Social learning theory emerged from studies by Albert Bandura in the 1960s. His work focused on how people learn by observing others, and he proposed a series of experiments to test possible causes of aggressive behavior. One of the most famous was his Bobo doll study, where boys and girls aged 3–6 were separated into two groups. Some were given a toy called Bobo, while others were allowed to play alone. Half of the adults accompanying the children also behaved aggressively towards Bobo, either verbally or physically. Children who saw an example of adult aggression were later much more likely to copy it themselves – they would punch or kick the Bobo doll, or hit it with a stick. They would make threats and insults too, mimicking what they had observed. Those who did not witness an adult behaving violently didn’t show any signs of copying them.
Mind and brain
In many cultures around this world, there is the view that humans have a soul that exists independently of the physical body. For Greek philosophers, the soul was also viewed as the seat of our reasoning abilities - what we would call our minds today. While Aristotle...
