BOBO DOLL EXPERIMENT Meaning and
Definition
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The "bobo doll experiment" refers to a landmark study conducted by psychologist Albert Bandura in 1961, aimed at understanding the effects of observed aggression on subsequent behavior in children. The experiment involved a life-sized inflatable doll called the "bobo doll" that was designed to bounce back when hit.
In this experiment, Bandura divided children into groups and exposed them to different variations of a video. Some children watched an adult model engage in aggressive behaviors towards the bobo doll, such as punching, kicking, and verbally assaulting it, while others watched a non-aggressive model. A control group did not watch any model.
After viewing the video, the children were put in a room with various toys, including the bobo doll. The study found that children who had watched the aggressive model were more likely to imitate the same aggressive actions they had witnessed. They exhibited physical aggression towards the doll, repeating the same acts of hitting, kicking, and verbally assaulting it. Conversely, the children who saw the non-aggressive model or no model at all showed significantly less aggression towards the doll.
Bandura's study demonstrated that children are highly influenced by the behavior they observe in others, especially authoritative figures. The bobo doll experiment provided empirical evidence for social learning theory, highlighting the role of observational learning and the potential impact of media violence on children's behavior. This study significantly contributed to the understanding of human behavior, particularly in terms of aggression and the importance of environmental influences on socialization.
