Background
Who was the psychologist that led the Bobo Doll experiment in 1961?
Albert Bandura
What did the study find about imitation?
Children who watched aggressive adults were more likely to act aggressively.
What was the main result of the experiment?
Children exposed to aggressive models showed more aggressive behaviour.
Why was the study important?
The study showed that people can learn behaviour by observing others.
What made the experiment reliable?
A strength was the controlled laboratory setting.
What is a Bobo doll?
This type of doll that pops back up when hit was used in the experiment.
What gender difference did the study find?
Boys showed more physical aggression than girls in the experiment.
What happened in the non-aggressive condition?
Children who watched non-aggressive adults showed little aggression.
What real-world issue did the study help explain?
The experiment helped explain how media violence may influence children.
Why might the study lack ecological validity?
A limitation is that the experiment environment was artificial.
What is observational learning?
Learning aggressive behaviour by watching others.
Name 2 of the behaviours the childeren imitated
Kicking, Hitting, Punching, Yelling
What evidence showed imitation?
Some children repeated the exact words used by the adults.
What areas were impacted by the study?
The findings influenced research in psychology, education, and parenting.
What was a sampling limitation?
The participants were only young children from one location.
What University did the experiment take place?
The experiment took place at Stanford university.
What influence did the model’s gender have?
Children were more likely to copy behaviour from an adult of the same gender.
What happened when aggression was reinforced?
Aggressive behaviour increased when children saw aggressive models rewarded.
What psychological concept was highlighted?
It demonstrated the power of modelling behaviour.
What is demand characteristics?
Some argue children may have thought aggression toward the doll was expected.
What happened before the children interacted with the Bobo doll?
In the experiment, children watched adults before they were allowed to play with the doll.
What is learning through observation?
The study showed behaviour can be learned without direct punishment or reward.
What behaviour did the children show after watching aggressive models?
Children who watched aggressive adults were more likely to hit and kick the Bobo doll.
Why was the experiment historically significant?
The study changed how psychologists understand the learning of aggression.
What ethical issue was involved?
The study raised concerns about exposing children to aggressive behaviour.