2.2.2.1 - Bandura (1963)

• We learn all of our behaviour from imitating other peoples actions
• Observational approach

  Humans learn all of their behaviour by observing and imitating other people
• Bandura used Bobo dolls to make an experiment to see if children would imitate aggressive behaviour
• The 72 children of Bandura's were split into 3 groups of 24
• Each 24 child group of the experiment was assigned a film; aggressive, non-aggressive, and neutral
• The children from the aggressive group were most likely to be aggressive towards the Bobo doll of the groups
• The children who were in the non-aggressive group showed the least likely to be aggressive towards the Bobo doll
• The children in the neutral group imitated less aggressive behaviour than the aggressive group
• Violence or aggression is produced by...

  • Arousal event (provocation)
  • Learned aggression
  • Expected success and rewards
  • Pro-violence values
• Observational learning


  Learnt behaviour from people around the learner
• Behaviour can be learnt from family, prevalent subculture, cultural symbols, or models
• Model


  A person who is observed or imitated by another
• Imitation


  Copying someone else's actions and behaviours
• James Bulger is an example of observational learning as his murder was suggested in court to be most likely due to the imitation of acts in Child's Play 3