In 1961 Bandura conducted a controversial experiment known as the Bobo doll experiment, to study patterns of behavior , at least in part, by social learning theory, and that similar behaviors were learned by individuals shaping their own behavior after the actions of models.

The experiment was criticized by some on ethical grounds, for training children towards aggression. Bandura's results from the Bobo Doll Experiment changed the course of modern psychology, and were widely credited for helping shift the focus in academic psychology from pure behaviorism to cognitive psychology. The experiment is among the most lauded and celebrated of psychological experiments.