BANDURA’S SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY: AN INTRODUCTION

With Albert Bandura, Ph.D.

2003 (38 min) $250.   ISBN: 1-891340-77-8      

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Possibly the most renowned psychologist alive today, Albert Bandura has given us many insights as to the interpersonal interactions that influence individual and social behavior. From his early work on learned aggression through his work on phobias to his recent work on self-efficacy, he has shown us how people shape their own lives and those of others.  Utilizing archival materials and newly shot visuals, students are introduced to the vocabulary and innovative methods of this influential thinker.  Dr. Bandura himself narrates the film, endowing it with his compelling presentation style and intellectual authority.

Film content:

The role of chance (fortuity) in human lives as seen in Bandura’s own life

            Bandura’s Triadic Reciprocal Model

            The processes involved in modeling and observational learning

                        Attention

                        Symbolic representation

                        Transformation into action

                        Motivational incentives

            The ways people develop efficacy

                        Personal mastery

                        Social modeling

                        Social persuasion

                        Learning to read one’s own physical and emotional states

            Results of efficacy beliefs

                        Optimism vs. pessimism

                        What challenges people take on

                        How people emotionally cope with stress and depression

                        What choices people make in their lives

            Moral disengagement

                        De-humanizing foes

                        Discounting others’ suffering

                        Seeing destructive acts as serving higher purposes

                        Shifting responsibility to others

Visuals:  It is a Davidson company joke that everyone in the world is in this film, reflecting the wide range of Dr. Bandura’s concerns. Among them are:

On camera segments with Dr. Bandura speaking of his life

            Graphics illustrating the Triadic Reciprocal model

            A reenactment of Bandura’s crossing-the-street against-a red-light study            

            Dr. Bandura’s original film of the Bobo Doll experiment

            Dr. Bandura’s original film sequences of therapy sessions for a snake phobia

            Scenes of Peace Corps volunteers working in Africa

            Television social dramas from Mexico, China and India with English subtitles

            Current college students talking about the role of efficacy in their lives

            Film segment of the Stanford Women’s Basketball team at practice

            1960 newsreel clip of a Civil Rights March with Dr. King

            Newsreel clips from recent wars

            Film segments of an Amish cooperative barn raising

An eloquent interview with a native sculptor from Labrador who talks of the social forces that shaped his work life

Albert Bandura’s Life:

Born in 1925 in a small town in northern Alberta, Canada

            Parents were immigrants from Eastern Europe

            Did his undergraduate work at the University of British Columbia

            Did his Ph.D. work at the University of Iowa

            Married and has two daughters

            Has spent most of his career at Stanford University where he is still an active faculty member

            Past president of the American Psychological Association and recipient of many awards and honorary degrees in the US and abroad

A Professional Review of this Film:

"This is the videotape for which many of us have been waiting. Written and narrated by Albert Bandura himself, this videotape conveys the power and scope of his theory through personal and archival film and preserves it for generations to come. It is an ideal resource for students seeking to grasp the implications of Bandura’s seminal research, ranging from his early studies of social modeling to his most recent work on self-efficacy.

This videotape will be invaluable in many fields -- providing Albert Bandura’s extraordinary insights into human aggression, prosocial development, mental and physical health, athletic and intellectual development, and education."

Barry J. Zimmerman, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor, Doctoral Program in Educational Psychology, City University of New York

Related film:

            Part of the GIANTS OF PSYCHOLOGY series

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