Bandura’s Experiments

In the early 1960s Bandura and other(a) researchers conducted a classic set of experiments that demonstrated the power of ceremonialal learning. In one experiment, a preschool child worked on a drawing season a television set headed an self-aggrandising behaving aggressively toward a queen-size inflated Bobo doll (a clown doll that bounces back up when knocked down). The magnanimous pummeled the doll with a mallet, kicked it, flung it in the air, sat on it, and beat it in the face, while yelling much(prenominal) remarks as Sock him in the pound Kick him Pow The child was then left in other room filled with interesting toys, including a Bobo doll.The experimenters observed the child by one-way glass. Comp ard with children who witnessed a non furious big(p) framework and those not overt to any specimen, children who witnessed the aggressive display were much more(prenominal) likely to show aggressive manners toward the Bobo doll, and they often obeyd the models ex act sorts and hostile words. In a flesh of the original experiment, Bandura and colleagues examined the effect of observed consequences on learning. They showed four-year-old children one of three films of an boastful acting violently toward a Bobo doll.In one version of the film, the adult was praised for his or her aggressive behavior and given soda and candies. In another version, the adult was scolded, spanked, and warned not to behave that way again. In a third version, the adult was neither rewarded nor penalize. After viewing the film, each child was left solely in a room that contained a Bobo doll and other toys. umteen children attendd the adults violent behaviors, but children who dictum the adult punished heedd the behaviors less often than children who saw the other films.However, when the researchers promised the children a reward if they could replicate the adults behavior, all three groups of children showed large and equal amounts of violent behavior toward the Bobo doll. Bandura concluded that even those children who did not see the adult model receive a reward had learned through observation, but these children (especially those who saw the model being punished) would not display what they had learned until they pass judgment a reward for doing so.The term latent learning describes cases in which an individual learns a new behavior but does not perform this behavior until thither is the possibility of obtaining a reward. B Banduras Theory of Imitation check to Banduras influential theory of imitation, also called social learning theory, four factors atomic number 18 necessary for a person to learn through observation and then imitate a behavior attention, holding, reproduction, and motivation. First, the learner must stand attention to the crucial details of the models behavior.A new-fashioned lady friend watching her father bake a surface lead not be able to imitate this behavior successfully unless she pays attention to u mteen important detailsingredients, quantities, oven temperature, baking time, and so on. The second factor is retentionthe learner must be able to retain all of this reading in memory until it is time to routine it. If the person forgets important details, he or she entrust not be able to successfully imitate the behavior. Third, the learner must have the physical skills and coordination needed for reproduction of the behavior.The young girl must have enough strength and dexterity to liquify the ingredients, pour the batter, and so on, in order to bake a cake on her own. Finally, the learner must have the motivation to imitate the model. That is, learners atomic number 18 more likely to imitate a behavior if they expect it to claim to some sign of reward or reinforcement. If learners expect that imitating the behavior will not lead to reward or might lead to punishment, they are less likely to imitate the behavior.C Theory of Generalized Imitation An substitute(a) to Bandur as theory is the theory of generalized imitation. This theory states that people will imitate the behaviors of others if the situation is similar to cases in which their imitation was reinforced in the past. For example, when a young child imitates the behavior of a parent or an older sibling, this imitation is often reinforced with smiles, praise, or other forms of boon.Similarly, when children imitate the behaviors of friends, sports stars, or celebrities, this imitation may be reinforcedby the approval of their peers, if not their parents. Through the process of generalization, the child will start to imitate these models in other situations. Whereas Banduras theory emphasizes the imitators ideal processes and motivation, the theory of generalized imitation relies on two basic principles of operant conditioningreinforcement and generalization. D Factors Affecting Imitation Many factors realize whether or not a person will imitate a model.As already shown, children are more lik ely to imitate a model when the models behavior has been reinforced than when it has been punished. More important, however, are the expected consequences to the learner. A person will imitate a punished behavior if he or she thinks that imitation will produce some type of reinforcement. The characteristics of the model also influence the likelihood of imitation. Studies have shown that children are more likely to imitate adults who are pleasant and attentive to them than those who are not.In addition, children more often imitate adults who have substantial influence over their lives, such as parents and teachers, and those who seem admired and successful, such as celebrities and athletes. Both children and adults are more likely to imitate models who are similar to them in sex, age, and background. For this reason, when behavior therapists use modeling to teach new behaviors or skills, they try to use models who are similar to the learners. Microsoft Encarta Reference Library 2003. 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.