Who conducted the studies that involved observing behavior change through the BoBo dolls?

The studies involving behavior change through the Bobo dolls were conducted by Albert Bandura, who is best known for his work on social learning theory. In his famous experiments, Bandura observed how children imitated aggressive behaviors modeled by adults interacting with Bobo dolls, inflatable dolls designed to bounce back when knocked down. This research demonstrated that behavior can be learned through the observation of others, emphasizing the importance of modeling in social development. Bandura's findings challenged prior behaviorist views that learning occurs solely through direct reinforcement and punishment, highlighting the role of cognitive processes in learning.

While Pavlov is known for classical conditioning, Thorndike for his work on the law of effect, and Skinner for operant conditioning, none of their research directly pertains to the observational learning that Bandura focused on in his studies with the Bobo dolls. Thus, Bandura's contribution to psychology primarily lies in understanding how social influences shape behavior.