The so-called social learning theory holds that new behavior can be acquired not only through the classic reward-and-punishment structure, but also through observation and imitation. Experts have debated the validity of this theory for decades, but the Canadian psychologist Albert Bandura decided to take a more empirical stance by organizing a series of tests with children known as "The Bobo doll experiment", and his results revealed a certain tendency among the youngest to reproduce violent actions, both verbally and physically.
"Children repeat everything they see on television", "video games cause violence"… the pattern is quite clear: the minds of the youngest are basically described as a sponge that absorbs and reproduces what they receive, especially what is considered "bad behavior". Of course, anecdotal evidence is not enough, and there are always certain elements that throw strange arguments in all directions to justify certain positions; however, the debate remains open.
A recurring material in the discussion is the famous Bobo doll experiment that psychologist Albert Bandura organized in 1961 and 1963. The first edition had a total of 72 participants. In general, they were separated into boys and girls, and ended up exposed to two very defined models, one aggressive in which a Bobo doll is hit and insulted, and another non-aggressive that ignores it.
Both models were in turn reproduced by men and women, such that twelve boys and twelve girls saw the assigned model being developed by the opposite sex. In the second version, the number of participants was reduced to 66, separated into three groups that watched a film in which an adult hits the doll.
Bandura's results were consistent: participants under the aggressive model were more likely to imitate that behavior, and even invented new ways to attack the doll. The number of aggressive instances was higher among males, especially when they saw the same-sex model in action.
Since then, the Bobo doll experiment has received a large number of criticisms, the most important being that it is not a study of aggression, but of motivation, in which children simply felt compelled to imitate the adult himself, and not his violence.
Other claims point to the natural lack of development in children, who are sometimes unable to separate reality from fantasy. On the other hand, the General Aggression Model (video games) and the Cultivation Theory (television) somewhat accompany Bandura's results. One thing is certain: we are going to keep talking about the Bobo doll for decades.
