A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

What psychological effect did the study by Bandura et al (1961) have on children?

1. Reduced aggression levels

2. Increased anxiety

3. Increased aggression

4. No effect

The correct answer is: Increased aggression

The study conducted by Bandura et al. in 1961, commonly known for the Bobo doll experiment, demonstrated that children who observed aggressive behavior exhibited by adults were more likely to imitate that behavior themselves. This finding showcases the principles of social learning theory, which suggests that behaviors are learned through the observation of others, particularly role models. In the experiment, children who watched an adult behaving aggressively towards a Bobo doll—verbally and physically attacking it—were later given the chance to play with the same doll. The results revealed that these children displayed a significant increase in aggressive behaviors, both towards the doll and in their play in general. This indicates that exposure to aggressive actions can lead to the modeling of such behaviors, reinforcing the idea that children can learn and adopt aggressive actions simply by witnessing them in others. The context of this study is critical in understanding various social and behavioral impacts, illustrating how aggression can be socially constructed as a learned response rather than an inherent trait. Thus, the findings confirm that the observed increase in aggression among the children was a direct result of their social learning experiences during the experiment.