Bandura, Albert

Basic Biographical Information

Albert Bandura was born on December 4, 1925, in Mundare, Alberta, Canada, the youngest of six children and only son. His parents, who had immigrated to Canada from Eastern Europe, valued education although they were not formally educated themselves. In 1949, Albert Bandura was awarded his B.A. in Psychology from the University of British Columbia with the Bolocan Award in Psychology. Inspired by Kenneth Spence, he then enrolled at the University of Iowa, completing his M.A. in Psychology in 1951. He earned his Ph.D. in Psychology in 1952, focused on learning theory, working with Arthur Benton.

Albert Bandura and Virginia Varns met at the University of Iowa and married in 1952; the same year Dr. Bandura completed a postdoctoral internship at the Witchita (KS) Guidance Center. Their daughters, Mary and Carol, were born in 1954 and 1958, respectively.

In 1953, Albert Bandura joined the faculty at Stanford University on a 1-year appointment as an acting...