Transcript Albert Bandura’s Observational Learning Theory and Imitation

Albert Bandura’s
Observational
Learning Theory and
Imitation
By: Lianna Dehan and Trudy Marchica
Bandura’s Biography
 Born December 4, 1925 in Mundare which is a small town in
northern Alberta, Canada
 Received his bachelor degree in psychology at University of
British Columbia.
 Continued his schooling at University of Iowa and received his
PHD in 1952.
 It was at the University of Iowa where he became familiar with
behaviorist tradition and learning theory.
 In 1953, he wrote his first book along side of Richard Walters
called Adolescent Aggression.
 He was the President of American Psychological Association
 In 1980 he received the APA award for distinguished scientific
contributions.
 He presently works at Stanford University
Observational Learning
Theory
- Bandura claimed that “in social situations,
people often learn much more rapidly simply by
observing the behaviors of others”
- Bandura found that there are four components
of observational learning:




Attentional Processes
Retention Processes
Motor Reproduction Processes
Reinforcement and Motivational Processes
Attentional Processes
 One cannot imitate a model without
paying attention to the model.
 A model is often attractive because of the
qualities he or she posses. These
qualities such as prestige, power, and
success gain the attention of the
observer and begin the process of
observational learning.
Retention Processes
 Retention process is the way one remembers
the model’s actions so he can imitate them.
 Bandura explains, “In order to reproduce social
behavior when the model is no longer present
to serve as a guide, the response patterns
must be represented in memory in symbolic
form.
 Example: mentally rehearsing the actions or
practicing the actions will help one remember
what he learned.
Motor Reproduction
Processes
 This is when a person uses the proper
motor skills to accurately reproduce their
model.
 A five year old can observe his parent
operate a car, but this does not mean he
has the ability to correctly drive an
automobile
Reinforcement and
Motivational Processes
 This process refers to the idea that a
child will be more likely to imitate a
behavior if he is likely to gain a reward
 “When positive incentives are introduced,
observational learning that previously
remained unexpressed is likely to
emerge in action.”
Bobo Doll Experiment
Models
 Children are prone to imitate models that are more
intelligent, skillful, and knowledgeable than themselves
and others around them.
 Children have a broad range of influences- parents,
teachers, peers, and older siblings.
 When a child has the choice, he is likely to select
models with similar attributes and ignore those that
have little in common with.
 There are two types of models:
 Symbolic
 Exemplary
Symbolic Models
 Models presented through oral or written
instructions, pictorially, or through a
combination of verbal and pictorial
devices.
 The media is a good example of
pictorially presented models.
 television
 movies
 radio
Exemplary models
 Can be pictorial models or represented
through verbal descriptions.
 A child is given an example whether it be
a superhero, next door neighbor, or a
friend and are told that these models
actions are good and should be imitated,
or in some cases, bad and should be
avoided.
Three Effects of the
Observation of Models
1. Observer may acquire new responses that
were not in his repertory.
2. If model’s actions already exist in observer’s
repertory, observation may strengthen or
weaken inhibitory responses.
3. Sometimes observation of models draws out
already known responses in observer
Imitation
- Imitation is the actual
performance of
behavior that has
been observed.
Our hypothesis states:
 the younger children will be more likely to imitate their
tutors than the older children.
 The girls will be more likely than the boys to answer the
questions exactly like their tutor.
 A child will be more likely to copy their tutor if they are
the same sex.
 If there are harder questions that the children might not
know the answers to, they will be more prone to
imitating their tutor
 Because the children have bonded with their tutors,
they will imitate their own tutor over another college
student.
Procedure for the
Questionnaires
 The questionnaires were handed out on two
separate days but the procedure was the same
for both days
 While the kids were working with their tutors,
we went to each tutor and told them that they
were to answer the questions on the sheet of
paper first aloud, then write down their answer
on the blank assigned to the tutor. Then they
were instructed to read the same question to
their student, and write down their answer.
Each tutor was handed a piece of paper with
the questions listed
Data for Questionnaire 1:
Tutor
name/Student
name and
gender
What is your
favorite kind
of music?
What is your
favorite
animal?
What is your
favorite
movie?
What is your
favorite
school
subject?
What is your
favorite
sport?
What is your
favorite
actor?
*Lianna(f)/Batu
ul(m) age 9
Country/Jess
e Mcartney
Dolphin/cheet
ah
Lion
King/Transfor
mers and
Alvin and the
Chipmunks
Theology/Re
ading
Swimming/str
eet
basketball
Matt
Dammon/Jac
kie Chan
*Angela(f)/Ana
yancy (f) age 9
Rock/HHiphop
Monkey/Dogs
,cats
Zoolander/Al
vin and the
Chipmonks
Chemistry/M
ath
Soccer/Ice
Skating
George
Clooney/Amy
Adams
Kyle(m)/Sanchi
r(m) age 9
Rock/Normal
Alligator/Alli
gator
Men in
Black/Men in
Black
Math/math
Baseball/bas
eball
Will
Smith/Will
smith
Emily(f)/Anar(
m) age 11
Countr/Tune
s only (no
songs)
Dog/dog and
cheetah
Waiting for
Guffman/War
Movies
Social
Studies/Math
Swimming/S
wimming
Steve
Carrel/Jackie
Chan
*Trudy(f)/Amy(f
) age 11
Pop and
Rock/Hiphop and
R&B
Dog/dog
The Little
Princess and
Finding
Nemo/Chipm
unk Movie
English/Scien
ce
Tennis/Baske
tball
Brad
Pitt/Johnny
Depp
Data for Questionnaire 2:
Tutor
name/stud
ent name
and gender
Would you
rather be
an
Otolaryngol
ogist or
Ophthalmol
ogist?
Would you
rather live
Lithuania
or Norway
Would you
rather
snorkel or
scuba
dive?
Would you
rather eat
caviar or
sushi?
Would you
rather play
squash or
lacrosse
Would you
rather
parasail or
windsurf?
Would you
rather
injure your
femur or
tibia?
Would you
rather meet
John F.
Kennedy or
Ronald
Reagan?
*Lianna(f)/
Batuul(m)
age 9
Oto/opthal
#
Lithuania/
Lithuania
Scuba
dive/Scub
a dive
Sushi/sus
hi
Lacrosse/s
quash #
Windsurf/
windsurf
femur/tibia
#
Reagan/Ke
nnedy #
Kyle(m)/An
ar(m) age
11
Opthal/Opt
hal
Norway/N
orwa
Scuba/scu
ba
Sushi/sus
hi
Lacrosse/
n/a
Parasail/wi
ndsurf
Tibia/tibia
Kennedy/k
ennedy
*Trudy(f)/A
my(f) age
12
Opthal/Opt
hal #
Norway//Lit
huania
Scuba/Scu
ba
Sushi/Sus
hi
Lacrosses/
squash
Windsurf/
windsurf
Tibia/tibia
Kennedy/k
ennedy
*Sean(m)/
Maddie(f)
age 12
Oto/Oto#
Norway/Lit
huania
Scuba/Sno
rkel
Sushi/Sus
hi
Lacrosse/
Lacrosse
Windsurf/p
arasail
Femur//tibi
a
Reagan/Ke
nnedy
*Sean(m)/
Margot(f)
age 8
Oto/oto #
Norway/N
orway
Scuba/Sno
rkel
Sushi/Sus
hi
Lacrosse/
Lacrosse
Windsurf/
Windsurf
Femur/fem
ur #
Reagan/Ke
nnedy
Lianna(f)/S
anchir(m)
age 9
Oto/oto #
Lithuania/
Lithuania
#
Scuba/snor
kel #
Sushi/Sus
hi
Lacorrse/S
quash #
Windsurf/
windsurf #
femur/fem
ur #
Reagan/Re
agan #
Weak points of
Experiment
- The amount of children that come to tutoring
weekly fluctuates, which gave us less data
than expected
- Instead of using questionnaires, we should
have used a full month to conduct a more
complete experiment using actions of models
as the focal point, rather than questions on a
sheet of paper.
- More appealing experiment that would be less
obvious that we conducting an experiment.