Question

The major finding(s) from Bandura's Bobo doll experiments were that a. children learn to be aggressive by watching other people be aggressive. b. children learn to be aggressive by observing reinforced aggression in others. c. children learn to be aggressive only if they see someone of the same sex be aggressive. d. Both a and b are correct.

Short answer

The answer is d. Both a and b are correct.

Step-by-step solution

Understanding Bandura's Experiment

Albert Bandura's Bobo doll experiment tested how children learn aggression through observation of adult behavior. Children watched a model acting aggressively towards a Bobo doll, and their reactions were observed.

Analyzing Observational Learning

The experiment demonstrated that children learn through imitation, observing an adult act aggressively led children to mimic similar aggressive actions towards the Bobo doll.

Considering Reinforced Aggression

Part of Bandura's findings indicated that children who observed aggression being rewarded were more likely to imitate that aggressive behavior.

Assessing Influence of Model Characteristics

While Bandura looked at various conditions, the gender of the model was explored, but children imitated aggression regardless of the model's gender, meaning this wasn't a key finding.

Conclusion

Since the experiment showed children learned aggression by observing aggressive behavior and its reinforcement, both a and b reflect the major findings.

Key concepts

Observational Learning

Observational learning is the process through which individuals learn by watching others. In Bandura's Bobo Doll Experiment, children observed adults behaving aggressively towards a Bobo doll. This study became a classic demonstration of observational learning as it showed that children do not need to experience something firsthand to learn it.
Instead, they can simply watch and quickly absorb new behaviors.
This type of learning emphasizes the social aspect of learning, illustrating that our behaviors can be shaped by the environment and the people around us. As children watched the adults, they took note of their actions and later mirrored those behaviors when it was their turn to interact with the doll. This implies that children are highly influenced by role models, especially those exhibiting new or novel actions.

Aggressive Behavior

Aggressive behavior in the context of Bandura's experiment refers to how the children expressed aggression after observing it in the adults. The aggressive actions included hitting, kicking, and throwing the Bobo doll across the room. Bandura's study revealed that exposure to aggression increases the likelihood of aggressive responses in observers.
This is critical in understanding how behavior can be socially transmitted without direct reinforcement.
The children's mimicry provided evidence that aggression can be learned through observation alone, challenging the notion that aggression is an innate drive that needs direct personal experience to be expressed. This study opened the doors for later research into how violence in media and other cultural outputs can influence individual aggression levels.

Imitation

Imitation is a fundamental component of observational learning demonstrated clearly in Bandura's experiment. After watching the adults interact in a physically aggressive manner with the doll, the children imitated these actions when they had the opportunity.
Imitation is not mindless mimicry, but rather a complex process where the observer must perceive the actions, retain the information, and then reproduce the behavior.
This process plays a crucial role in how children learn various behaviors from their surroundings. Not only did Bandura's study show that children imitate aggressive acts, but it also highlighted the selective nature of imitation, where children chose to replicate behaviors they had seen modeled.

Reinforced Aggression

Reinforced aggression refers to the increased likelihood of adopting aggressive behaviors when such acts are seen to be rewarded. In Bandura's experiment, when children witnessed aggression that was praised or went unpunished, they were more prone to imitate that aggressive conduct themselves.
This concept is significant because it emphasizes the role of consequences in learning through observation.
Children understand the world by watching others; if they see that aggression leads to positive outcomes, they are more likely to replicate those actions. Thus, reinforced aggression underlines the importance of the observed consequences of behavior in determining whether that behavior is adopted by the observer.