What was the main focus of Bandura's Bobo Dolls experiment?

The primary focus of Bandura's Bobo Dolls experiment was on social learning through observation. In this groundbreaking research, Albert Bandura investigated how children learn behaviors by watching others. He set up a scenario where children observed an adult interacting with a Bobo doll, either aggressively or in a neutral manner. After witnessing the adult's behavior, the children were then given the opportunity to play with the doll themselves.

The findings demonstrated that children who observed aggressive behavior were more likely to replicate that aggression when interacting with the doll. This highlighted the concept that learning can occur not only through direct experience but also through observation, supporting Bandura's theory of social learning. This theory posits that people can learn new behaviors simply by observing others, without the need for direct reinforcement or punishment.

The experiment thus underscored the significance of modeling in behavior acquisition, which is central to the understanding of social learning theory.