Rosalind is an impulsive child who seldom waits for her turn when playing with other children. Rosalind’s father is also an impulsive individual who often seems to act before he thinks. The theorist who would MOST likely suggest that Rosalind has learned to be impulsive from watching her father is
a. B. F. Skinner.
b. Sigmund Freud.
c. Carl Rogers.
d. Albert Bandura.
The correct answer and explanation is :
The correct answer is:
d. Albert Bandura.
Explanation:
Albert Bandura is a renowned psychologist best known for his social learning theory, which emphasizes that people learn behaviors by observing and imitating others, particularly role models such as parents, teachers, and peers. This theory suggests that behavior is acquired through a process called observational learning or modeling, rather than solely through direct reinforcement or innate tendencies.
In Rosalind’s case, she is an impulsive child who often does not wait for her turn when playing with others. Her father also exhibits impulsive behavior, often acting before thinking. According to Bandura’s theory, Rosalind has likely learned her impulsive tendencies by observing and imitating her father’s behavior. Children tend to model the actions of significant adults in their lives, especially parents, because they see them as authoritative and influential figures.
Bandura’s famous Bobo doll experiment further supports this idea. In this study, children watched adults act aggressively toward a Bobo doll. Later, when given the opportunity, the children who had observed the aggressive behavior were more likely to imitate it, suggesting that they learned the behavior through observation rather than direct experience. Similarly, Rosalind may have observed her father’s impulsive actions and learned to behave in a similar way.
Other theorists do not fit as well in explaining Rosalind’s behavior:
- B. F. Skinner (a) focused on behavior being shaped by reinforcement and punishment rather than observational learning.
- Sigmund Freud (b) would likely attribute impulsive behavior to unconscious desires and early psychosexual development.
- Carl Rogers (c) emphasized self-concept and humanistic growth rather than learned behaviors.
Thus, Bandura’s social learning theory best explains Rosalind’s impulsive behavior.