Explain the results of Albert Bandura's experiment involving a Bobo doll, and note how it illustrates the social learning approach to understanding aggression.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

- One group of preschool-age children watched a film of an adult playing aggressively with a Bobo doll, whereas another group of children watched a film of an adult playing calmly with Tinkertoys.
- The children were later induced to experience frustration by being refused the opportunity to play with their favorite toy.
- When the children were given access to the Bobo doll and the Tinkertoys they children modeled the behavior of the adult they had observed.
- Those children who witnessed the aggressive model were more aggressive when playing, whereas those children who witnessed the less aggressive adult were less aggressive when playing.
- Bandura's experiments provided a clear demonstration that observation of a model can contribute to adoption of model's behavior.