Question

Albert bandura and his team followed up on their original bobo doll experiment 2 years later. In the follow-up study, separate groups of children saw the model either rewarded or punished for behaving aggressively. In the control condition, the model experienced no consequences. What were the key findings of this experiment?.

Answer 1

Albert Bandura's follow-up Bobo doll experiment showed that children are more likely to mimic aggressive behavior if they observe an adult model being rewarded or not punished for such behavior, as opposed to when the model is punished. This finding is a result of the process of observational learning, which relies on the observation of a model's behavior and its consequences.

Step-by-step explanation:

The follow-up study to Albert Bandura's original Bobo doll experiment revealed key insights into what is known as observational learning. Separate groups of children were exposed to an adult model who displayed aggressive behavior towards a Bobo doll. The outcomes varied depending on whether the adult model was rewarded, punished, or experienced no consequences for their actions. When the model was punished, children showed less tendency to imitate the aggressive behavior. However, if the model was rewarded or faced no consequences, the children were more likely to mimic both the actions and language of the model, showing increased aggressive behavior towards the doll.

Bandura's social learning theory suggests that the observation of a model being either reinforced or punished can influence whether an individual decides to imitate the behavior. This phenomenon demonstrates the psychological processes of attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation, which are crucial for the manifestation of observational learning.