Bobo Dolls and Cumberbabes

(image from collider.com, Marvel, Dr. Strange)

The fam and I went to the theater tonight to see Marvel's Dr. Strange.  Since this is opening weekend, I won't give any spoilers or tell you anything, except that I loved it, I love Benedict Cumberbabe, and I want a cape too.  That's all.

Tomorrow begins a new week.  I have a major research proposal behind me, and now I actually have to do the experiments.

A lot of people are surprised when they are told that psychology is a science.  The general populace doesn't think of it that way. They think of it as laying on a couch, talking to some old man who murmurs, "Mmm hmm, I see" and writes in a notebook.  But it's not like that.

Research psychology is important.  A lot of research is conducted concerning memory, cognitive processing, learning, and social interaction, for example.  And by social interaction, I will give you this classic example:

Albert Bandura, a behaviorist psychologist who was born in 1925 and conducted some of his most famous work during the 60s and 70s, is probably best known for what we call his "Bobo Doll Experiment". The theory was that children learn behavior through modeling.  In other words, they learn by watching what someone, usually an adult, does.  In this experiment, a group of children watched an adult model behave in aggressive manner towards a Bobo doll.  (A Bobo doll was a tall punching bag that looked like a clown and would pop back up after you hit it).  A second group observed an adult model come into the room with the doll and ignore the doll while playing quietly.  A third group of children was the control group and they weren't exposed to any behaviors.

Can you guess which group of children behaved aggressively towards the Bobo doll? 

Yes. The group that observed the adult doing it.  This became what Bandura called "social learning theory".  I saw this in action at the park the other day.  My daughter had a picnic with her classmates, and the children were given brownies wrapped in Seran wrap.  At first, all the children unwrapped their brownies and kept the wrappers on the picnic table.  Then, one child made a noise and thumped the wrapper across the table and onto the ground.  Soon, all of them were doing it.

The closest and best role models that children have are their parents.  If you think your kid isn't watching you, think again.  Children notice everything.

Another aspect of psychology is the human side of it.  Yes, the research is very important. But a lot of us are in it just because we want to understand and help.  We want to ease suffering.  It's how we're made. 

I could go on forever on this topic.  There are many sub-disciplines in psychology, just like in medicine, and particular types of therapy that work best for particular types of mental disorders. 

I wonder, when I graduate and I finally get my counselling license (which is at least two more years away), will they let me wear a cape?  ;)