What is the Bobo Doll Study?

The Bobo Doll Study is a classic experiment in psychology that was conducted by Albert Bandura in 1961. It is one of the most influential studies ever conducted in the field of psychology, and it has been cited in numerous other studies since then. The study aimed to examine the effects of observational learning on children’s behaviour. The study found that children who observed adults behaving aggressively towards a Bobo Doll (an inflatable toy) were more likely to copy the aggressive behaviour themselves.

Background Information

Albert Bandura was a Canadian psychologist who was interested in the effects of observational learning on children’s behaviour. He conducted the Bobo Doll Study in order to test this hypothesis. The study was conducted in a laboratory setting with a group of 36 children, aged three to six years old. The children were divided into three groups of 12.

The first group was the control group, and they were not exposed to any aggressive behaviour. The second group was the experimental group, and they were exposed to adults behaving aggressively towards a Bobo Doll. The third group was the vicarious reinforcement group, and they were exposed to adults behaving aggressively towards the Bobo Doll, but they were also rewarded for imitating the aggressive behaviour.

Methodology

The study was conducted in a laboratory setting with a group of 36 children, aged three to six years old. The children were divided into three groups of 12. The first group was the control group, and they were not exposed to any aggressive behaviour. The second group was the experimental group, and they were exposed to adults behaving aggressively towards a Bobo Doll. The third group was the vicarious reinforcement group, and they were exposed to adults behaving aggressively towards the Bobo Doll, but they were also rewarded for imitating the aggressive behaviour.

The experiment began with the children being shown a film of adults behaving aggressively towards a Bobo Doll. The adults in the film were either male or female, and they were either rewarded or punished for their behaviour. After the film, the children were taken into a room with a Bobo Doll and were allowed to play with it for 20 minutes. During this time, the experimenters observed the children’s behaviour and recorded how often they acted aggressively towards the Bobo Doll.

Results

The results of the experiment showed that the children in the experimental group and the vicarious reinforcement group were more likely to imitate the aggressive behaviour they had seen in the film. This was true even when the adults in the film were punished for their behaviour. The results also showed that the children in the control group were less likely to imitate the aggressive behaviour, suggesting that observational learning had an effect on their behaviour.

Conclusion

The Bobo Doll Study demonstrated that children are more likely to imitate aggressive behaviour they have observed in others, even when they are not directly rewarded or punished for their behaviour. This result has important implications for our understanding of how children learn, and it has been cited in numerous other studies since then.

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