers & Winfree, 2010).
● Akers said that people are more likely to engage in criminal or deviant behavior if they
are exposed to salient criminal or deviant models in person or symbolically, have defined
it as desirable or justified in a situation suitable for the behavior, and have previously
received a reward for it (Sellers & Winfree, 2010).
● Differential association, definitions, differential reinforcement, and imitation are four
essential axioms of social learning theory.

Social Learning Theory in eLearning

● Online learning or eLearning has become a trend, especially post-pandemic. Moreover,

many learning management systems now include social media features or use external
social media tools to strengthen the learning process.
● “Social media technologies have fundamentally changed the way that social interaction
occurs within our world,” said Deaton (2015) in the study “Social Learning Theory in the
Age of Social Media: Implications for Educational Practitioners,” published in the
Journal of Educational Technology.
● “By enhancing the cognitive processes of attention, memory, and motivation, social
media provides a platform for improving learning in a social context,” Deaton (2015)
added.
● In this same study, Deaton (2015) stressed if educators successfully harness the potential
of social media, social learning elements may improve. Educators may subsequently have
a favorable impact on student accomplishment through the use of new educational
technologies. Deaton then suggested that educators embrace this paradigm shift to equip
pupils to participate in the vast "information exchange" that is now taking place on the
global stage of the digital age.
● Despite the fact that eLearning is individualized and often isolated, technology allows
learners to combine its accessibility with the power of social learning, making it
effective.
● Throughout the history of eLearning, many learning platforms are used like viewing
videos, joining forums, and games and are anchored to the social learning theory to
reinforce learning.
Videos

● Videos are often watched alone. However, people’s natural curiosity and desire to learn
from others are powerful learning motivators.
● A video camera is a great way to observe others. As such, through videos, people can
observe someone physically demonstrating skill and then imitate it until they master it
themselves.
● This explains the popularity of how-to videos like cooking videos on YouTube. Video is
indeed an effective way to recreate an experiences.

Forums
● Discussing information with others helps people retain and comprehend said
information.
● Discussion adds context and emotional connection to information, making it more
memorable. When people talk about something, they often refer to personal
experiences to which others can relate.
● It is no surprise, therefore, that Facebook groups, Messenger group chats, Slack
channels, and other online communities have significant followings. People who want to
exchange ideas are often found on these platforms.

Gamification
● Another way to include social learning in an eLearning environment is to add healthy
competition. Leaderboards, rewards programs, and social interaction encourage
learners to stay engaged.
● It is basically in the same context as a teacher using a game in class for students to
learn math or language. The only difference is the platform—it is now done online or
through eLearning.
● Besides, Bandura (1977) said that people’s internal state matters in social learning.
Teachers must therefore instill a positive mindset in their students. Games or
competitions do not only bring external rewards but internal rewards as well. With
certificates of achievement, leveling up, additional points, and other rewards or prizes,
students develop a feeling of being accomplished after mastering new material.
Subsequently, they develop confidence as they see themselves progress and being
acknowledged with rewards. They then become more engaged, thus achieving even better
results.

Social interaction is vital to learning, and this concept is stressed by the social learning theory.
Though many eLearning programs are designed with isolation and accessibility in mind, it is
undeniable that the power of social learning through videos, games, and forums improves
learning, allowing for better learning outcome.
Is Social Learning Theory still applicable today?

YES. YES. YES.

● Bandura's social learning theory, on which some adult learning theories are anchored as
well, continues to influence other psychologists as well as educators.
● Teachers and parents alike now appreciate the value of modeling healthy behaviour.
● Encouragement and self-efficacy building are also anchored on social learning theory.
● Besides, the use of social learning theory is evident not only in the traditional
classroom but even in online learning or elearning, which is a trend nowadays.