The Bobo Doll Experiment - Albert Bandura on Social Learning

Summary

The video explains Albert Bandura’s Bobo Doll experiments and how they helped establish that people can learn behaviors by observing others. It uses the cycle of abuse portrayed in Big Little Lies as an example of how children may imitate behaviors they see at home.

First Bobo Doll experiment (1961)

Conducted at Stanford University, the experiment examined whether children would imitate an adult’s behavior toward an inflatable Bobo doll.

• Modeling: Children were divided into groups. Some watched an adult behave aggressively toward the doll by hitting it, using hostile language, and sometimes striking it with a mallet. Others watched an adult engage in calm, non-aggressive activities. A control group was also included.
• Aggression arousal: After observing the adult, children were briefly allowed to play with appealing toys. Researchers then removed the toys, frustrating the children.
• Delayed imitation test: Children were taken to another room containing aggressive and non-aggressive toys, including a Bobo doll. Researchers observed them through a one-way mirror.
• Findings: Children who had watched an aggressive adult were more likely to act aggressively toward the doll. Children who had watched a non-aggressive adult were more likely to avoid the doll or express frustration without aggression.

The video presents this as evidence that children can learn ways of responding to frustration by watching adults, including their parents.

Follow-up experiment (1963)

Bandura later examined how consequences affect whether children perform behavior they have observed.

• Children watched a video of an adult behaving aggressively toward the Bobo doll.
• They saw different endings: the adult received no shown consequence, was rewarded, or was punished and warned not to behave aggressively.
• The children were then placed individually in a room with toys and a Bobo doll.
• Children who had seen the adult punished were less likely to act aggressively on their own.
• However, when researchers asked the children to reproduce the aggressive actions they had seen, they could do so.

The video distinguishes learning a behavior from choosing to perform it. Observing the model allowed children to learn and remember the actions, while the consequences influenced whether they acted them out.

A related 1963 comparison found no major difference in children’s learning or display of aggression when they observed a live model versus a model in a movie.

Broader significance

The experiments contributed to Bandura’s account of observational learning and social learning theory. The video connects these ideas to ongoing discussions about whether exposure to violent media leads children to commit violence. Its conclusion is that children may learn behaviors from what they observe, but learning does not necessarily mean they will perform those behaviors; consequences can affect their choices.

Speakers and sources featured

• Video narrator: Presents and explains the experiments.
• Albert Bandura: The psychologist whose experiments and ideas are discussed; he is not heard speaking in the subtitles.
• Big Little Lies: Mentioned as a fictional example of a child exposed to abusive behavior.