What did Bandura's findings suggest about children's aggression?

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Study for the BTEC Applied Psychology Social Exam with our comprehensive quizzes. Featuring flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each designed with hints and explanations to boost your confidence for exam day!

Bandura's research, particularly his Bobo doll experiment, provides crucial insight into how children learn and display aggressive behavior. The findings indicated that children who observe an adult behaving aggressively toward a doll were more likely to imitate that aggressive behavior when given the opportunity to play with the same doll. This suggests a strong link between observational learning and the development of aggression in children, highlighting the influence that adult behavior can have on children's actions. This process demonstrates how modeling can lead to the acquisition of new behaviors, including aggression. Therefore, the correct answer reflects the core principle of Bandura's Social Learning Theory, illustrating that witnessing aggression can lead children to adopt similar aggressive behaviors.

Furthermore, the other options do not align with Bandura's conclusions. The idea that children are less likely to imitate aggressive behavior contradicts his findings, which showcase an increase in aggressive behavior following observation. The assertion that gender has no effect on aggression is misleading, as Bandura's studies did note that boys generally exhibited higher levels of aggression than girls in some contexts. Lastly, stating that children do not learn aggression from their peers overlooks the broader social learning environment, where peer interactions also play a crucial role in shaping behavior.

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