Albert Bandura Essay Example

Albert Bandura Paper Writing Assignment #1 Bandura, Ross, Ross (1961). Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models In 1961, Bandura, D. Ross, and S. Ross conducted an experiment on 72 pre-school children to examine and explore the â€Å"Social Learning† theory. The Social Learning theory suggests that human behavior is observationally learned through modeling: from observing others, one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed. They predicted that subjects Method: Design: The participants were chosen by opportunity sampling from Stanford University Nursery School. Participants consisted of 36 boys and 36 girls, and two adults, a male and a female, both being a role model. The participants were divided into eight experimental groups of six subjects each and a control group consisting of 24 children. Half of the experimental participants viewed aggressive models, while the other half were shown nonaggressive models. These groups were then further divided into male and female subjects, and half of the children in the aggressive and non-aggressive groups observed same-sexed models, while the other half observed opposite sex models. The control group was not exposed to any adult models The subjects were assessed on four five-point rating scales by the experimenter and a school teacher. These assessments measured the extent to which the children demonstrated verbal aggression, physical aggression, aggression toward intimate objects, and aggressive inhibition. Procedure: Subjects were individually brought to the experimental room and were escorted to one corner of the room, which was their play area. After seating the child at a small table, the experimenter explained how subjects could construct and design pictures with potato prints and picture stickers. The model on the other hand was brought to the opposite corner of the room which consisted of a small chair, table, mallet, tinker toy set, and a 5-foot inflated Bobo doll. The experimenter explained to the model that the materials provided was for him/her to play with. With participants in the aggressive condition, the model assembled the tinker toys and portrayed acts of aggression towards the Bobo doll; the model continuously punched the Bobo doll, used a mallet to hit the Bobo doll’s head, and tossed it up the air and kicked it. We will write a custom essay sample on Albert Bandura specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Albert Bandura specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Albert Bandura specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Furthermore, the model interspersed with verbally aggressive comments such as, â€Å"Kick him†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and â€Å"Throw him in the air. † Conversely, with subjects in the non-aggressive condition, the model assembled the tinker toys in a silent passive manner, and completely disregarding the Bobo doll. Moreover, the model made non-aggressive comments such as, â€Å"He sure is a tough fella,† and â€Å"He keeps coming back for more. † After 10 minutes, the experimenter informed the subject that he would now be brought to another game room. The subjects were then taken into another room filled with interesting toys, some of an aggressive type such as, a 3-foot Bobo doll, a mallet and a peg board, and some nonaggressive such as, a tea set, crayons, and coloring paper, a ball, and plastic farm animals. The subjects were observed through a one-way mirror, and behaviors such as, physical aggression, verbal aggression, and the number of times the mallet was used to strike the Bobo doll was assessed. Results: Confounds within study: There are minimal confounding variables within the experiment as Bandura, Ross, and Ross used a laboratory experiment method to conduct their esearch. The utilization of a laboratory experiment method allowed the experimenters to standardize conditions for all the subjects and acquire greater control of extraneous variables, which therefore led to a stronger internal validity. Internal validity is the degree to which an observed effect is due to the experimental manipulation rather than other fact ors such as extraneous variables. Some possible confounding variables were avoided and controlled. Firstly, the individual differences were controlled by ensuring subjects were rated for aggression prior to the study. This eliminates a possible extraneous factor – individual differences in aggression. Secondly, the subjects within the control and experimental groups were matched for aggressiveness to ensure equal compositions of the groups. As a result, the data could not be affected by pre-existing levels of aggression; therefore, causal relationships can be made. Furthermore, all the subjects were slightly frustrated before illustrating aggressive behavior. The subjects were allowed to play with the attractive toys for a few minutes until they were told by the experimenter that the toys were for other the other children. Hence, the increase in their emotional stimulation was approximately equal, before they were given an opportunity to be aggressive. Lastly, the experimenter rated the aggressive levels of the participants with a nursery school teacher that was well acquainted with children. This decreased the chances of subjectivity. Although most of the extraneous and confounding variables were taken into consideration, there are some confounding variables that may have skewed the results. Since there is high control in a laboratory experiment, there is the possibility of this leading to a contrived situation, and, a loss of real-life validity. As a result, the issue of demand characteristic may have occurred. A demand characteristic is when participants are aware of the experimenter’s expectation and how they are predicted to behave. Hence, participants would alter their behavior to fit the experimenter’s expectation, which would result in unrepresentative and invalid findings. The children might have been aware of what was expected of them; one of the participants said â€Å"Look Mummy, there’s the doll we have to hit† Noble (1975). Importance of the study to the field: Albert Bandura’s success in his experiment has allowed him to prove and verify the Social Learning theory. The Social Learning theory or observational learning is now widely accepted as a useful theory in the field of psychology; it can be used to shape desired and acceptable behaviors and eliminate unwanted attitudes. Some complex behaviors such as, language, would probably never be learnt and developed unless children were exposed to people who modeled them. Observational learning enables children to garner many responses and behaviors in a large variety of settings where the models are performing their daily activities and routines. Some examples of observational learning would be observing parents read and write, parent’s attitude and response toward a certain scenario, moral behavior, and ethical decisions. Furthermore, Bandura has also developed a therapy called ‘’modeling therapy,† which is derived from observational learning. The modeling therapy highlights the importance of learning through observation of role models, and learning about rewards and punishment that follow behavior. The therapy has been proven and is used to eradicate unwanted behaviors, phobias, and anxiety disorders. Bandura’s Social learning Theory is also applied for educational purposes. Educators have learned that observational learning is an effective teaching tool. Observational learning processes â€Å"greatly influence children’s coping with conflict, frustration, academic stressors, and failure† (Zimmerman Schunk, 2003, p. 442). With knowledge of observational learning, they are able to be conscious and aware of their actions, being discreet and certain that they are portraying a morally correct behavior to their students. Traditional behaviorists believed that all organisms learned in the same way; all behavior is learned through the environment, and this was explained through operant and classical conditioning. In short, the learning perspective was limited to these techniques. The discovery and verification of the Social Learning theory has contributed towards the overall shift of the learning perspective to incorporate cognitive and social processes; it demonstrates that learning was not simply based on a set of stimulus-response associations. Furthermore, the social learning theory reaches into the cognitive perspective’s realm, allowing development for more effective techniques. The theory can be seen as a bridge between the learning perspective and the cognitive perspective, as it incorporates attention and memory.

The Changing Character of Creon In the Antigone Essay Example

The Changing Character of Creon In the Antigone Essay Example The Changing Character of Creon In the Antigone Paper The Changing Character of Creon In the Antigone Paper Essay Topic: Antigone The chief agent is Creon; his is the character, his the faults and merits, which are immediately relevant to the play1. This comment from H.D.F Kitto is the reason for this study into Creons character in the Antigone of the two protagonists featured, I feel his development throughout the tragedy is the most interesting and compelling aspect of the play. We watch him change from an admired, strong ruler into a tyrant who possesses a severe lack of judgement and misguided conceptions of the world, and finally into a shattered, fallen man whose values have cost him dearly. The character of Creon is at fault for all that happens in the play his decisions drastically effect the lives of those around him. However, his difficult position must be remembered when analysing his actions he was king, and believed he was acting in the best interests of the city. Also, he is the one who fares the worst due to his actions, and is left to live with this pain. As is typical of Greek tragedy, there is no sitting and doing nothing2, so Creon had to act in some way, but his misjudgement caused him to act in a manner which caused suffering to all. Through this study I hope to come to a more thorough understanding of Creons character and consequently gain a deeper insight into the meaning of the play as a whole. First impressions of Creon are favourable. The chorus describe him as the new man for the new day3 (line 174) and in his opening speech he seems to do what is right for the country, deeming any who place a friend above the good of his own country as nothing (lines 203-4). But even here we have a hint of one of Creons problems his view of the city. Certainly a king should hold high concern for his domain, but we learn later that Creon sees human beings as tools in the productivity of civic well being4, as Martha Nussbaum describes. This critic believes Creon has reordered the values of the world to justify his actions, and this has resulted in his mental fusing of the city and the family. Nussbaum argues that Creon feels he will eliminate the problems of city- family conflict5 if the two become one. He goes so far as to deny familial ties which accounts for his attitude towards Antigones need to bury Polynices where they clash with civic interest. As Nussbaum states, he is attempting to replace blood ties by the bonds of civic friendship6. He sees the city as the supreme good, and all other values are functions of that good. He feels he has made a world into which tragedy cannot enter, but he is sadly mistaken, as is later proven. From this, we can see one of Creons main failings he is incapable of valuing city inhabitants for their intrinsic humanity rather than just their civic productivity. This is proven in his remark to Haemon regarding Antigone he tells his son to simply Spit her out, like a mortal enemy let the girl go (lines 728-9). He feels that because he sees her life as worthless, his son automatically will too he is denying the love his son holds for Antigone, and giving him no respect for having these feelings. Here we are also beginning to witness Creons lapse into tyranny he is prepared to murder Antigone in front of Haemon his own son simply to vent his anger. We had hints of his tyrannical side in his attitude towards the sentry he would have had him killed just for the purpose of punishing someone if the sentry had not found the real culprit. But the inhumanity towards his own flesh and blood is what clinches our opinion. Him bellowing The city is the kings thats the law! (line 825) at Haemon also presents an image of a somewhat power-crazed individual.  We are beginning to see how Creons lack of judgement affects his actions towards others. He lacks respect for the gods, which is shown by comments such as;  Youll never bury that body in the grave,  not even if Zeuss eagles rip the corpse  and wing their rotten pickings off to the throne of god! (lines 1151-1153)

Architecture history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Architecture history - Essay Example During this time, architects had access to new technologies that empowered their design and the society demands were dynamic at this time. The purpose of this article is to examine the theme of nationalism and regionalism as depicted in the Australian architecture. Regional architecture is a new approach to architecture that aims to orient the placeless modern architecture and to give it a sense of belonging. Regional and national architecture is the use of unique design and that is only relevant and associated with a specific place. The Sydney School of architecture is perceived as the mother of the international style in Australia after it introduced the concept of organic architecture. This design requirement emerged in the year 1950s when the need arose to reform architectural design to accommodate the complex demands of the new world2. Consequently, Sydey School is perceived as a solution to a constrained international architectural design. 1Edquist, Harriet. Pioneers of Moderni sm: The Arts and Crafts Movement in Australia. Carlton: Miegunyah Press, 2008. 2Callister, Winsome. â€Å"Dealing with the ‘Sydney School’: Perspectives on Australian Architecture in the 1950s and 1960s.† Transition, no. ... Modern architects have embraced this design principle to come up with unique structures that are natural and youthful by utilizing natural materials and taking advantage of topographical forms. Peter Muller is among one of the organic architects that adopted the principles laid down by Wright in his definition of the modern design. One unique artistic work of Muller that has garnered a lot of attraction as an organic structural design is the Audette House that he designed in Australia. A feature that has captured many architects in this piece of work is the topographical design forms that Muller included in his plans. This architect employed horizontal lines to integrate the house with the sloppy landscape and to accomplish the initial design requirement of a solar friendly design. The use of free form angles and flat topped roofs was a unique attribute that connects to the idea of organic architecture that Wright saw as new characteristic of modern buildings. In addition, the surrou nding of the building is covered by a natural aesthetic of plants that was part of this landscape even before the existence of this building. Natural aesthetic is one of the emphases that organic architects have put forward to ensure that structures interfere minimally with the natural environment. In this view, Audette building can be regarded as typical structure that defines the organic school of architectural design4. 3Pearson, David. The Breaking Wave: New Organic Architecture. New York: Cengage, 2001. p. 72. 4Irving, Robert. Fine Houses of Sydney. Australia: Methuen, 2000. P160-169. Another unique feature of the Audette house is the selection of materials used for construction