Bandura

Question 1

How is Bandura similar to behaviorism?

Answer 1

He believes that rewards and punishments are important

Question 2

How is Bandura different from behaviorism?

Answer 2

• He states that no direct reinforcement is necessary
• He emphasizes internal processes (cognition)
• He states that “observational learning” (modeling) is the primary way that traits are acquired

Question 3

What are the properties of modeling?

Answer 3

• Typically occurs in a social situation
• Complex behaviors can be acquired rapidly
• Direct rewards to learners are not necessary for learning to occur

Question 4

What are the general rules of modeling?

Answer 4

Similarity in gender
- Boys likely to model fathers; girls likely to model mothers

Power of the model
- Active/dominant parents are more likely to be models than passive parents

Observation/attention (amount of exposure)
- Model after people that individuals spend more time with

Rehearsal

• Overt: not concealed or secret
• Covert: concealed; secret; disguised

Acquisition vs. Performance

• If you see a model reinforce a behavior, you are likely to acquire it AND perform it
• If you see a model punish a behavior, you are likely to not acquire it NOR perform it

Question 5

What is an example of acquisition vs. performance?

Answer 5

Teacher shows students an aggression film

1) Teacher rewards behavior –> students are taken into recreation room –> students more likely to show more aggression
2) Teacher punishes behavior –> students are taken into recreation room –> students less likely to show more aggression
3) Teacher controls behavior –> students are taken into recreation room –> students are in between showing more/less aggression

Question 6

Scenario: Father is an alcoholic. He gets sick a lot, gets violent, and gets in trouble with the law.

Is child more likely to grow up non-alcoholic or alcoholic? Why or why not?

Answer 6

Non-alcoholic because the child will see his father go through disastrous consequences as a result of their drinking.

Question 7

Scenario: Child watches superhero movies and TV shows. The superhero commits violence in order to restore peace in his world, and is then applauded for it.

According to Bandura, will the child grow up to be violent? Why or why not?

Answer 7

He is more likely to acquire it and perform it because he was raised thinking that violence is acceptable.

Question 8

What model did Bandura and Ross and Ross come up with? When did they construct it?

Answer 8

A pre-school model in 1961.

Classroom 1:

• Teacher is aggressive with Bobo doll (aggressive model)
• Students are led to recreation room
• Students are more likely to be aggressive with Bobo doll

Classroom 2:

• Teacher is not aggressive with Bobo doll (non-aggressive model)
• Students are led to recreation room
• Students are less likely to be aggressive with Bobo doll

Question 9

What does Bandura’s theory focus on?

Answer 9

It focuses on both the variability and consistency of behavior. He is concerned of the interplay of the internal and external factors.

Question 10

What does Bandura believe?

Answer 10

He believes that personal factors–such as cognition, biological variables, and other internal events–and the external environment have reciprocal influences on one another: each influences the other and is influenced by the other.

Question 11

True or false: according to Bandura, behavior can affect cognition, feelings, and even neurobiology.

Answer 11

True. If someone succeeds in something their first time, they start to believe in their ability to do that thing again.

Ex: Child succeeds in petting a sea lion the first time. He believes that he can now do it. He may also develop positive feelings about swimming or petting sea animals, and learning more about them in the future.

Question 12

What is an example of how environments and beliefs affect neurobiological functioning?

Answer 12

A woman who lives with other female roommates may realize that her menstrual cycle has synced up with her other roommates. In addition, if she also believes that her PMS symptoms will strike her every certain number of days, she will feel those symptoms (i.e., depression), whether or not her period will arrive.

Question 13

An example of how behavior affects environment and vice versa?

Answer 13

Thoughtless human behavior leads to pollution

Because of ozone layer depletion, people may have to avoid sunny beaches in the future.

Question 14

True or false: cognition and feeling influence behavior and environments.

Answer 14

True. If certain people believe that their behavior will not succeed in a given setting, the odds are great that it will fail. If they feel frightened when when entering a given situation, they will avoid it.

Question 15

True or false: Bandura does not believe that we can gain a significant measure of control over our own environments.

Answer 15

False. He believes that we can. Skinner, however, says we should abandon our “false” assumption of free will.

Question 16

What is personal agency?

Answer 16

A condition in which they come to believe that they can make things happen that will be of benefit to themselves and to others.

Question 17

What is proxy agency?

Answer 17

Enlisting others to help control circumstances affecting one’s life.

Ex: relying on a family member

Question 18

What kind of downside does proxy agency have?

Answer 18

People may surrender control to a despot who does not have their best interest in mind.

Ex: Hitler

Question 19

In contrast to proxy agency, what is more beneficial? How is it defined?

Answer 19

Collective agency, which is the power to exercise control over life circumstances that is embedded in people’s shared belief in their collective ability to produce desired outcomes.

Ex: Amnesty International aids political prisoners via the efforts of individual members who share beliefs about human rights.

Question 20

What is observational learning?

Answer 20

Learning by observing models as they perform useful behavior.

Question 21

What does Bandura believe about observational learning?

Answer 21

People learn as much vicariously, through observing the behavior of others, as they can learn through direct experience. For example, if an individual watches another person receive a reward as a consequence of a behavioral performance, the observer will likely think they would win an award if they behave the same way.

Observing another person model some behavior that results in an award is enough for learning to occur. However, rewards need not be directly received. In fact, individuals may learn even if their observations in no way include rewards.

Question 22

What is a model?

Answer 22

A person who performs some behavior for an audience, showing how it is done and what benefits accrue from it.

Question 23

What is modeling?

Answer 23

Refers to the act of performing a behavior before one or more observers.

Question 24

Do people simply adopt models’ behaviors?

Answer 24

No. They begin observations of others with certain predispositions that determine what they learn from what they see. Because they want to master aspects of their own particular environments, people look for those behaviors, among the many displayed by available models, that will allow mastery.

Question 25

What is altruism?

Answer 25

The belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others; a helping behavior

Question 26

What was the Bryan and Test model? When did they conduct it?

Answer 26

“Lady in distress”; 1961

Ex: a woman whose car was stalled on the side of the freeway pretends to look at her flat tire. In one scenario, a man whose car was placed a few feet away pretended to help her change the flat tire. In another scenario, the man was not there. The purpose of the experiment was to see if seeing the man help the woman would influence others to help as well. When he was absent, less people stopped to help. When he was present, more people stopped to help.