Background: Albert Bandura conducted the Bobo Doll Experiment to explore the role of observational learning in aggression. At the time, behaviorism (Skinner, Watson) emphasized reinforcement and punishment in learning. However, Bandura proposed that children learn behaviors by observing and imitating others, even without direct reinforcement.
Aim: To investigate whether children imitate aggressive behavior observed in an adult model and whether boys are more likely to imitate aggression than girls.
Method:
Research Method and Design: Laboratory experiment with match pairs design (children were matched for initial aggression levels before being assigned to conditions).
Variables:
Independent variable:
Model’s gender
Model’s behaviour
Children’s gender
Dependent variable: level of aggression displayed by the child
Sample:
72 children (36 boys, 36 girls) from Stanford University’s nursery school.
Age range: 3–6 years.
Participants were divided into groups of 24 (one group per experimental condition).
Experimental conditions:
Aggressive model (adult hitting and kicking the Bobo doll).
Non-aggressive model (adult playing calmly).
Control (no model).
Procedure:
Phase 1: Modeling Behavior (Exposure to the Model)
Each child was taken individually into a playroom where they were seated at a table with stickers and picture books.
An adult model (either same-sex or opposite-sex) was present in the room and engaged in specific behavior based on the experimental condition:
Aggressive Model Condition: The adult aggressively interacted with a 5-foot-tall inflatable Bobo doll, using both physical and verbal aggression. The model punched, kicked, and hit the doll with a mallet while saying aggressive phrases
Non-Aggressive Model Condition: The adult played calmly with non-aggressive toys (e.g., assembling Tinker Toys) and ignored the Bobo doll.
Control Condition: The child did not witness a model and was instead taken directly to the next phase.
After 10 minutes, the child was moved to another room.
Phase 2: Mild Aggression Arousal (Frustration Induction)
The child was taken to a new room filled with attractive toys (e.g., a fire engine, a doll set, colorful spinning tops).
After a few minutes of free play, the child was told, "These are the very best toys, and they are reserved for the other children."
The child was then taken to another room with a mix of aggressive and non-aggressive toys.
This step was included to heighten the child’s frustration and make any aggressive behaviors more likely to emerge in the next phase.
Phase 3: Test for Imitation (Observation and Recording of Behavior)
The child was placed in a room containing:
Aggressive toys (e.g., a Bobo doll, a mallet, and toy guns).
Non-aggressive toys (e.g., tea sets, crayons, dolls, and farm animals).
The child was allowed to play freely for 20 minutes, while experimenters observed from behind a one-way mirror.
Researchers recorded the number of times the child exhibited behaviors that matched the aggressive model’s actions, including:
Imitative Aggression (exact replication of the model’s actions, such as punching the Bobo doll).
Partially Imitative Aggression (similar but not identical behaviors, such as hitting the doll with a different object).
Non-Imitative Aggression (aggressive behaviors not demonstrated by the model, such as throwing objects or verbal insults).
Non-Aggressive Behavior (calm play or complete avoidance of aggression).
Results:
Children who observed an aggressive model were significantly more aggressive than those in the non-aggressive or control conditions.
Boys displayed more physical aggression than girls, but both genders imitated verbal aggression.
Children were more likely to imitate same-sex models.
Conclusion:
Aggression can be learned through observation and imitation.
Social learning occurs even without direct reinforcement.
Gender influences imitation, with boys being more likely to mimic physical aggression.
Bandura, A., Ross, D., & Ross, S. A. (1961). Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63(3), 575–582. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0045925
Of all the posts on this blog, this is the most shocking one to me. You should be proud of your hard work writing these experiments up, they were very easy to understand. Well done!
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