Introduction

Albert Bandura was born in Canada to Polish immigrant parents in 1925 (Schultz & Schultz, 2017). After taking a Psychology class specifically meant to fill time, Bandura became enthralled with the topic and went on to earn a PhD in the subject in 1952 from the University of Iowa (Schultz & Schultz, 2017). Bandura went on to become a successful social cognitive theorist believing that learning occurred by observing others in various situations (Rathus, 2015). Including a long history of writing and publishing articles Bandura was the American Psychological Association President in 1974 (Schultz & Schultz, 2017). Most of the research conducted by Bandura regarded how observational learning effected behavior. Bandura began the research of observational learning and behaviorism at a time period in which Skinner’s behaviorism was the most widely used side of Psychology of the time (Schultz & Schultz, 2017).

Culture

Bandura began a career in psychology at a time in which B.F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning theory still ruled the psychology department. Skinner theory was based upon the idea that behavior was learned through a system of punishment and rewards known as operant conditioning (Schultz & Schultz, 2017). Throughout Skinner’s studies, subjects would be punished for incorrect behavior sequences and would be rewarded for correct behavior sequences. An example of operant conditioning according to Skinner would be when a parent rewards a child for peeing in the toilet and punishing them for soiling underwear (Schultz & Schultz, 2017). Bandura argued operant conditioning was extreme and an unnatural form of learning that could result in injury before the correct behavior is reached. An example of harmful operant conditioning would be teaching a child to swim using operant conditioning, and the child could be injured before the reward for swimming is achieved (Bandura, 1969). Instead Bandura proposed that learning comes from the observation of behaviors conducted by others. Due to Skinner and operant conditioning having been an established and consistent form of learning there was a small amount of resistance to the social learning theory proposed by Bandura (Friedman & Schustack, 2011). Due to Bandura having not been established in the field of psychology, Bandura’s publications opposing the operant conditioning was not accepted initially. After the first publications of Bandura’s first works the quality of work and connection to the real world overshadowed Bandura’s youth. At approximately the same time Bandura was developing and introducing the Social Learning Theory the invention of the television had become mainstreamed. The television was a powerful source that children would, and continue to, imitate both consciously and unconsciously. Many of the experiments performed by Badura later was influenced by the effect of television and modeling behaviors.

Social Learning Theory

Bandura became widely known for the Social Learning Theory, which can also commonly known as the

General Principals

Bandura did not believe in th