Bandura’s social learning theory and the bobo doll experiment had a special meaning for their time and sparked a debate that continues to the current day. Television and other forms of mass communication were becoming omnipresent. The extent to which adults were exposing children to violence was unprecedented. Concern about this issue arose in the mid-1990s as the widespread availability and popularity of high-quality home videos became commonplace. Studies have shown that exposure to violent imagery does not cause aggression in children.
Some psychologists argue that watching violent imagery and playing violent video games act as a ‘safety-valve’ for feelings of rage and frustration. Social learning theory reinstates the idea that children not only imitate but also evaluate behaviors around them. This means they are likely to learn to behave aggressively by observing how their peers behave. Children who see violence on TV or in the film do not imitate what they see. In addition, they are also more likely to develop aggressive attitudes if they do not experience any form of positive reinforcement for their own behavior.
