Social Learning Theory

The theory of social learning states that an individual acquires the ability to perform a new behaviour without necessarily being performed. Behaviourists see that we learn how to behave aggressively by observing role models and imitating what we see.

Bandura supported this idea with his Bobo Doll study. He investigated whether aggressive behaviour can indeed be learnt. Half of the children observed aggressive adults, and the other half non aggressive. Those children that had been exposed to an aggressive role model then imitated the same behaviour to the bobo doll. This fits in with the idea that children primarily learn their aggression through observation of role models and then imitation.

Also children can learn aggression through vicarious…