1985 Fredericton Convocation - Ceremony A
Bandura, Albert
Doctor of Science (D.Sc.)
Orator: Easterbrook, James A.
Image
Image Caption
L to R: Dr. James Downey, Albert Bandura
Second Image Caption
Source: PR-Convocation, 1985; Photo by Don Johnson
Citation:
CONVOCATION, OCTOBER, 1985
ALBERT BANDURA
to be Doctor of Science
Albert Bandura is a Distinguished Scientist, so designated by colleagues in the American Psychological Association for his contributions towards understanding of social influence. He currently holds the David Starr Jordan Professorship of Social Science in Psychology at Stanford University.
Dr. Bandura's ideas and research on such diverse topics as psychotherapy and the effects of television violence on interpersonal aggression have also made him well known to the reading public. Their impact has been felt in schools, reformatories, clinics and hospitals, and even in factories.
That this famous psychologist is a Canadian, born in Mundare, Alberta, is only one reason we are giving him this further tribute today. Another is a coincidence of bicentennials. The 200th anniversary of this university may also be considered the 200th anniversary of experimental investigations in Dr. Bandura's research field.
In 1784 the Government of France commissioned an inquiry into the claims of Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer that human bodies respond to magnetic influence, and that he could cure a variety of "hypochondriacal" ailments by the use of magnetism. What seems to have been the first controlled social psychological experiment was conducted under the auspices of that commission to test that claim, and it had a major impact on the conclusions the commission finally reported. The cures Mesmer bad claimed were actually reproduced in that experiment, but, in blindfolded patients, they only occurred when the patients had been told they were being magnetized, whether or not they actually were. The commission consequently attributed Mesmer 's therapy to the "imagination" of the patients. Even so the reality of effects which can be produced by socially guided "imagination" had been officially demonstrated.
The experimental and theoretical work of Albert Bandura has added greatly to modern understanding of the ways in which "imagination" mediates the influence of social events upon behavior. He focused first on the phenomena of imitation, that is observational learning. Theoretical interpretations of these studies then led him to investigations of the behavioral consequences of a variety of subtle emotions. These ranged from the vicarious pleasure or pain we may experience when observing the fates of others, to the affective reactions we often feel when monitoring our own behavior. Dr. Bandura' s more recent studies, concerning the influence of variations in confidence on psycho-therapeutic processes, flow from conclusions on these topics.
To number his publications is merely to re-emphasize Albert Bandura's contributions to social science. Since 1953 he has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications, including seven books. All of his books have appeared in at least two languages, and 39 of his papers have been reprinted, often repeatedly, and one of them nine times. This work has been so widely cited in discussions of social learning that it has virtually pre-empted the title "social learning theory."
Dr. Bandura has also performed exemplary service on the other side of the editorial desk. Besides functioning as series editor for one book publisher, he has been a member of the advisory boards of 18 learned
journals.
From: Honoris Causa - UA Case 70, Box 2
ALBERT BANDURA
to be Doctor of Science
Albert Bandura is a Distinguished Scientist, so designated by colleagues in the American Psychological Association for his contributions towards understanding of social influence. He currently holds the David Starr Jordan Professorship of Social Science in Psychology at Stanford University.
Dr. Bandura's ideas and research on such diverse topics as psychotherapy and the effects of television violence on interpersonal aggression have also made him well known to the reading public. Their impact has been felt in schools, reformatories, clinics and hospitals, and even in factories.
That this famous psychologist is a Canadian, born in Mundare, Alberta, is only one reason we are giving him this further tribute today. Another is a coincidence of bicentennials. The 200th anniversary of this university may also be considered the 200th anniversary of experimental investigations in Dr. Bandura's research field.
In 1784 the Government of France commissioned an inquiry into the claims of Dr. Franz Anton Mesmer that human bodies respond to magnetic influence, and that he could cure a variety of "hypochondriacal" ailments by the use of magnetism. What seems to have been the first controlled social psychological experiment was conducted under the auspices of that commission to test that claim, and it had a major impact on the conclusions the commission finally reported. The cures Mesmer bad claimed were actually reproduced in that experiment, but, in blindfolded patients, they only occurred when the patients had been told they were being magnetized, whether or not they actually were. The commission consequently attributed Mesmer 's therapy to the "imagination" of the patients. Even so the reality of effects which can be produced by socially guided "imagination" had been officially demonstrated.
The experimental and theoretical work of Albert Bandura has added greatly to modern understanding of the ways in which "imagination" mediates the influence of social events upon behavior. He focused first on the phenomena of imitation, that is observational learning. Theoretical interpretations of these studies then led him to investigations of the behavioral consequences of a variety of subtle emotions. These ranged from the vicarious pleasure or pain we may experience when observing the fates of others, to the affective reactions we often feel when monitoring our own behavior. Dr. Bandura' s more recent studies, concerning the influence of variations in confidence on psycho-therapeutic processes, flow from conclusions on these topics.
To number his publications is merely to re-emphasize Albert Bandura's contributions to social science. Since 1953 he has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications, including seven books. All of his books have appeared in at least two languages, and 39 of his papers have been reprinted, often repeatedly, and one of them nine times. This work has been so widely cited in discussions of social learning that it has virtually pre-empted the title "social learning theory."
Dr. Bandura has also performed exemplary service on the other side of the editorial desk. Besides functioning as series editor for one book publisher, he has been a member of the advisory boards of 18 learned
journals.
From: Honoris Causa - UA Case 70, Box 2
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