Albert Bandura : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Professor Albert Bandura, a member of the Stanford Department of Psychology from 1953 until his retirement in 2010, recounts his youth in Alberta, Canada, and describes the scholastic and professional trajectory that led him to Stanford and informed his work on social cognitive theory. Bandura discusses his varied research collaborations, including the work on aggression and parental modeling that led to the Bobo Doll experiment; his theory of human agency and studies of self-efficacy and self-regulation; the power of modeling and observation as a learning mode within families and in the media; and research on moral disengagement and moral agency. He recalls the exciting period of Stanford’s growth from his arrival in the 1950s when it was “a very small place” through Fred Terman’s tenure as provost and his “steeples of excellence” strategy for recruiting distinguished faculty from around the country. Throughout the interview, Bandura reflects on the role of fortuity and chance in his life and on the impact of his theories in the world.
- Summary
- [00:00:00 – 00:34:02] Family background and youth in rural Alberta, Canada • Influence of childhood on life and career outlook • Family emphasis on education; self-education amidst few resources in high school • Summer jobs • Undergraduate education at University of British Columbia • Writing about fortuity and chance; meeting his wife, Jenny • Developing his theory of human agency [00:34:02 – 01:04:58] Coming to Stanford in 1953 • Psychology Department faculty and specialties in 1950s • Collaboration with cardiologist Bob DeBusk on patients’ self-efficacy beliefs after heart attacks • Collaboration with Jack Barchas on phobia treatments based on guided mastery • Stanford’s research ethos and approach • Involving undergraduates in research; example of study with Michael J. Osofsky on moral disengagement during the execution process [01:04:58 – 01:31:00] Interdisciplinary collaboration at Stanford • Fred Terman’s “steeples of excellence” approach to expanding the Stanford faculty • Developing an Honor’s Program in Psychology • Applications of his psychological theories; Springboard Forward • Impact Fred Terman at Stanford and in Silicon Valley • Changing the language and oral examination requirements in Department of Psychology [01:31:00 – 02:05:30] Influence of Bob Sears • Adolescent Aggression and parental modeling in hyper-aggressive children; Bobo Doll experiment • Research with Gian Vittorio Caprara on self-efficacy and family efficacy beliefs in Italy • Collaboration with Alfred McAlester on the theory of moral disengagement in support of the military force • Collaboration with Kay Bussey on alternative views of child development as it relates to gender • Research with Robert Wood and others on conceptions of ability [02:05:40 – 02:35:32] Reflections on modeling and observation as a learning mode • Self-regulation and moral disengagement • Applying psychological theory to social issues • Collective efficacy; Saul Alinsky’s theories and methods • Hope and examples of moral heroism during World War I and the Vietnam War [02:35:32 – 03:04:09] Awards and honorary degrees • Thoughts on his legacy • Excerpts from letters he has received • Reflections on his career; book on moral disengagement
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | March 7, 2012 - |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Bandura, Albert, 1925-2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Bandura, Albert, 1925-2021 | |
| Interviewer | MarkdaSilva, Maggie | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Bandura, Albert, 1925-2021 |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. Department of Psychology |
| Subject | The Bobo Doll Experiment |
| Subject | Social cognitive theory |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Biographical Profile | Albert Bandura was born in 1925 in the farming community of Mundare in Alberta, Canada, the son of immigrants from Poland and the Ukraine. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver in 1949 and a doctorate in clinical psychology in 1952 from the University of Iowa under the direction of Arthur Benton. Bandura joined Stanford’s Department of Psychology in 1953, initially as an instructor with a one-year appointment. He was an active faculty member until he retired in 2010 as the David Starr Jordan Professor of Social Science in Psychology. Bandura’s book-length publications include Adolescent Aggression (with R.H. Walters, 1959), Principles of Behavior Modification (1969), Aggression: A Social Learning Analysis (1973), Social Learning Theory (1977), Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory (1986), Self-Efficacy: The Exercise of Control (1997), Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm and Live with Themselves (2016), and Social Cognitive Theory: An Agentic Perspective on Human Nature (2023). He is also the author of numerous journal articles on social cognitive theory, agency and agentic developmental theory, self-efficacy, self-regulation, and modeling and observational learning. Bandura has been recognized for his pioneering contributions to the field of psychology with numerous awards, including the American Psychological Association (APA) Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology (2004), the American Psychological Foundation’s Gold Medal Award for distinguished lifetime contribution to psychological science (2006), and the Grawemeyer Award for Psychology (2008). In 2016 he received the National Medal of Science. He served as president of the APA in 1974 and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Bandura married Virginia “Ginny” Varns in 1952. The have two daughters, Carol Bandura Cowley and Mary Bandura; and grandchildren, Timothy and Andrew Cowley. |
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| Audio |
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| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/jw839ym1930 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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