Bobo doll experiments tested whether children imitate novel aggressive acts

Evidence

In this program of research, children observed an adult assault an inflated Bobo doll in novel ways such as pummeling it with a mallet, kicking it, hurling it aggressively, and throwing it down and beating it on the face (Bandura, Ross, & Ross, 1963). The physical assault was accompanied by neologistic hostile expressions, such as “sockeroo.” To remove any social demand and to permit a rich array of behavioral options, the environmental setting in which the children’s behavior was measured was stocked with an abundant array of toys that boys and girls traditionally would play with, not just a Bobo doll. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 730

Categorization

• XREF: The methodology detail — stocking varied toys to remove social demand — is a nice contrast with how replication critiques later characterized these experiments.