What do you do with a Bobo doll?

Former Federal Communications Commissioner Nicholas Johnson once said “All television is educational; the only question is: what is it teaching?” Presently it is teaching negative stereotypes and that is why it is very important to teach children to become aware of these stereotypes. Advertisers who buy ad time during children programming sell “food” with little or no nutritional value. Children are arguably the most susceptible to the persuasive message of advertisers. Cartoons are half hour “infomercials”, teaching children to become consumers at a young age. The book states “There is no force or trickery in persuasion.” That may be true for adults but, what about children? What critical thinking, logic or past experience are they to rely on? Bandura did several studies regarding children. His Social Learning Theory examines what motivates people. He did several studies regarding the cathartic theory. This is especially solvent when studying children and advertising. Basically what the Social Learning Theory is just what it name implies: we learn and are motivated by our society. In other words children who watch violent programs are more likely to act out. Bandura is deliciously controversial. There are many articles that examine the pros and cons of his theory. It is an extremely interesting explanation of the persuasive message of children’s television.