A Level Psychology OCR Practice Exam

What type of aggression did children in the aggressive group exhibit during the imitation test?

1. Non-imitative control

2. Physical and verbal aggression

3. Only non-imitative aggression

4. Mostly verbal aggression

The correct answer is: Physical and verbal aggression

The correct response indicates that children in the aggressive group exhibited both physical and verbal aggression during the imitation test. This finding correlates with theories of observational learning, particularly as proposed by Albert Bandura in his social learning theory. In the classic experiment known as the Bobo doll experiment, children who were exposed to aggressive models displayed similar aggressive behaviors when given the opportunity to interact with the Bobo doll. Not only did they replicate the physical actions they observed, such as hitting or kicking the doll, but they also mimicked verbal aggression, including phrases and insults they had heard from the models. This dual display of aggressive behavior reinforces the idea that children learn and imitate both physical and verbal forms of aggression through observation, demonstrating the influence of modeled behavior on their own actions. The presence of both types of aggression supports the broader understanding of aggression as a learned behavior rather than an innate response.