Albert Bandura PDF

Albert Bandura (Behavioural Psychology) "People with high assurance in their capabilities approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than as threats to be avoided."...

Albert Bandura (Behavioural Psychology) "People with high assurance in their capabilities approach difficult tasks as challenges to be mastered rather than as threats to be avoided." --Albert Bandura Albert Bandura has a doctorate in psychology and teaches at Stanford University (California). He is the author of The Social Learning Theory (Mardaga , 1985). Best Known For: - Bobo Doll Studies - Observational Learning - Social Learning Theory - Self-efficacy Albert Bandura's social learning theory stressed the importance of observational learning, imitation and modelling. His theory integrates a continuous interaction between behaviours, cognitions and the environment. His most famous experiment was the 1961 Bobo doll study. In the experiment, he made a film in which a woman was shown beating up a Bobo doll and shouting aggressive words. The film was then shown to a group of children. Afterwards, the children were allowed to play in a room that held a Bobo doll. The children immediately began to beat the doll, imitating the actions and words of the woman in the film. The study was significant because it departed from behaviourism’s insistence that all behaviour is directed by reinforcement or rewards. The children received no encouragement or incentives to beat up the doll; they were simply imitating the behaviour they had observed. Bandura termed this phenomena observational learning and characterized the elements of effective observational learning as attention, retention, reciprocation and motivation.  Albert Bandura (Behavioural Psychology) Self Efficacy: Since Bandura published his seminal 1977 paper, "Self-Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioural Change," the subject has become one of the most studied topics in psychology. Why has self-efficacy become such an important topic among psychologists and educators? As Bandura and other researchers have demonstrated, self-efficacy can have an impact on everything from psychological states to behaviour to motivation. The Role of Self-Efficacy Virtually all people can identify goals they want to accomplish, things they would like to change, and things they would like to achieve. However, most people also realise that putting these plans into action is not quite so simple. Bandura and others have found that an individual’s self-efficacy plays a major role in how goals, tasks, and challenges are approached. People with a strong sense of self-efficacy: View challenging problems as tasks to be mastered Develop deeper interest in the activities in which they participate Form a stronger sense of commitment to their interests and activities Recover quickly from setbacks and disappointments People with a weak sense of self-efficacy: Avoid challenging tasks Believe that difficult tasks and situations are beyond their capabilities Focus on personal failings and negative outcomes Quickly lose confidence in personal abilities Sources of Self-Efficacy How does self-efficacy develop? These beliefs begin to form in early childhood as children deal with a wide variety of experiences, tasks, and situations. However, the growth of self-efficacy does not end during youth, but continues to evolve throughout life as people acquire new skills, experiences, and understanding. According to Bandura, there are four major sources of self-efficacy: 1. Mastery Experiences "The most effective way of developing a strong sense of efficacy is through mastery experiences," Bandura explained. Performing a task successfully strengthens our sense of self-efficacy. However, failing to adequately deal with a task or challenge can undermine and weaken self-efficacy.  Albert Bandura (Behavioural Psychology) 2. Social Modelling Witnessing other people successfully completing a task is another important source of self-efficacy. According to Bandura, "Seeing people similar to oneself succeed by sustained effort raises observers' beliefs that they too possess the capabilities master comparable activities to succeed." 3. Social Persuasion Bandura also asserted that people could be persuaded to believe that they have the skills and capabilities to succeed. Consider a time when someone said something positive and encouraging that helped you achieve a goal. Getting verbal encouragement from others helps people overcome self-doubt and instead focus on giving their best effort to the task at hand. 4. Psychological Responses Our own responses and emotional reactions to situations also play an important role in self-efficacy. Moods, emotional states, physical reactions, and stress levels can all impact how a person feels about their personal abilities in a particular situation. A person who becomes extremely nervous before speaking in public may develop a weak sense of self-efficacy in these situations. However, Bandura also notes "it is not the sheer intensity of emotional and physical reactions that is important but rather how they are perceived and interpreted." By learning how to minimise stress and elevate mood when facing difficult or challenging tasks, people can improve their sense of self-efficacy. These four sources of information enable individuals to acquire a degree of self-efficacy for a given behaviour. Depending on the individual, the timing and the context in question, each of these sources may be complementary to the other. The theory of self-efficacy is used in many areas such as education , work, health , phobias , sports and even in collective action - such as the socio-political domain - which are marked by beliefs shared by citizens in their ability to effect change through collective action.