Education News Headline Roundup [00:08:10]

• The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is once again majorly delayed. On August 7th the U.S. Department of Education announced a rollout process for the 2025-2026 form that includes an October 1st date for limited testing, with the application set to open to all students on December 1 2024, two months later than the typical release date for the application. 
• A federal appeals court has allowed an Iowa law that bans books with sexual content from K-12 school libraries and restricts instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity before seventh grade to take effect. This overturns a previous injunction that had paused the law, signed by Republican Governor Kim Reynolds in 2023.
• An update to a previously discussed story: in the wake of former Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse announcing his resignation from the University of Florida presidency, the UF student newspaper, the Independent Florida Alligator, has reported that Sasse may have been forced out over escalating tensions with the university’s board chairman, Morteza “Mori” Hosseini.

Social Learning Theory: Bandura, Bobo, and Beyond [00:15:16]

Social Learning Theory (SLT) seeks to explain how we learn behaviors by observing and imitating others. This episode explores SLT's unique position between behaviorism, which focuses on observable behaviors, and cognitive psychology, which emphasizes internal processes like memory and perception.

We’ll discuss how Albert Bandura revolutionized psychology by developing new theories on aggression and modeled behaviors, challenging the dominant behaviorist views of the time. We’ll cover Bandura’s famous Bobo Doll experiment and its groundbreaking findings on observational learning, and we’ll also introduce you to other key figures in the development of SLT, like Julian Rotter, who developed the concept of locus of control, and Walter Mischel, known for the marshmallow test on delayed gratification. We’ll also tease apart the core concepts of SLT (modeling, self-efficacy, and vicarious reinforcement) to show how they work together to shape behavior. Finally, we’ll discuss the broader applications and criticisms of SLT in areas like education, media, and even advertising, where the power of observed behavior is leveraged in both positive and controversial ways.

Sources & Resources:

The rollout for the updated FAFSA application has been delayed again : NPR

After Botched Rollout, FAFSA Is Delayed for a Second Year - The New York Times

FAFSA Rollout Delayed Again: Here's What to Know | Paying for College | U.S. News

U.S. Department of Education Announces Schedule and New Process to Launch 2025-26 FAFSA Form

‘There’s nothing more important right now’: Cardona commits to fixing FAFSA disaster - POLITICO

Federal judges allow Iowa book ban to take effect this school year | AP News

Obama addresses healthcare website glitches - BBC News

Federal appeals court rules Iowa's book ban law can take effect

Sasse's spending, exit leave lingering questions at UF

University of Florida Pres. Kent Fuchs addresses Sasse allegations, plans for future

Sasse stepped down. Donors and top officials say he was forced out. - The Independent Florida Alligator

Ben Sasse Appears to Have Turned the University of Florida Into a Gravy Train for His Pals

Former UF President Ben Sasse defends spending after Gov. DeSantis raises concerns

Social cognitive theory | psychology | Britannica

Social learning | Secondary Keywords: Imitation, Observational Learning & Reinforcement | Britannica

Observational learning | Psychology, Behavior & Cognitive Processes | Britannica

Social learning theory - Wikipedia

Albert Bandura | Biography, Theory, Experiment, & Facts | Britannica

Albert Bandura, Leading Psychologist of Aggression, Dies at 95 - The New York Times

Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioral change - A. Bandura - APA PsycNet

Social learning and clinical psychology : Rotter, Julian B : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

Julian Rotter - Wikipedia

Theories of Emeritus Professor Julian Rotter Still Relevant to Field of Clinical Psychology - UConn Today

Decision Making Individual Differences Inventory - Internal-External Scale

In Memoriam: Walter Mischel, Psychologist Who Developed Pioneering Marshmallow Test | Department of Psychology

Walter Mischel | Stanford Marshmallow Experiment, Cognitive Delay of Gratification | Britannica

How many users visit Wikipedia daily? - Quora.

The Bobo Doll Experiment - Psychestudy

Biological Mechanisms for Observational Learning - PMC

Albert Bandura's experiments on aggression modeling in children: A psychoanalytic critique - PMC

Remembrance For Walter Mischel, Psychologist Who Devised The Marshmallow Test