What was the purpose of the "Bobo doll" experiment?

The "Bobo doll" experiment, conducted by Albert Bandura in the early 1960s, was primarily designed to demonstrate how children can learn and imitate behaviors they observe in others, particularly aggressive behaviors. In the study, children were exposed to a model who acted aggressively towards a Bobo doll, a large inflatable toy. Following this exposure, the children were left in a room with the Bobo doll, and researchers observed that many of them imitated the aggressive actions they had seen, effectively showcasing the concept of observational learning.

This study was pivotal in the development of social learning theory, emphasizing that learning can occur through the observation of others, rather than through direct reinforcement or punishment. The key finding was that children not only learned aggressive behaviors but also replicated them without experiencing any direct consequences, illustrating how powerful observational learning can be in shaping behavior.