Approaches in Psychology AQA Practice Test

Observational learning through a clear model of aggression. When children see an adult behave aggressively toward the Bobo doll, they receive a concrete, easy-to-imitate script for how to act. That model becomes the behavior they reproduce later, especially when there’s no immediate cue to stop them or punishment present. In Bandura’s setup, the aggressive demonstration provides a powerful template for imitation, which is why aggression reappears when the child is later left on their own. A peaceful model wouldn’t promote aggression, watching a cartoon is a weaker or less direct model, and the doll moving by itself doesn’t supply a social action to copy.