CriminologyJustice: albert bandura

Thought (Photo credits: www.mysafetysign.com)

by Tabetha M. Cooper

Our ability to learn is what makes us successful in life. People have, at some point, learned from experience everything it is that they do. And in our society, the more expertise one has in a given area, the more likely that person will be to obtain, and hold, employment. We all know that learning is the acquiring of information, but the definition of learning goes deeper than that. So what is the definition of learning? Schacter, Gilbert, and Wegner (2009), define learning as “Some experience that results in a relatively permanent change in the state of the learner.” In other words, only the experiences that one remembers, or that in some other way affect one’s behavior, are classified as learning. Also, learning can be conscious or unconscious. Conditioning is one example of unconscious learning, and shows that we are not always aware of when we are learning.

During my research, I have come across many examples of various types of learning. One of the experiments with learning I have studied is called the Bobo Experiment. It is an experiment concerning observational learning, conducted by a man named Albert Bandura and his colleagues. In this experiment children around the age of four years old were placed in a room with age appropriate toys. In a corner of the room was an adult who also had various types of toys. Among one of the toys the adult had to play with was a Bobo doll. A Bobo doll is a plastic, blow-up doll with sand at the bottom to keep it upright. If one punches the doll it falls over and then pops back to an erect position. The adult in the room took the Bobo doll and started to play aggressively with it. They knocked it down, punched it, hit it with a plastic mallet, threw it up in the air, and even kicked it. The children in the room watched as the adult played roughly with the doll. A short time later the children were given the opportunity to play with this doll. Each child in the experiment played with the doll in the same aggressive manner that the adults had demonstrated. The manner the doll was played with by the adults was purposeful, so the researchers could see if the children did the same thing. Each child, indeed, hit the Bobo doll with a mallet, threw it in the air, hit, and kicked it. In some of the studies the children got to observe the adult getting punished for the aggressive behavior. In the cases where the children observed the adult being punished, the amount of aggressiveness used was much less or not at all.

Inside Bobo doll (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a perfect example of observational learning. Chances are, these children had never been exposed to a Bobo doll. Not knowing what the doll was, or how to play with it, they paid closer attention to what the adult was doing. When they saw the adult abusing the doll, I would infer that they thought that it looked fun and wanted to try it themselves, and that this was acceptable behavior with the doll. This caused the children to pay attention to each individual move the adult was performing on the doll. I think that another reason the children mimicked the actual actions of the adults was to see if they could do each action themselves. A child’s nature is to observe, and then attempt to do what they have seen. When the children saw the adult get punished for playing aggressively with the doll, they determined that what they were watching was bad and shouldn’t be done, deterring them from being aggressive. Based on what I gathered from the experiment, I would have to agree with Bandura’s notions that observational learning can only happen if someone pays attention to a behavior to be learned, can remember the behavior, have the necessary skills to perform the behavior, and have the desire to act in that way.

A recent discovery within the human brain (as well as the brains of birds and monkeys) is the mirror neuron. The mirror neurons are located in the frontal (close to the motor cortex) and parietal lobes. Mirror neurons activate when we perform a behavior as well as when we observe another person performing a behavior. From what I understand of mirror neurons, it follows that they have a direct relationship with observational learning. When we see someone doing something, our mirror neurons fire and we are more inclined to pay attention to and retain the behavior we saw. As we

2012 Behaviour Matrix copy (Photo credit: Robin Hutton)

observe a behavior that we have never seen or one which we desire to learn, these neurons help send what is being observed to the appropriate parts of the brain. We not only see what is going on but the mirror neurons help send the actions to the right place for our memory to store the information, so that we can perform the behavior ourselves at a later time.

I have learned a lot of things in my life through observational learning. In fact, I think I may learn better through observing then actively working with what I am trying to learn. I think that behaviors that come natural come from observational learning. For example, my mother is a really easy going person. She is also what one would call a pleaser, meaning she does whatever is asked of her whether she wants to or not. She puts everyone in the world before herself. I grew up watching not only these personality behaviorisms but the unhappiness that resulted from always doing for others, and never for her. I have grown up to be just like her. I honestly believe that the behaviors that I learned from watching her became instilled within me. Unlike her, doing for others before I do for myself has not made me unhappy, although I do find myself taking time away from the things that I need to get done. The word ‘no’ is not in my vocabulary. In the past, I had believed that this was a personality trait that I was born with. But, after studying about the different types of learning and seeing some examples, I no longer think this is the case. Now, I am convinced that I have observed these personality behaviorisms for so long, that it is just natural for me to behave in the same manner.

References

Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner; Psychology (2009) Chapter 3 pg. 78 and Chapter 6 (entire chapter)

social experiment (Photo credit: louisa_catlover)

by Elizabeth Hall

Introduction

Learning, defined as an experience that permanently affects and changes a person’s mental state and the way they perceive the world around them, is a joint effect of “techniques, procedures, and outcomes (Gilbert, Schacter, & Wegner, 2009)” that generate permanent modifications in our perception and behavior. According to Siegel (n.d.), Albert Bandurabelieved that people do not come into the world with violent tendencies, but that they learn violence and aggression through their experiences and by observing other people’s behavior. When they see a person rewarded for acting out aggression, children will mimic the violent behavior that they observe because they receive signals that the behavior is socially acceptable. Mirror neurons exist in our brains that fire when we observe other people’s actions in the world around us. Our mirror neurons are constantly firing when we perceive new actions and environments around us (Gilbert, Schacter, & Wegner, 2009). Bandura’s experiments were an important part of psychological history because they paved the way to establish a pattern between observational learning and behavior, and provided a good path for future psychologists to establish links between social settings and drug use, and other troubling behaviors such as violence and aggression.

Learning and Observational Learning Defined

Albert Bandura (Photo credit: josemota)From the time we are born until we die, we as a species continue learning as long as our minds remain functional. Learning is defined as any experience that changes our mental states and the way we perceive the world around us in a permanent or long lasting way. There are over forty learning “techniques procedures and outcomes (Gilbert, Schacter, & Wegner, 2009)” derived from many different sources. Albert Bandura is a pioneer in a learning technique called observational or social learning. (Gilbert, Schacter, & Wegner, 2009)

Observational learning, defined as learning that has occurred because of watching others execute an action such as seeing your brother break his leg after jumping off the roof (Gilbert, Schacter, & Wegner, 2009). The other siblings observing this would also learn not to jump off the roof by learning the consequences, a broken leg, and would avoid this behavior. On the other hand, the brother makes the jump, and receives praise from friends for doing something cool, the siblings would see the reward, and might decide to jump off a roof as well. Albert Bandura pioneered some convincing evidence with his BoBo doll experiment.

The Experiment- Author’s Theory

Siegel (n.d.) notes that Mr. Bandura held the idea that people were not predisposed to violent tendencies, but rather that they learn aggression through observing other people. The system of rewards and punishments within the social circles teaches children through observation what behavior is acceptable and unacceptable. He devised an experiment in which preschool children watched a video of adults playing with the BoBo doll. They played quietly at first, and then began hitting the doll with a mallet, kicking the doll repeatedly, verbally reinforcing the behavior with shouts of “punch it” etc., and threw it down on the ground (Google Video, 2008).

English: Inside doll experiment|Bobo doll]. Français : Composition d'une poupée Bobo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)Some of the children watched portions of video in which the adults were admired for the aggressive treatment of the dolls. The children, after receiving the positive reinforcement of the adult behavior rewarded in the video, perceive the aggression and violence as acceptable behavior. After perceiving aggression as acceptable behavior, then the children feel free to replicate the behavior, and mimic the adults. Bandura (Google Video, 2008) holds that exposure to aggressive modeling teaches children violence through observation, and proves that the control group, not exposed to the violence does not act aggressively while the experimental group exposed to aggressive modeling do with this experiment. He also believes that in order for observational modeling to occur, one must present the behavior, reinforce the behavior by additional presentation, and the subject must have the motivation and physical ability to mimic the act (Gilbert, Schacter, & Wegner, 2009). This is clearly defined in the results of the experiment, and the only part the author’s theory expands upon is the idea that it is the social acceptance, which allows the children to freely perceive and model the adult behavior.

The Physical and Motivational Factors- Social Growth and Mirror Neurons

The motor skills to follow the adult behavior are present naturally in a growing child, of preschool age, as are the social growth factors that preempt them to imitate what they see like small camcorders (Healthy Children, 2010) which allots for motivation. Along with the physical changes taking place within the child’s natural growth periods, humans, monkeys and birds posses a mirror neuron system in their brains. What happens when a child sees a video of adults, or anyone, performing acts of aggression, is that the mirror neurons fire in their brains the same as the person on the video’s mirror neurons are physically firing. Scientists have discovered that the same area of the brain that processes observation of actions is the same area as performing an action yourself, the mirror neurons. Add to this the social perception that the behavior is accepted, and the children have no reason to avoid mimicking the adults with the new behavior they have witnessed. In any case, Bandura’s experiments have paved the way for new technology to explore with machines like the fMRI to observe brain function when learning observational behavior by gaining visualization into the brain while learning through observational techniques. (Gilbert, Schacter, & Wegner, 2009)

Author’s Childhood Observational Behavior

This is a simple example from childhood that I remember clearly. I observed my aunts at my grandmother’s house cooking French fries using the bacon grease that my great grandmother kept on the counter. She always knew when the grease was safe because she was the one that put it in the container. My aunts however were in their late teen years, and early twenties and had not been cooking long. I had to leave, and thankfully did not eat the fries. Later that day, my aunts became very ill, and it was because of the unrefrigerated bacon grease. I do not ever, neither does my mother, use any kind of recycled grease because of the observed experience that happened to my aunts. Grease ends up straight in the trash, unless I ever own a car that will work with recycled food oils.

Conclusion

Bandura’s experiments were an important part of psychological history because they paved the way to establish a pattern between observational learning and behavior, and provided a good path for future psychologists to establish links between social settings and drug use, and other troubling behaviors such as violence and aggression. While scientists have a lot of research left to do on observational behavior, the BoBo doll experiment provides important groundwork in the field of brain function, and discovering how humans learn.

References:

Gilbert, D. T., Schacter, D.L. & Wegner, D. M. (2009). Psychology. New York: Worth Publishing.

Google Video, (2008). Bandura BoBo Doll Experiment Retrieved from:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4586465813762682933#

Healthy Children, (2010). Preschool 3-5 yrs. Retrieved from: http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/preschool/Pages/default.aspx

Siegel, L. J. (n.d.) Criminology the Core. Third Edition. University of Massachusetts, Lowell: Thompson Wadsworth & Cengage Learning.