Question

Do you agree or disagree with Bandura's belief that much of what individuals learn is acquired through observing others? Why?

Answer 1

A true experimental design is a study which observes the cause and effect relationship between two variables. A true experiment must include three important criteria, control group and experimental group, random assignment, reseracher-manipulated variable. Albert Bandura developed an experiment to test observational learning. Observational learning, as the name suggests is a form of learning which is learnt through observation. An individual learns a new behaviour through imitation by observation. Bandura and his colleagues designed an experiment in which they divided the nursery school children into two groups; the experimental group and the control group. The participants were randomly assigned. The subjects of the experimental group were made to watch an aggressive video in which two models were seen punching, hitting and hurling verbal abuses on a bobo doll. The control group was made to watch a non-aggressive video.

After both the groups were done watching the videos, Bandura to now test his hypothesis, escorted the children to a room full of toys. It also had bobo dolls included. The children who watched the aggressive video (experimental group) were more likely to imitate the behaviour learnt in the video. They hit and punched the bobo dolls just like what they had seen the models doing. Observational learning is a very powerful source of learning. Children pick up new behaviour through observation and begin imitating it in a jiffy.

The bobo doll study is a true experiment as it meets with the criteria of a true experiment. Also, the participants of the experimental group were compared to the participants of the control group. This answers the hypothesis of a true experiment which reflects on the cause and effect relationship. Thus, from the results of the study it can be concluded that behaviour is learnt through observation and imitation.