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Early life and work

The bobo doll experiment, testimony on the effects of televised violence, later life and work.

Albert Bandura

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Albert Bandura (born December 4, 1925, Mundare, Alberta , Canada—died July 26, 2021, Stanford, California , U.S.) was a Canadian-born American psychologist and originator of social cognitive theory who is probably best known for his modeling study on aggression , referred to as the “Bobo doll” experiment , which demonstrated that children can learn behaviours through the observation of adults.

Bandura was the youngest of six children born to parents of eastern European descent. His father was from Kraków, Poland, and his mother from Ukraine; both immigrated to Canada as adolescents. After marrying, they settled in Mundare, Alberta, where Bandura’s father worked laying track for the trans-Canada railroad.

After graduating from high school in 1946, Bandura pursued a bachelor’s degree at the University of British Columbia and in 1949 graduated with the Bolocan Award in psychology , annually awarded to the outstanding student in psychology. He then did graduate work at the University of Iowa , where he received a master’s degree in psychology (1951) and a doctorate in clinical psychology (1952).

In 1953 Bandura accepted a one-year instructorship at Stanford University , where he quickly secured a professorship. In 1974 he was named the David Starr Jordan Professor of Social Science in Psychology, and two years later he became chairman of the psychology department. He remained at Stanford, becoming professor emeritus in 2010.

In 1961 Bandura carried out his famous Bobo doll experiment , a study in which researchers physically and verbally abused a clown-faced inflatable toy in front of preschool-age children, which led the children to later mimic the behaviour of the adults by attacking the doll in the same fashion. Subsequent experiments in which children were exposed to such violence on videotape yielded similar results.

In the late 1960s, prompted by the media’s graphic coverage of the assassination of U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy together with increased reports of children incurring serious injuries during attempted replications of dangerous behaviours depicted in television advertisements, the potential effects of television violence on children became a growing public concern. Because of his related research, Bandura was invited to testify before the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the Eisenhower Commission , and several congressional committees as to the evidence that televised violence affects aggressive behaviour . His testimony played a role in the FTC’s decision to render as unacceptable portrayals of children engaging in risky activities—such as pounding one another in the head with mallets in an advertisement for headache medication—and subsequently to pass new advertising standards.

Bandura was the first to demonstrate (1977) that self-efficacy, the belief in one’s own capabilities, has an effect on what individuals choose to do, the amount of effort they put into doing it, and the way they feel as they are doing it. Bandura also discovered that learning occurs both through those beliefs and through social modeling—thereby originating social cognitive theory (1986), which holds that a person’s environment , cognition, and behaviour all interact to determine how that person functions, as opposed to one of those factors playing a dominant role.

Bandura received numerous awards for his contributions to the field of psychology, including the American Psychological Association (APA) Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology (2004), the American Psychological Foundation’s Gold Medal Award for distinguished lifetime contribution to psychological science (2006), and the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Psychology (2008; carrying a $200,000 prize) for his groundbreaking work in self-efficacy and cognitive theory. In 2016 he received the National Medal of Science. Bandura also held many organizational memberships and positions, including APA president (1974) and American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) fellow (1980).

Bandura was associated for many years with a variety of academic journals, including the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology , Applied Psychology , Media Psychology , Cognitive Therapy and Research , Behavior Research and Therapy , and Social Behavior and Personality . He also authored, coauthored, or edited a number of books, including Adolescent Aggression (1959), Principles of Behavior Modification (1969), Aggression: A Social Learning Analysis (1973), Social Learning Theory (1977), and Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm and Live with Themselves (2016). In 2002 the Review of General Psychology ranked Bandura as the fourth most eminent psychologist of the 20th century, following B.F. Skinner , Jean Piaget , and Sigmund Freud .

Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory

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Key Takeaways

• Social cognitive theory emphasizes the learning that occurs within a social context. In this view, people are active agents who can both influence and are influenced by their environment.
• The theory was founded most prominently by Albert Bandura, who is also known for his work on observational learning, self-efficacy, and reciprocal determinism.
• One assumption of social learning is that we learn new behaviors by observing the behavior of others and the consequences of their behavior.
• If the behavior is rewarded (positive or negative reinforcement), we are likely to imitate it; however, if the behavior is punished, imitation is less likely. For example, in Bandura and Walters’ experiment,  the children imitated more the aggressive behavior of the model who was praised for being aggressive to the Bobo doll.
• Social cognitive theory has been used to explain a wide range of human behavior, ranging from positive to negative social behaviors such as aggression, substance abuse, and mental health problems.

How We Learn From the Behavior of Others

Social cognitive theory views people as active agents who can both influence and are influenced by their environment.

The theory is an extension of social learning that includes the effects of cognitive processes — such as conceptions, judgment, and motivation — on an individual’s behavior and on the environment that influences them.

Rather than passively absorbing knowledge from environmental inputs, social cognitive theory argues that people actively influence their learning by interpreting the outcomes of their actions, which, in turn, affects their environments and personal factors, informing and altering subsequent behavior (Schunk, 2012).

By including thought processes in human psychology, social cognitive theory is able to avoid the assumption made by radical behaviorism that all human behavior is learned through trial and error. Instead, Bandura highlights the role of observational learning and imitation in human behavior.

Numerous psychologists, such as Julian Rotter and the American personality psychologist Walter Mischel, have proposed different social-cognitive perspectives.

Albert Bandura (1989) introduced the most prominent perspective on social cognitive theory.

Bandura’s perspective has been applied to a wide range of topics, such as personality development and functioning, the understanding and treatment of psychological disorders, organizational training programs, education, health promotion strategies, advertising and marketing, and more.

The central tenet of Bandura’s social-cognitive theory is that people seek to develop a sense of agency and exert control over the important events in their lives.

This sense of agency and control is affected by factors such as self-efficacy, outcome expectations, goals, and self-evaluation (Schunk, 2012).

Origins: The Bobo Doll Experiments

Social cognitive theory can trace its origins to Bandura and his colleagues, in particular, a series of well-known studies on observational learning known as the Bobo Doll experiments .

In these experiments, researchers exposed young, preschool-aged children to videos of an adult acting violently toward a large, inflatable doll.

This aggressive behavior included verbal insults and physical violence, such as slapping and punching. At the end of the video, the children either witnessed the aggressor being rewarded, or punished or received no consequences for his behavior (Schunk, 2012).

After being exposed to this model, the children were placed in a room where they were given the same inflatable Bobo doll.

The researchers found that those who had watched the model either received positive reinforcement or no consequences for attacking the doll were more likely to show aggressive behavior toward the doll (Schunk, 2012).

This experiment was notable for being one that introduced the concept of observational learning to humans.

Bandura’s ideas about observational learning were in stark contrast to those of previous behaviorists, such as B.F. Skinner.

According to Skinner (1950), learning can only be achieved through individual action.

However, Bandura claimed that people and animals can also learn by watching and imitating the models they encounter in their environment, enabling them to acquire information more quickly.

Observational Learning

Bandura agreed with the behaviorists that behavior is learned through experience. However, he proposed a different mechanism than conditioning.

He argued that we learn through observation and imitation of others’ behavior.

This theory focuses not only on the behavior itself but also on the mental processes involved in learning, so it is not a pure behaviorist theory.

Stages of the Social Learning Theory (SLT)

Not all observed behaviors are learned effectively. There are several factors involving both the model and the observer that determine whether or not a behavior is learned. These include attention, retention, motor reproduction, and motivation (Bandura & Walters, 1963).

The individual needs to pay attention to the behavior and its consequences and form a mental representation of the behavior. Some of the things that influence attention involve characteristics of the model.

This means that the model must be salient or noticeable. If the model is attractive, prestigious, or appears to be particularly competent, you will pay more attention. And if the model seems more like yourself, you pay more attention.

Storing the observed behavior in LTM where it can stay for a long period of time. Imitation is not always immediate. This process is often mediated by symbols. Symbols are “anything that stands for something else” (Bandura, 1998).

They can be words, pictures, or even gestures. For symbols to be effective, they must be related to the behavior being learned and must be understood by the observer.

Motor Reproduction

The individual must be able (have the ability and skills) to physically reproduce the observed behavior. This means that the behavior must be within their capability. If it is not, they will not be able to learn it (Bandura, 1998).

The observer must be motivated to perform the behavior. This motivation can come from a variety of sources, such as a desire to achieve a goal or avoid punishment.

Bandura (1977) proposed that motivation has three main components: expectancy, value, and affective reaction. Firstly, expectancy refers to the belief that one can successfully perform the behavior. Secondly, value refers to the importance of the goal that the behavior is meant to achieve.

The last of these, Affective reaction, refers to the emotions associated with the behavior.

If behavior is associated with positive emotions, it is more likely to be learned than a behavior associated with negative emotions. Reinforcement and punishment each play an important role in motivation.

Individuals must expect to receive the same positive reinforcement (vicarious reinforcement) for imitating the observed behavior that they have seen the model receiving.

Imitation is more likely to occur if the model (the person who performs the behavior) is positively reinforced. This is called vicarious reinforcement.

Imitation is also more likely if we identify with the model. We see them as sharing some characteristics with us, i.e., similar age, gender, and social status, as we identify with them.

Features of Social Cognitive Theory

The goal of social cognitive theory is to explain how people regulate their behavior through control and reinforcement in order to achieve goal-directed behavior that can be maintained over time.

Bandura, in his original formulation of the related social learning theory, included five constructs, adding self-efficacy to his final social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986).

Reciprocal Determinism

Reciprocal determinism is the central concept of social cognitive theory and refers to the dynamic and reciprocal interaction of people — individuals with a set of learned experiences — the environment, external social context, and behavior — the response to stimuli to achieve goals.

Its main tenet is that people seek to develop a sense of agency and exert control over the important events in their lives.

This sense of agency and control is affected by factors such as self-efficacy, outcome expectations, goals, and self-evaluation (Bandura, 1989).

To illustrate the concept of reciprocal determinism, Consider A student who believes they have the ability to succeed on an exam (self-efficacy) is more likely to put forth the necessary effort to study (behavior).

If they do not believe they can pass the exam, they are less likely to study. As a result, their beliefs about their abilities (self-efficacy) will be affirmed or disconfirmed by their actual performance on the exam (outcome).

This, in turn, will affect future beliefs and behavior. If the student passes the exam, they are likely to believe they can do well on future exams and put forth the effort to study.

If they fail, they may doubt their abilities (Bandura, 1989).

Behavioral Capability

Behavioral capability, meanwhile, refers to a person’s ability to perform a behavior by means of using their own knowledge and skills.

That is to say, in order to carry out any behavior, a person must know what to do and how to do it. People learn from the consequences of their behavior, further affecting the environment in which they live (Bandura, 1989).

Reinforcements

Reinforcements refer to the internal or external responses to a person’s behavior that affect the likelihood of continuing or discontinuing the behavior.

These reinforcements can be self-initiated or in one’s environment either positive or negative. Positive reinforcements increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, while negative reinforcers decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.

Reinforcements can also be either direct or indirect. Direct reinforcements are an immediate consequence of a behavior that affects its likelihood, such as getting a paycheck for working (positive reinforcement).

Indirect reinforcements are not immediate consequences of behavior but may affect its likelihood in the future, such as studying hard in school to get into a good college (positive reinforcement) (Bandura, 1989).

Expectations

Expectations, meanwhile, refer to the anticipated consequences that a person has of their behavior.

Outcome expectations, for example, could relate to the consequences that someone foresees an action having on their health.

As people anticipate the consequences of their actions before engaging in a behavior, these expectations can influence whether or not someone completes the behavior successfully (Bandura, 1989).

Expectations largely come from someone’s previous experience. Nonetheless, expectancies also focus on the value that is placed on the outcome, something that is subjective from individual to individual.

For example, a student who may not be motivated to achieve high grades may place a lower value on taking the steps necessary to achieve them than someone who strives to be a high performer.

Self-Efficacy

Self-efficacy refers to the level of a person’s confidence in their ability to successfully perform a behavior.

Self-efficacy is influenced by a person’s own capabilities as well as other individual and environmental factors.

These factors are called barriers and facilitators (Bandura, 1989). Self-efficacy is often said to be task-specific, meaning that people can feel confident in their ability to perform one task but not another.

For example, a student may feel confident in their ability to do well on an exam but not feel as confident in their ability to make friends.

This is because self-efficacy is based on past experience and beliefs. If a student has never made friends before, they are less likely to believe that they will do so in the future.

Modeling Media and Social Cognitive Theory

Learning would be both laborious and hazardous in a world that relied exclusively on direct experience.

Social modeling provides a way for people to observe the successes and failures of others with little or no risk.

This modeling can take place on a massive scale. Modeling media is defined as “any type of mass communication—television, movies, magazines, music, etc.—that serves as a model for observing and imitating behavior” (Bandura, 1998).

In other words, it is a means by which people can learn new behaviors. Modeling media is often used in the fashion and taste industries to influence the behavior of consumers.

This is because modeling provides a reference point for observers to imitate. When done effectively, modeling can prompt individuals to adopt certain behaviors that they may not have otherwise engaged in.

Additionally, modeling media can provide reinforcement for desired behaviors.

For example, if someone sees a model wearing a certain type of clothing and receives compliments for doing so themselves, they may be more likely to purchase clothing like that of the model.

Observational Learning Examples

There are numerous examples of observational learning in everyday life for people of all ages.

Nonetheless, observational learning is especially prevalent in the socialization of children. For example:

• A newer employee avoids being late to work after seeing a colleague be fired for being late.
• A new store customer learns the process of lining up and checking out by watching other customers.
• A traveler to a foreign country learning how to buy a ticket for a train and enter the gates by witnessing others do the same.
• A customer in a clothing store learns the procedure for trying on clothes by watching others.
• A person in a coffee shop learns where to find cream and sugar by watching other coffee drinkers locate the area.
•  A new car salesperson learning how to approach potential customers by watching others.
•  Someone moving to a new climate and learning how to properly remove snow from his car and driveway by seeing his neighbors do the same.
•  A tenant learning to pay rent on time as a result of seeing a neighbor evicted for late payment.
•  An inexperienced salesperson becomes successful at a sales meeting or in giving a presentation after observing the behaviors and statements of other salespeople.
•  A viewer watches an online video to learn how to contour and shape their eyebrows and then goes to the store to do so themselves.
•  Drivers slow down after seeing that another driver has been pulled over by a police officer.
•  A bank teller watches their more efficient colleague in order to learn a more efficient way of counting money.
•  A shy party guest watching someone more popular talk to different people in the crowd, later allowing them to do the same thing.
• Adult children behave in the same way that their parents did when they were young.
• A lost student navigating a school campus after seeing others do it on their own.

Social Learning vs. Social Cognitive Theory

Social learning theory and Social Cognitive Theory are both theories of learning that place an emphasis on the role of observational learning.

However, there are several key differences between the two theories. Social learning theory focuses on the idea of reinforcement, while Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the role of cognitive processes.

Additionally, social learning theory posits that all behavior is learned through observation, while Social Cognitive Theory allows for the possibility of learning through other means, such as direct experience.

Finally, social learning theory focuses on individualistic learning, while Social Cognitive Theory takes a more holistic view, acknowledging the importance of environmental factors.

Though they are similar in many ways, the differences between social learning theory and Social Cognitive Theory are important to understand. These theories provide different frameworks for understanding how learning takes place.

As such, they have different implications in all facets of their applications (Reed et al., 2010).

Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory . Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Bandura, A. (1977). Social learning theory . Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84 (2), 191.

 Bandura, A. (1986). Fearful expectations and avoidant actions as coeffects of perceived self-inefficacy.

Bandura, A. (1989). Human agency in social cognitive theory. American psychologist, 44 (9), 1175.

Bandura, A. (1998). Health promotion from the perspective of social cognitive theory. Psychology and health, 13 (4), 623-649.

Bandura, A. (2003). Social cognitive theory for personal and social change by enabling media. In Entertainment-education and social change (pp. 97-118). Routledge.

Bandura, A. Ross, D., & Ross, S. A. (1961). Transmission of aggression through the imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology , 63, 575-582.

LaMort, W. (2019). The Social Cognitive Theory. Boston University.

Reed, M. S., Evely, A. C., Cundill, G., Fazey, I., Glass, J., Laing, A., … & Stringer, L. C. (2010). What is social learning?. Ecology and society, 15 (4).

Schunk, D. H. (2012). Social cognitive theory .

Skinner, B. F. (1950). Are theories of learning necessary?. Psychological Review, 57 (4), 193.

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Bandura's Bobo Doll Experiment

Albert bandura's influential bobo doll experiments reveal how children imitate tv violence and the behavior of others..

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• Bandura, A., Ross, D. and Ross, S. A. (1961). Transmission of Aggression Through Imitation of Aggressive Models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology , 63 , 575-582.
• Bandura, A., Ross, D. and Ross, S. A. (1961). Imitation of Film-Mediated Aggressive Models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology , 66 (1), 3-11.
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• Huessmann, L. R., Lagerspetz, K. And Eron, L. D. (1984). Intervening Variables in the TV Violence-Aggression Relation: Evidence From Two Countries. Developmental Psychology , 20 (5), 746-775.

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Social Learning Theory

Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff

The basis of social learning theory is simple: People learn by watching other people. We can learn from anyone—teachers, parents, siblings, peers, co-workers, YouTube influencers, athletes, and even celebrities. We observe their behavior and we mimic that behavior. In short, we do what they do. This theory is also known as social cognitive theory.

• How We Observe and Learn
• What the Bobo Doll Taught Us
• Different Learning Theories

Social learning theory, developed by psychologist Albert Bandura, uses theories of classical and operant conditioning. But in this theory, the environment plays a large part in learning. We model the behavior of the people around us, especially if we find these models similar to ourselves or if we want to emulate them.

There are different parts to this theory. First, we learn by observing others . Second, our mental state is important in the learning process. Third, learning doesn’t mean there will be a change in behavior.

The YouTube influencer is a good case in point. If you like a particular influencer you may well want to model your behavior after hers. If she enjoys a certain brand of shampoo, then you may well imitate her by purchasing that brand.

Observational learning requires these four processes: attention , retention, reproduction, motivation . You have to pay attention to imitate behavior, retain or remember the behavior, reproduce the behavior, be motivated to reproduce it.

Bandura developed what famously became known as the Bobo Doll experiments. In these studies, children watched adults model either violent or passive behavior towards a toy, the Bobo Doll. What the children saw influenced how they themselves subsequently interacted with the doll. Specifically, children who observed violent behavior imitated this behavior and were verbally and physically aggressive toward the doll. Children who witnessed nonviolent behavior behaved less aggressively toward the doll. In recent years, some psychologists have called Bandura’s original findings into question, labeling his experiments as biased, poorly designed, or even unethical.

Albert Bandura concluded that children learn aggression , violence, and other social behaviors through observation learning , or watching the behaviors of others. On the opposite end, kindness and compassion can be imitated as well.

Despite the criticisms , Bandura’s larger theory is still applied by psychologists seeking to understand the roots of behavior and mood, the importance of role models, and to glean insight into consumer purchasing decisions.

Learning theory tells us how we take in and process information and knowledge. A person’s environment influences his learning. In the case of Pavlov’s dog, for example, the physiologist Ivan Pavlov found that the sound of a metronome produced saliva in a dog’s mouth. The dog was conditioned to hear the sound and associate that sound with food, hence the salivation. This is called classical conditioning .

In operant conditioning, coined by B.F. Skinner, we learn through reinforcement or punishment . We avoid touching a pot of boiling water, for example, because we will burn our fingertips. Skinner developed the operant conditioning chamber, later known as the Skinner Box, to study animal behavior . The chamber or box has a key or bar that can be pressed so that the animal obtains a reward like food or water. Manipulating the key meant food, that is the premise of reinforcement in learning.

Food poisoning is a good example of such conditioning . If your first experience of eating a burrito ended in nausea and other contaminated food symptoms, you will likely gag at the smell of future similar dishes.

The sales incentive is positive reinforcement in operant conditioning . The quarterly bonus, for instance, is offered to the sales agent who reaches his target goal. And he will likely strive to reach his future goals with such a stimulus.

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What Is Bandura’s Social Learning Theory? 3 Examples

Bandura realized that direct reinforcement alone could not account for all types of learning, so he added a social element to his theory, arguing that people learn by observing others (Nabavi, 2012).

His theory is regarded as the bridge between behaviorist and cognitive learning theories, encompassing attention, memory, and motivational processes (Muro & Jeffrey, 2008)

The SLT states that in response to observation, imitation, and modeling, learning can occur even without changing behavior (Bandura, 1965).

This article introduces Bandura’s social learning theory and explores key concepts, real-life examples, and some fascinating experiments.

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This Article Contains:

What is bandura’s social learning theory, stages of the theory: a diagram, 10 key psychology concepts, 3 real-life examples, fascinating experiments and studies, 10 strengths & weaknesses of the theory, resources from positivepsychology.com, a take-home message.

To understand Bandura’s theory, let’s first look at the originator.

Who is Albert Bandura?

Albert Bandura, born in 1925 in Alberta, Canada, became interested in psychology while studying biological sciences at the University of British Columbia (Nabavi, 2012).

Graduating with a degree in psychology, Bandura continued his studies and in 1952 was awarded a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Iowa. He was elected president of the American Psychological Association in 1974 and awarded the Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology in 2004 (Nabavi, 2012).

In the 1960s, Bandura became known for his social learning theory (SLT). His approach recognized reinforcement and the importance of observing, modeling, and imitating the emotional reactions, attitudes, and behaviors of others in learning (Bandura, 1977a).

In 1986, the SLT developed into the social cognitive theory, incorporating the idea that learning takes place in a social context, “with a dynamic and reciprocal interaction of the person, environment, and behavior,” and a cognitive context that considers past experiences that shape engagement in behavior (LaMorte, 2019).

Because of his continuing research, Bandura became known among academics as the father of cognitive theory (Nabavi, 2012).

What is the social learning theory?

Learning is about interacting with the environment and making a permanent change in knowledge or behavior that improves human performance (Driscoll, 1994).

According to Bandura’s SLT, we learn from interacting with others in a social context. We observe, assimilate, and imitate others’ behavior when witnessing positive or rewarding experiences (Nabavi, 2012).

Bandura (1977a) agreed with the behaviorist learning theories of classical conditioning and operant conditioning yet, crucially, added the following:

• Mediating processes take place between the stimuli and response.
• Behavior is learned through observation of the environment.

As a result, both environmental and cognitive factors combine to influence human learning and behavior.

The SLT states that we acquire behaviors through a combination of reinforcement and imitation , where “imitation is the reproduction of learning through observation” (Gross, 2020, p. 489).

Bandura’s social learning theory provides a helpful framework for understanding how an individual learns via observation and modeling (Horsburgh & Ippolito, 2018).

Cognitive processes are central, as learners must make sense of and internalize what they see to reproduce the behavior. Psychological processing is required to match cognition and behavior between the observation and the performance (Horsburgh & Ippolito, 2018).

The following diagram represents the three interconnected underlying themes of the SLT: environmental, personal, and behavioral factors (modified from Bandura, 1977b).

SLT processing

The SLT suggests that we learn from one another throughout our lives via the following processes (Nabavi, 2012):

• Observation We observe other people’s behavior.
• Imitation Following observation, we assimilate and imitate the observed behavior.
• Modeling We are more likely to imitate behavior modeled by people we perceive as similar to ourselves.

While behaviorists claim learning must result in a permanent behavior change, social learning theorists demonstrated the importance of cognition, recognizing that learning can occur in the absence of behavior (Bandura, 1965).

Behaviors learned through modeling

Bandura proposed that modeling or learning is composed of four mediational processes or conditions that must be met (Horsburgh & Ippolito, 2018; Nabavi, 2012):

• Attention We must pay attention to the model. Our attention increases when behavior is more striking, different, or prestigious, and when the model is more similar to ourselves.
• Retention We must be able to remember the observed behavior; this can be increased through rehearsal .
• Reproduction We must be capable of replicating the behavior just observed. Note that a novice may not be developmentally ready to reproduce the action.
• Motivation We must be motivated to demonstrate what we have learned. This can be influenced by both reinforcement and punishment .

In a 2018 study using the SLT to explore learning from role models, students confirmed the processes above, describing how they were “selectively and consciously paying attention, using retention strategies, reproducing observed behavior and being motivated to imitate” (Horsburgh & Ippolito, 2018, p. 1).

Interpretation of the Social Learning Theory depends on the following key concepts.

SLT foundational concepts

While there are several concepts crucial to our understanding of the SLT, the following are foundational (Nabavi, 2012; Introduction, 2020):

• People learn through observation.
• Reinforcement and punishment have an indirect effect on behavior and learning.
• Cognitive factors contribute to whether a behavior is acquired.
• Learning involves modeling, yet does not require behavioral change.

Reinforcement and punishment

Both reinforcement and punishment are essential factors in the observer’s motivation to replicate the behavior they have seen (Nabavi, 2012):

• Both factors indirectly impact learning (but are not the sole cause).
• Both factors influence the degree to which an observer exhibits a learned behavior.
• The expectation of reinforcement influences cognitive processes, such as attention and learning.

Modeling & role models

The SLT demonstrates that humans learn and imitate behaviors observed in other people. The people observed are called models , and the process of learning is described as modeling .

Bandura identified three basic model types involved in observational learning (Nabavi, 2012):

• Live model An individual is observed acting out or showing the behavior.
• Verbal instruction model The behavior is explained or described.
• Symbolic model A real or fictional character displays the behavior online, on TV, in a book, etc.

A lecturer who attends and enjoys a training course may imitate and model the instructor’s technique and style to improve their teaching methods and student engagement. Similar modeling occurs when children watch parents read, students see mathematical problems solved, and bystanders witness an act of bravery (Bandura, 1986, 2006).

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Let’s look at the application of SLT in real life.

Criminology and aggression

According to the SLT, “aggressive behaviors are learned through reinforcement and the imitation of aggressive models ” (Gross, 2020, p. 489).

Bandura showed that aggressive tendencies, especially in children, are vicariously reinforced by seeing others rewarded for or benefiting from their aggressive behavior.

Are aggressive behaviors learned from violence on TV and in films? It depends on viewers’ perceptions, including factors such as (Gross, 2020):

• Are the violent portrayals in realistic settings? Violence in news and documentary programs is typically more upsetting.
• Is the violence justified or rewarded?
• Does the viewer closely identify with the characters?
• Is there a graphic and realistic depiction of the victim’s pain and suffering?

The SLT is also valuable in understanding criminal and deviant behavior. A review of existing studies found that the SLT could make sense of events at both a micro and a macro level, considering the temporal and ecological context (Akers & Jensen, 2006).

Social learning theory in social work

The SLT has implications for social work. Indeed, “modeling is seen as one of the key factors in the development of prosocial behavior” and occurs in families, workplaces, and education (Davies, 2013, p. 74).

The theory can help social workers better understand how specific behavior has developed and how to intervene, either to act as a role model or to encourage others.

Skill learning

A 2018 study studied the effect of role modeling in teaching and learning in medical students (Horsburgh & Ippolito, 2018). Students reported that learning from role models was “complex and haphazard,” and the study recognized that the process of learning from role models was challenging, but could be helped by (Horsburgh & Ippolito, 2018):

• Ensuring proximity and repeated observation of role models’ actions and their behavior
• Providing insight into the hidden thought processes behind the observable behaviors
• Being given the opportunity to reproduce and practice behavior accompanied by reflection

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The SLT has been studied through several fascinating and memorable studies, including:

Bobo doll experiment

In 1973, Bandura set out to understand the role of modeling in learning and aggression. To test the hypothesis that imitation played a large part in behavior, he created situations where children between three and five years old watched adults acting aggressively toward a large plastic doll, known as a ‘Bobo’ doll (Davies, 2013; Gross, 2020).

When allowed to play with the doll themselves, the children exhibited aggression to a degree that matched the scene they had witnessed.

Subsequently, when researchers removed toys, they observed the degree of aggression in the frustrated children. Bandura found that the children who had witnessed prior aggressive behavior were more likely to display it themselves.

However, Bandura identified that the acquisition of aggressive behaviors did not necessarily mean the child would imitate what they had seen (Gross, 2020).

Social Learning Theory: Bandura’s Bobo Beatdown Experiments

Introduction of TV

“Natural experiments allow the researcher to take advantage of fortuitous and naturally occurring events” (Gross, 2020, p. 491).

Two well-known studies researched the introduction of TV into communities where it hadn’t previously existed (Williams, 1986; Charlton & Hannan, 2005).

Following the arrival of television in St. Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean, Charlton and Hannan (2005) found no noticeable difference in the children’s behavior. However, the study concluded that mitigating social factors might have helped, including being part of a small population where everyone knows one another and parents maintaining a high degree of control over their children’s behavior.

Contextual and cultural factors can moderate exposure to media violence or aggressive behavior (Gross, 2020).

Promoting positive parenting

Video feedback has been used successfully as a social learning theory intervention to promote positive parenting . In a 2017 study, parents who received helpful feedback became better role models, child–parent attachment improved, and there was a reduction in behavioral problems in children (Juffer, Bakermans-Kranenburg, & van IJzendoorn, 2017).

Combining the biological perspective with the SLT

Recent research has combined new findings in biological risk factors into mainstream social learning theories of criminal behavior (Fox, 2017).

“While learning clearly has social origins among peers and conditioning in society, it is also a biochemical process” (Fox, 2017, p. 25). Research, while ongoing, suggests that “many biological factors influence our learning, and consequently our behavior” (Fox, 2017, p. 28).

An improved understanding of such underlying factors, including perception, encoding, and reinforcement, may explain why some individuals are more likely to learn from the antisocial behavior of peers.

As with all psychological theories, there are strengths and weaknesses, and research is continually adding to our knowledge (Introduction, 2020; Wortley, 2008).

Strengths of the SLT

• The SLT is incredibly flexible in explaining a person’s various ways of behaving and learning. An environmental change can lead to a behavioral one.
• The SLT explains that learning can happen in various ways, including observation and direct, hands-on experiences.
• The SLT has been applied in many settings that have consistently shown strong relationships between social learning concepts and behavior.
• The degree, probability, and frequency of reinforcement impact imitation.
• Studies involving children observing aggression have shown that it impacts their subsequent behavior in controlled situations.

Criticism and limitations

• The SLT does not consider the aspect of accountability in actions. The theory suggests that how a person behaves is primarily down to context rather than how they process information.
• The SLT ignores developmental milestones. Such development stages typically occur irrespective of the environmental setting.
• The SLT does not account for behavior when there is no role model.
• Negative behavior such as criminal activities can occur without prior exposure to such behavior.
• The SLT can be difficult to test because of ethical issues. Indeed, experiments such as the ‘Bobo’ doll study would no longer be allowed.

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Psychologist Albert Bandura developed the SLT in response to the limitations of behavioral theories of learning.

While behaviorists focused on how the environment and reinforcement affect behavior, Bandura recognized that people learn by observing how others behave, including the rewards and punishment they receive.

Through a series of experiments, Bandura confirmed the ability of humans to acquire new behavior through observation and imitation. The SLT (later becoming the social cognitive theory) put forward the idea that learning occurs within a social environment, resulting from a shared interaction between person, environment, and behavior (Introduction, 2020).

While it has some limitations, the SLT successfully explains the acquisition of new behavior in many environments. The SLT is particularly valuable in explaining how children learn by imitating family members, friends, and other influential figures and will perform the behavior if the reward is sufficient.

Whether applied to education, social work, or criminology, the SLT is a valuable theory that can be used with other ideas and practices to bring about change. Although some historical studies do not meet the ethical research standards of today, the lessons learned remain valuable and insightful for education and behavioral change.

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• Akers, R. L., & Jensen, G. F. (2006). The empirical status of social learning theory of crime and deviance: The past, present, and future. In F. T. Cullen, J. P. Wright, & K. R. Blevins (Eds.), Advances in criminological theory: Vol. 15. Taking stock: The status of criminological theory (pp. 37–76). Transaction.
• Bandura, A. (1965). Influence of models’ reinforcement contingencies on the acquisition of imitative responses. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , 1 (6), 589–595.
• Bandura, A. (1977a). Social learning theory . Prentice Hall.
• Bandura, A. (1977b). Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review , 84 (2), 191–215.
• Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action . Prentice Hall.
• Bandura, A. (2006). Autobiography. In M. G. Lindzey & W. M. Runyan (Eds.), A history of psychology in autobiography (vol. IX). American Psychological Association.
• Charlton, T., & Hannan, A. (2005). The St. Helena project: Summary of research findings . Economic and Social Research Council.
• Davies, M. (2013). The Blackwell companion to social work . Wiley Blackwell.
• Driscoll, M. P. (1994). Psychology of learning for instruction . Allyn & Bacon
• Fox, B. (2017). It’s nature and nurture: Integrating biology and genetics into the social learning theory of criminal behavior. Journal of Criminal Justice , 49 , 22–31.
• Gross, R. D. (2020). Psychology: The science of mind and behaviour . Hodder and Stoughton.
• Horsburgh, J., & Ippolito, K. (2018). A skill to be worked at: Using social learning theory to explore the process of learning from role models in clinical settings. BMC Medical Education , 18 , 156.
• Introduction to social learning theory in social work. (2020, July). Retrieved April 29, 2021, from https://www.onlinemswprograms.com/social-work/theories/social-learning-theory/
• Juffer, F., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J., & van IJzendoorn, M. H. (2017). Pairing attachment theory and social learning theory in video-feedback intervention to promote positive parenting. Current Opinion in Psychology , 15 , 189–194.
• LaMorte, W. W. (2019, September 9). Behavioral change models. Retrieved April 29, 2021, from https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/sb/behavioralchangetheories/behavioralchangetheories5.html
• Muro, M., & Jeffrey, P. (2008). A critical review of the theory and application of social learning in participatory natural resource management processes. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management , 51 (3), 325–344.
• Nabavi, R. T. (2012). Bandura’s social learning theory & social cognitive learning theory (Unpublished manuscript). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.netpublication/267750204_Bandura’s_Social_Learning_Theory_Social_Cognitive_Learning_Theory
• Williams, T. M. (1986). The impact of television: A national experiment in three communities . Academic Press.
• Wortley, S. (2008). The root causes of youth violence: A review of major theoretical perspectives. In R. McMurtry & A. Curling (Eds.), The review of the roots of youth violence (vol. 5). Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. Retrieved April 29, 2021, from http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/professionals/oyap/roots/volume5/chapter08_social_learning.aspx

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It is okay and a nice one! However, I needed some works who cited or use these theory.

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A comprehensive explanation

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Thanks for the infor on this theory very interesting Think this one of the best websites

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Thank you for this information. Very helpful for my master’s thesis.

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The Social Learning Theory is very useful because it teaches us how children, adults, and other members of society interact within their social environment through observation and imitation. This is good for research work. It has made a great impact on Education and has added positively to the body of knowledge.

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Albert Bandura Biography, Theories, and Impact

Categories History

Albert Bandura was an influential Canadian-American psychologist known for his social learning theory, the Bobo doll experiment, observational learning, and self-efficacy. Throughout his long career, he left an indelible mark on the field of psychology and influenced other areas such as education and psychotherapy.

In this article, learn more about Albert Bandura, including his early life, research, and impact on psychology.

Table of Contents

Albert Bandura Biography

Albert Bandura was born in Mundare, Canada, a small town in Alberta, on December 4, 1925. He was the youngest of six siblings born to his parents, who immigrated to Canada as teens, his father was from Poland, and his mother was from Ukraine. Two of his older siblings died in childhood—one due to the flu and the other in a hunting accident.

While his parents were not formally educated, they instilled in him a love for learning. He attended a tiny school with only two teachers and few educational materials. As a result, he found that he had to direct much of his own educational pursuits through his own efforts and curiosity.

It was when he started school at the University of British Columbia that he became fascinated with psychology. He had started taking electives to fill extra time, which was how he started with his first psychology course.

After completing his degree in 1949, he went to the University of Iowa for graduate school. He completed his master’s degree in 1951 and his doctorate in clinical psychology in 1952. In 1953, he began teaching at Stanford University, where he would continue to teach for the rest of his career.

Albert Bandura’s Theories

No Albert Bandura biography would be complete without taking a closer look at his influential theories. He developed a social learning theory that emphasized the importance of social learning theory as part of the learning process. During much of the first half of the 20th century, behaviorism dominated the field of psychology.

Bandura believed that conditioning processes, including association and reinforcement , were important, but they couldn’t account for all learning on their own, as behaviorists such as B. F. Skinner suggested.

Among Bandura’s most influential theories, ideas, and research include:

Bandura’s Bobo Doll Experiments

These experiments involved children observing adults behaving aggressively toward a toy Bobo doll. When the children later played with the same doll, they imitated the violent actions the adults previously modeled.

Observational Learning

Observational learning describes the process of observing and imitating others as a way of learning. As Bandura’s experiments demonstrated, this can involve direct and indirect demonstrations.

Social Learning Theory

Social learning theory describes how people learn by observing and imitating others. Bandura later renamed his approach social cognitive theory to emphasize the cognitive factors, including attention and memory, that play a role in social learning.

Self-Efficacy

Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their own ability to succeed. Bandura was the first to demonstrate that a person’s self-belief influenced what people are close to doing, how they feel about what they do, and how much effort they put in.

His work on self-efficacy had notable parallels to his own life.

“Self-directedness has really served me very well throughout my whole career,” he suggested in a 2012 episode of Inside the Psychologist’s Studio .

“In a way, my psychological theory is founded on human agency, which means that people have a hand in determining the course their lives take, and in many respects, my theory is really a reflection of my life path.”

Albert Bandura’s Impact 

Bandura is widely regarded as one of the most influential psychologists of the 20th century. In a 2002 survey published in the General Review of Psychology , Bandura was named the fourth most influential psychologist of the 20th century.

The other psychologists who ranked ahead of him were Sigmund Freud, Jean Piaget, and B.F. Skinner. 

Throughout his almost 60-year career, Bandura wrote hundreds of scientific papers, and several books, and influenced thousands of students.

His many awards and honors included:

• The Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology Award from the American Psychological Association
• The James McKeen Cattell Award from the American Psychological Society 
• The Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Lifetime Contribution to Psychological Science from the American Psychological Foundation

He was also made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2014. In 2016, President Barack Obama presented Bandura with the National Medal of Science.

Bandura died on July 26, 2021, at the age of 95. 

Haggbloom SJ. The 100 Most Eminent Psychologists of the Twentieth Century . PsycEXTRA Dataset. 2001. doi:10.1037/e413802005-787

Maccormick HA. Stanford psychology professor Albert Bandura has died . Published July 30, 2021.

Albert Bandura (Biography + Experiments)

Albert Bandura is perhaps one of the greatest psychologists of all time. He spent most of his career studying and teaching social psychology at Stanford University.

Who is Albert Bandura?

Albert Bandura is best known for developing social learning theory (later called social cognitive theory), his in-depth research on self-efficacy, the Bobo doll experiments, and his groundbreaking books. He is also widely regarded as one of the most influential psychologists of all time.

Bandura’s Early Years

Albert Bandura was born on December 4, 1925, in Mundare, Alberta. Bandura’s father was from Poland and his mother was from Ukraine. He also had five sisters who were all older than him.

Bandura’s parents came to Canada when they were teenagers. His father worked for the local railroad company and his mother was employed at the town’s general store. Once the couple had saved enough money, they bought a homestead on a heavily wooded piece of land. In time, they developed a workable farm after removing enough trees and boulders from the property.

Neither Bandura’s father nor his mother received formal schooling. Nevertheless, they both viewed education as very important. In addition to English, Bandura’s father taught himself to read Polish, German, and Russian. He also played the violin and served on the district school board.

Although Bandura’s family faced many financial struggles during his childhood, they had a very positive outlook on life. They were known to be hardworking, helpful, and festive people.

Bandura’s Educational Background

During Bandura’s early years, there was only one school in town—the Mundare Public School. This single institution provided him with both his elementary and high school education. As you may expect, the school had very limited resources. Nevertheless, Bandura made the most of his circumstances until he graduated in 1946.

At the Mundare Public School, there were a total of eight classrooms that served all the students from grades 1 to 12. The lack of space meant some teachers had to teach two different grades in one room. The high school math syllabus was taught from the school’s single math textbook. The entire high school curriculum was taught by just two teachers.

Although the lack of books and teachers may not have been ideal, it did lead to some positive developments. The students at the Mundare Public School were required to take charge of their own education. For Bandura and many of the other students, the situation actually served them quite well. Bandura himself stated, “very often we developed a better grasp of the subjects than the overworked teachers."

Bandura was often encouraged by his parents to travel outside their small town in the summertime so that he could learn new things. During one summer holiday, he developed carpentry skills after working in a furniture factory in Edmonton. After completing their high school education, almost all of the students from the Mundare Public School were accepted at various universities around the world. Looking back on his school days in Mundare, Bandura was moved to say "the content of most textbooks is perishable, but the tools of self-directedness serve one well over time."

The summer after Bandura left high school, he flew north to the city of Whitehorse in Canada’s Yukon territory. He went there to fill holes in the Alaska Highway, which at the time, was slowly sinking into the surrounding swamp. During his time in the Yukon, Bandura worked alongside many men who had issues with the law. They exposed him to drinking, gambling and new life perspectives. As time went by, Bandura developed a keen interest in the mental health issues that affected the men who were working up north.

After Bandura went home, his parents again encouraged him to broaden his experiences. They gave him two options: (1) stay home, work the farm, and drink at the local bar, or (2) get a higher level of education. After the summer of 1946, Bandura enrolled at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. He supported himself through school by using his carpentry skills at a woodwork plant in the afternoons.

Bandura’s interest in psychology was sparked by accident. When he first arrived at the university, his intention was to major in one of the biological sciences. While wasting time in the library one morning, he casually flipped through a course catalog to find a class to fill his early morning time slot. He chose a course in psychology and after going to his first class, was immediately enthralled by the field.

Where Did Albert Bandura Receive His Bachelor's Degree?

In 1949, just three years after he arrived, Bandura graduated from the University of British Columbia. At his graduation, he was presented with the Bolocan Award in Psychology. As Bandura was eager to pursue graduate studies in psychology, he asked his academic advisor what his next step should be. His advisor encouraged him to enroll at the University of Iowa, which at the time, was considered the epicenter of theoretical psychology.

Before Bandura departed for the University of Iowa, his advisor warned him that many previous candidates had found the doctoral program to be difficult. He encouraged Bandura to show toughness and resilience. At the time, the Department of Psychology was under the direction of Kenneth Spence, a protege of Clark Hull. When Bandura enrolled, he found the Department of Psychology to be challenging, but also hospitable and supportive.

Bandura was interested in social learning. But although the psychology program was focused on social learning, he thought it was too heavily influenced by behaviorism . Bandura completed his Master’s Degree in 1951. He earned his Ph.D in clinical psychology in 1952.

After he received his doctoral degree, Bandura was offered a teaching position at Stanford University in 1953. He accepted the offer, although it meant he had to resign from another position he had previously agreed to fill. Much of his early work on social learning theory and aggression was conducted with the help of Richard Walters—his first doctoral student. Bandura continued to work at Stanford University until his death.

Social Learning Theory

Social Learning Theory was developed by Albert Bandura during his years at Stanford University. It refers to the idea that people learn from each other in three ways: (1) observation, (2) imitation, and (3) modeling. Social Learning Theory is often considered as a bridge between behaviorist learning theories and cognitive learning theories because it involves observable behaviors as well as cognitive processes such as attention, motivation, and memory.

Social Learning Theory suggests that individuals learn by observing other people’s behaviors, attitudes, and the consequences of those behaviors. In fact, Bandura believes most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling. This involves watching another person to get an idea of how to do a particular behavior. The information is then coded and stored by the observer as a guide for future action.

There are three basic types of modeling stimuli—live models, verbal instructions, and symbolic models. Live models involve real people doing the desired behavior. Verbal instructions are detailed descriptions of the desired behavior with steps explaining how to do it. Symbolic modeling uses the media and includes the internet, movies, television, books, or radio.

Modeling is dependent on four factors: (1) attention, (2) retention, (3) reproduction, and (4) motivation. All four factors need to be at a high level for modeling to be effective. This means an individual is more likely to learn if he or she:

• Pays more attention to the model
• Retains or remembers most or all of what was learned
• Is able to reproduce what was learned, depending on his or her cognitive and physical limitations
• Has a good reason to imitate the behavior

When Bandura first began his research, the dominant learning theories at the time were based on a form of psychology called behaviorism. Behaviorists believe all human behaviors are influenced by the environment. However, Bandura claimed this explanation was too simplistic. He agreed that the environment can affect behavior, but behavior can also affect the environment.

Bandura eventually developed a concept called “reciprocal determinism.” This theory suggests there are three factors that influence behavior: (1) the environment, (2) the individual’s cognitive processes, and (3) the behavior itself. These three factors are always interacting with each other. So while it is true that society can influence behavior, a person’s actions, thoughts, feelings, and personal characteristics can also impact the way he or she interacts with society.

To get a better idea of what reciprocal determinism means, it may be helpful to think of a young boy who loves to play soccer. He plays because he believes the sport is fun or soccer may be a popular sport in his community. After a while, he asks his close friends and family members to play soccer and have fun with him. This in turn, encourages him to play soccer even more.

Bandura refined the concept of Social Learning Theory over the course of many years. An important part of his research on Social Learning Theory were the Bobo Doll Experiments (outlined below). By 1977, Bandura had settled on five key principles of Social Learning Theory:

• Learning involves behavioral and cognitive processes in a social context.
• Learning can occur by observing a behavior and the consequences of the behavior.
• Learning involves observation, data processing, and making decisions about the behavior (modeling). This means people can learn new things quite well without ever changing their observable behaviors.
• While reinforcement is important, it is not the only factor that causes learning.
• People are not passive during the learning process. Their environment, cognitions, and behaviors all interact and influence each other (reciprocal determinism).

The Bobo Doll Experiments

Behaviorists claim people learn only after being rewarded or punished for a behavior. However, Bandura did not believe the reward and punishment framework was a good explanation for many common human behaviors. Social Learning Theory suggests people learn mainly from observing, imitating, and modeling. Rather than perform a behavior themselves, Bandura thought people can learn by simply watching someone else get rewarded or punished.

In 1961 and 1963, Bandura conducted a series of studies called the Bobo Doll Experiments to test his Social Learning Theory. He noted how children responded after they watched an adult punch, kick, throw, hit, and scream at a Bobo doll. A Bobo doll is a large, light-weight toy with a round bottom that gets back up after it is knocked down. One notable version of the experiment measured the children’s behavior after they saw the adult get rewarded, get punished, or experience no consequence for abusing the Bobo doll.

Bandura and Walters worked with a total of 72 children—36 boys and 36 girls between the ages of 3 to 6 years old.  Twenty-four children were paired with an aggressive adult; the second group of 24 children was paired with a non-aggressive adult, and the remaining 24 children served as the control group. Each group was made up of 12 boys and 12 girls. However, each child was studied individually so that he or she would not be distracted or influenced by the other children in the group.

Results of the Bobo Doll Experiment

What did Bandura’s Bobo doll experiments reveal? Children who observed an aggressive model were more likely to show aggressive behavior toward the Bobo doll. Boys were much more likely to imitate physical aggressive behaviors such as punching and kicking than girls. Children were more strongly influenced by models of the same gender. The kids who were exposed to an aggressive model were more likely to show verbal aggression than those who were not paired with an aggressive model.

The experiments clearly highlighted that the behavior of young children is strongly influenced by the actions of adults. They also showed that young children are able to learn by observing the behavior of other people and the consequences of those behaviors. When the aggressive models were rewarded, the children were more likely to abuse the Bobo doll. But when the aggressive models were punished, the children stopped hitting the doll immediately.

Criticism and Praise of Bobo Doll Experiment

Of course, a number of criticisms have been aimed at the Bobo Doll Experiments. Some people question its validity because the majority of the children were from high-class, white families. Other people questioned the ethics of intentionally exposing young children to violence. But despite these controversies, most people laud the Bobo Doll Experiments as one of the most important psychological studies in history. Albert Bandura was awarded the National Medal of Science from President Barack Obama in 2016 for the experiment.

Social Cognitive Theory and Bandura’s Impact on Education

At 60 years old, Bandura was still heavily involved in groundbreaking research. By the mid-1980s he had begun to focus more on the role of human cognition in social learning. In 1986, he changed the name of the Social Learning Theory to Social Cognitive Theory. By applying some of the principles of Social Cognitive Theory, Bandura was able to help many people in the field of education.

A few of the key elements of Social Cognitive Theory that are applied in education include self-efficacy, observational learning, self-regulation, and reciprocal determinism. In an educational or school setting, self-efficacy is the confidence a teacher or student has to do what it takes to reach his or her academic goals. Bandura believes that seeing other people work hard to complete a task raises self-efficacy. According to Bandura, observers will reason if these other people can work hard and find success, I can work hard and be successful too.

Applications of Social Cognitive Theory

Bandura’s work on Social Cognitive Theory has been applied to many other fields besides education. Some of the more popular applications include:

• Psychotherapy - to increase confidence and treat anxiety issues
• Management - to increase motivation in employees
• Criminology - to explain the emergence of aggressive and deviant behaviors
• Media - to influence viewers to perform a desired behavior or to explain how certain types of entertainment may contribute to problem behaviors.
• Developmental Psychology - to help children with gender-role development
• Technology - to optimize computer learning algorithms

Albert Bandura’s Awards and Achievements

Albert Bandura has accomplished much in his long and distinguished career in psychology. In addition to the doctoral degree he earned at the University of Iowa, he has also been awarded more than sixteen honorary degrees from institutions around the world. These institutions include:

• The University of British Columbia
• Alfred University
• The University of Ottawa
• The University of Athens
• The University of Rome
• The University of New Brunswick
• Leiden University
• The University of Alberta
• The Graduate Center of the City University of New York
• Freie Universität Berlin
• The University of Lethbridge
• University of Catania
• Universitat Jaume I
• Penn State University
• The University of Salamanca
• Indiana University

Other notable awards and accomplishments include:

• 1974 - Elected president of the American Psychological Association
• 1980 - Elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
• 1980 - Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions from the American Psychological Association
• 1980 - Distinguished Contribution Award from the International Society for Research on Aggression
• 1986 - Scientific Achievement Award in the Field of Behavioral Medicine from the Society of Behavioral Medicine
• 1989 - William James Award from the American Psychological Society
• 1989 - Elected to the National Academy of Medicine
• 1998 - Distinguished Lifetime Contributions Award from the California Psychological Association
• 1999 - Thorndike Award for Distinguished Contributions of Psychology to Education from the American Psychological Association
• 2001 - Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy
• 2002 - Healthtrac Award for Distinguished Contributions to Health Promotion
• 2003 - Lifetime Achievement Award from the Western Psychological Association
• 2004 - Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology Award from the American Psychological Association
• 2004 - James McKeen Cattell Award for Distinguished Achievements in Psychological Science from the American Psychological Society
• 2004 - McGovern Medal for Distinguished Contribution to Health Promotion Science
• 2004 - Honorary Fellow of the World Innovation Foundation
• 2005 - Distinguished Achievement Alumni Award from the University of Iowa
• 2005 - Award for Distinguished Health Behavior Research from the American Academy of Health Behavior
• 2006 - Gold Medal Award for Distinguished Lifetime Contribution to Psychological Science from the American Psychological Foundation
• 2006 - Distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award for Advancement of Health Promotion through Health Promotion Research from the American Academy of Health Behavior
• 2007 - Everett M. Rogers Award from the Norman Lear Center for Entertainment and Society
• 2008 - Grawemeyer Award from the Grawemeyer Foundation
• 2009 - Interamerican Psychology Award from the Interamerican Society of Psychology
• 2012 - Lifetime Career Award from the International Union of Psychological Science
• 2015 - Order of Canada from the Governor-General of Canada
• 2015 - Sustained Distinguished Contributions Award from the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies
• 2016 - National Medal of Science, bestowed by President Barack Obama

Albert Bandura's Books and Publications

Albert Bandura was a prolific author of books and articles throughout his career. His first paper  was published in the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology in 1953. It was titled "'Primary' and 'Secondary' Suggestibility." Many of his publications are considered as classics in the field psychology. Some of his most impactful books and articles are listed below:

Social Learning Theory (1977) - This book has been credited as changing the direction of psychology from a behavioral focus to a cognitive focus. It highlighted how people learn through observation and modeling.

Self-Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change (1977) - This article introduced the concept of self-efficacy. It was published in Psychological Review and became an instant classic.

Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory (1986) - A landmark book that expands upon Social Learning Theory and introduces Social Cognitive Theory.

Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control. (1997) - This book has been published in English, French, Chinese, Italian and Korean. It is widely cited in the professional literature of sociology, psychology, medicine, and management.

Bandura’s other books include:

• Adolescent Aggression (1959)
• Social Learning through Imitation (1962)
• Social Learning and Personality Development (1963)
• Principles of Behavior Modification (1969)
• Psychological Modeling: Conflicting Theories (1971)
• Aggression: A Social Learning Analysis (1973)
• Analysis of Delinquency and Aggression (1976)
• Moral Disengagement : How People Do Harm and Live with Themselves (2015)

Albert Bandura is the most cited psychologist alive today. He is also the fourth most cited psychologist of all time, behind only B.F. Skinner, Sigmund Freud, and Jean Piaget.

Personal Life

Albert Bandura married his wife, Virginia, in 1952. They first met at the University of Iowa, where Virginia was an instructor at the College of Nursing. They have two daughters, Carol and Mary, and identical twin grandsons named Timmy and Andy. In 2011, Virginia Bandura passed away peacefully at the age of 89.

Is Albert Bandura Alive Today?

Albert Bandura died from congestive heart failure in 2021 at the age of 95. Up until his death, Bandura enjoyed hiking in the Sierra Mountains, walking through the coastal regions of California, dining at restaurants, going to the San Francisco Opera, and drinking a good bottle of wine.

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Bobo Doll Experiment

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The Bobo doll experiment was conducted by Albert Bandura in 1961 [ 1 ] and studied patterns of behavior associated with aggression. Additional studies of this type were conducted by Bandura in 1963 [ 2 ] and 1965. A Bobo doll is an inflatable toy that is approximately the same size as a prepubescent child.

The aim of Bandura’s experiment was to demonstrate that if children were witnesses to an aggressive display by an adult they would imitate this aggressive behavior when given the opportunity.

Bandura et al. tested 36 boys and 36 girls from a Stanford nursery school – aged between 37 and 69 months (mean = 4 years and 4 months). Their role models were one male adult and one female adult.

The children were matched on the basis of their pre-existing aggressiveness. They did this by observing the children in the nursery school and judged their aggressive behavior on four 5-point rating scales. It was then possible to match the children in each group so that they had similar levels...

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Bandura, A., Ross, D., & Ross, S. A. (1961). Transmission of aggressions through imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63 (3), 575–582.

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Bandura, A., Ross, D., & Ross, S. A. (1963). Imitation of film-mediated aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 66 , 3–11.

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Department of Clinical Psychology, Walden University, 3128 Isherwood Way, Fremont, CA, 94536, USA

Lynna Lan Tien Nguyen Do

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Do, L.L.T.N. (2011). Bobo Doll Experiment. In: Goldstein, S., Naglieri, J.A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Child Behavior and Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-79061-9_379

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Albert Bandura's Biography (1925-2021)

Bandura Was Best-Known for His Bobo Doll Experiments

Jon Brenneis / Getty Images 

• Bandura's Career
• Bandura's Bobo Doll Study

Was Albert Bandura a Behaviorist?

• Selected Publications
• Contributions

Albert Bandura was an influential social cognitive psychologist who was perhaps best known for his social learning theory, the concept of self-efficacy, and his famous Bobo doll experiments. Until his death on July 26, 2021, he was a Professor Emeritus at Stanford University and was widely regarded as one of the most influential psychologists in history.

One 2002 survey ranked him as the fourth most influential psychologist of the twentieth century, behind only B.F. Skinner, Sigmund Freud, and Jean Piaget.

Albert Bandura Was Best Known For:

Albert Bandura is best known for his work in the following areas:

• Bobo doll studies
• Observational learning
• Self-efficacy
• Social learning theory

Basic Principles of Social Learning Theory

Albert bandura's early life.

Albert Bandura was born on December 4, 1925, in a small Canadian town located approximately 50 miles from Edmonton. The last of six children, Bandura's early education consisted of one small school with only two teachers for high school. According to Bandura, because of this limited access to educational resources, "The students had to take charge of their own education."

He realized that while "the content of most textbooks is perishable...the tools of self-directedness serve one well over time." These early experiences may have contributed to his later emphasis on the importance of personal agency.

Bandura soon became fascinated by psychology after enrolling at the University of British Columbia. He had started out as a biological sciences major and his interest in psychology formed by accident. While working nights and commuting to school with a group of students, he found himself arriving at school earlier than his courses started.

To pass the time, he began taking "filler classes" during these early morning hours, which led him to eventually stumble upon psychology.

Bandura explained, "One morning, I was wasting time in the library. Someone had forgotten to return a course catalog and I thumbed through it attempting to find a filler course to occupy the early time slot. I noticed a course in psychology that would serve as an excellent filler. It sparked my interest and I found my career."

He earned his degree from the University of British Columbia in 1949 after just three years of study and then went on to graduate school at the University of Iowa. The school had been home to Kenneth Spence, who collaborated with his mentor  Clark Hull  at Yale University, and other psychologists including  Kurt Lewin .

While the program took an interest in social learning theory, Bandura felt that it was too focused on  behaviorist  explanations. Bandura earned his MA degree in 1951 and his PhD in clinical psychology in 1952.

Bandura's Career

After earning his PhD, he was offered a position at Stanford University and accepted it. He began working at Stanford in 1953 and continued to work at the university until his retirement. It was during his studies on adolescent aggression that Bandura became increasingly interested in vicarious learning, modeling, and imitation.

Albert Bandura's social learning theory stressed the importance of observational learning, imitation, and modeling. "Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do," Bandura explained in his 1977 book on the subject.

There are three key concepts in Bandura's theory. His theory of reciprocal determinism integrated a continuous interaction between behaviors, cognitions, and the environment.

Bandura's Bobo Doll Study

Bandura's most famous experiment was the 1961 Bobo doll study. In the experiment, he made a film in which an adult model was shown beating up a Bobo doll and shouting aggressive words.

The film was then shown to a group of children. Afterward, the children were allowed to play in a room that held a Bobo doll. Those who had seen the film with the violent model were more likely to beat the doll, imitating the actions and words of the adult in the film clip.

The Bobo doll study was significant because it departed from behaviorism’s insistence that all behavior is directed by reinforcement or rewards. The children received no encouragement or incentives to beat up the doll; they were simply imitating the behavior they had observed.

Bandura termed this phenomenon observational learning and characterized the elements of effective observational learning as attention, retention, reciprocation, and motivation.

Bandura's work emphasizes the importance of social influences, but also a belief in personal control. "People with high assurance in their capabilities approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than as threats to be avoided," he has suggested.

While most psychology textbooks place Bandura’s theory with those of the behaviorists, Bandura himself noted that he "...never really fit the behavioral orthodoxy."

Even in his earliest work, Bandura argued that reducing behavior to a stimulus-response cycle was too simplistic. While his work used behavioral terminology such as 'conditioning' and 'reinforcement,' Bandura explained, "...I conceptualized these phenomena as operating through cognitive processes."

"Authors of psychological texts continue to mischaracterize my approach as rooted in behaviorism," Bandura has explained, describing his own perspective as 'social cognitivism.'

Bandura's Selected Publications

Bandura was a prolific author of books and journal articles over the course of his career. Until his death in 2021, Bandura held the title of the most widely cited living psychologist.

Some of Bandura's best-known books and journal articles have become classics within psychology and continue to be widely cited today. His first professional publication was a 1953 paper titled "'Primary' and 'Secondary' Suggestibility" that appeared in the Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology .

In 1973, Bandura published Aggression: A Social Learning Analysis , which focused on the origins of aggression. His 1977 book Social Learning Theory presented the basics of his theory of how people learn through observation and modeling.

His 1977 article entitled "Self-Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change" was published in Psychological Review and introduced his concept of self-efficacy. The article also became an instant classic in psychology.

Bandura's Contributions to Psychology

Bandura’s work is considered part of the cognitive revolution in psychology that began in the late 1960s. His theories had a tremendous impact on  personality psychology ,  cognitive psychology , education, and  psychotherapy .

In 1974, Bandura was elected president of the American Psychological Association . The APA awarded him for his distinguished scientific contributions in 1980 and again in 2004 for his outstanding lifetime contributions to psychology.

Today, Bandura is often identified as the greatest living psychology 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.

A Word From Verywell

Albert Bandura died on July 26, 2021 in Stanford, California of congestive heart failure at the age of 95. Throughout his long career, Bandura revolutionized the field of psychology and reshape our understanding of human behavior. His work will continue to exert an influence on the future of psychology and how we understand topics including personal agency, self-efficacy, and social learning.

Albert Bandura. Biography .

National Science Foundation. The President's National Medal of Science: Recipient Details .

Bandura, A. Autobiography. M. G. Lindzey & W. M. Runyan (Eds.), A History of Psychology in Autobiography (Vol. IX) . Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association; 2006.

Lawson, RB, Graham, JE, & Baker, KM. A History of Psychology . New York: Routledge; 2015.

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."