Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

220 CHAPTER 5 LearningAlbert Bandura (b. 1925) Bandura contendsthat most human behavior is acquiredthrough observational learning ratherthan through trial and error or direct experienceof the consequences of our actions.Watching and processing informationabout the actions of others, including theconsequences that occur, influence thelikelihood that behavior will be imitated.The Classic Bobo Doll Experiment Bandurademonstrated the powerful influence ofobservational learning in a series of experimentsconducted in the early 1960s. Childrenwatched a film showing an adultplaying aggressively with an inflated Bobodoll. If they saw the adult rewarded withcandy for the aggressive behavior or experienceno consequences, the children weremuch more likely to imitate the behaviorthan if they saw the adult punished forthe aggressive behavior (Bandura, 1965;Bandura & others, 1963).Albert Bandura is the psychologistmost strongly identified with observationallearning. Bandura (1974) believesthat observational learning is the resultof cognitive processes that are “activelyjudgmental and constructive,” notmerely “mechanical copying.” To illustratehis theory, let’s consider his famousexperiment involving the imitationof aggressive behaviors (Bandura,1965). In the experiment, 4-year-oldchildren separately watched a short filmshowing an adult playing aggressivelywith a Bobo doll—a large, inflated balloondoll that stands upright becausethe bottom is weighted with sand. All the children saw the adult hit, kick, andpunch the Bobo doll in the film.However, there were three different versions of the film, each with a differentending. Some children saw the adult reinforced with soft drinks, candy, and snacksafter performing the aggressive actions. Other children saw a version in which theaggressive adult was punished for the actions with a scolding and a spanking byanother adult. Finally, some children watched a version of the film in which the aggressiveadult experienced no consequences.After seeing the film, each child was allowed to play alone in a room with severaltoys, including a Bobo doll. The playroom was equipped with a one-way windowso that the child’s behavior could be observed. Bandura found that the consequencesthe children observed in the film made a difference. Children who watchedthe film in which the adult was punished were much less likely to imitate the aggressivebehaviors than were children who watched either of the other two film endings.Then Bandura added an interesting twist to the experiment. Each child was askedto show the experimenter what the adult did in the film. For every behavior they couldimitate, the child was rewarded with snacks and stickers. Virtually all the children imitatedthe adult’s behaviors they had observed in the film, including the aggressive behaviors.The particular version of the film the children had seen made no difference.Bandura (1965) explained these results much as Tolman explained latent learning.Reinforcement is not essential for learning to occur. Rather, the expectation ofreinforcement affects the performance of what has been learned.