Albert Bandura By: Stephanie Garcia

Born: December 4, 1925 in Mundare, Canada Youngest of six children In 1949, he graduated from the University of British Columbia with a B.A. in psychology. In 1952, he received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Iowa. He began working at Stanford University in 1953 and continues to work there. He has accredited his successful path in psychology to his early childhood education and working in the Yukon.

Observational Learning Four Subprocesses: 1)Attentional Processes 2)Retention Processes 3)Motor Reproduction Processes 4)Motivational Processes

Attentional Processes The model must be distinctive and engaging for the observer. Bandura also made a connection between the interest of the individual observer to what was being observed (though there was little known about this connection).

Retention Processes Imitating models comes after observing them, so usually we remember through symbolic form. Bandura thinks of symbolic processes through stimulus contiguity which are associations among stimuli that occur together (These stimuli can be verbal or visual). *Bandura believed that under the age of 5, children were not used to thinking in words so they would rely heavily on visual stimuli.*

Motor Reproduction Processes In order to produce an imitation accurately, the observer must have the necessary motor skills. Through observation, they are able to find a new pattern of responses though not new physical abilities.

Motivational Processes The observer’s ability to apply or not to apply their new knowledge. They can be influenced through direct reinforcements, vicarious reinforcements, and self-reinforcements.

Hypothesis At least 10 of the children memorize their favorite type of dance first. The four year olds would be able to retain the choreography using verbal, visual, and combination cues. However, the three year olds would only be able to retain using the combination cues. Only those who were paying close attention/caused less distractions during class would be able to perform the best during the performance at the end of the day.

Setting and Pre-Assessment Dance studio south of Dallas 14 participants (all girls) 9 (4 years old), 5 (3 years old) Question: If they had a favorite type of dance (either ballet or tap)? If they did, which was their favorite? *Replies: 7 for ballet (8 if you count myself), 7 for tap. They were all able to do the pre-assessment positions and dance steps. Only tested ballet for Stages 1-3 but included ballet/tap for conclusion.

Stage 1: Verbal Cues Only 3 out of 14 were able to retain the choreography after verbal rehearsal! All three were 4 years old.

Stage 2: Visual Stimuli 8 were able to retain with visual stimuli! All eight were 4 years old.

Stage 3: Verbal and Visual 12 out of the 14 children were able to retain the choreography after the combination of verbal and visual cues. All the four year olds were able to retain in this way but only 2 three year olds were not able to retain.

Conclusion As of my last observation (5/2/13) ALL of the children have memorized both their ballet and tap dances without any verbal or visual cues!!! Only 6 out of the 14 children memorized their favorite type of dance first. I was correct in that the four year olds were the only ones that could retain using visual, verbal, and a combination of the two cues. Only one child clearly proved my hypothesis wrong that complete attention was not absolutely necessary to retain the choreography.

Thank you for your time!

Works Cited ajorthinkers/p/bio_bandura.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/profilesofm ajorthinkers/p/bio_bandura.htm Bandura, Albert. Social Learning Theory. (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1977). Crain, William. Theories of Development. (Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2011).