The present technology relates to a reception apparatus, a reception method, a transmission apparatus, and a transmission method that make it possible to provide a broadcasting service by using MPEG-DASH. Provided is a reception apparatus including a control unit that performs, on the basis of a relationship among a plurality of elements which is prescribed in advance in an MPD conforming to a standard of MPEG-DASH which is transmitted via a broadcast wave or a communication network of digital broadcasting, and a first element for grouping of target elements in a specific layer in which selection or structuring of a component having a structure including a plurality of layers for the selection and the structuring is performed, at least one of the selection and the structuring of the component, and controls reproduction of a content constituted of one or more components. The present technology can be applied to a television receiver, for example.