Bandura 1961

Bandura 1961

1. Aim

   • The aim of the investigation was to demonstrate that if children are a passive witness the aggressive display by an adult role model they would imitate this behaviour when given the opportunity in a NEW ENVIROMENT. therefore the study investigated mechanisms of SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY.

2. Hypothesis

   • 1. Children who observe aggressive acts from a model will reproduce these aggressive acts
   • 2. Obseving non-aggressive model or no model will inhibit aggressive behaviour.
   • 3.Children will imitate same sex more than opposite sex models
   • 4. boys will be more predispose than girls towards imitating aggression.

3. Research method

   • Lab experiment

4. Data collection

   • Observation

5. Sample

   • Children attending Stanford university Nursery school.
   • 72 Children
     • 36 Boys
     • 36 girls
     • Average age = 52 months
   • Opportunity sample
     • Bandura used children who fitted his criteria and who where really available

6. Experimental groups

   • 36 males 36 females
     • Non-agressive model
       • Male model 6 males 6 females
       • Female model 6 males 6 females
     • Aggressive model
       • Male model 6 males 6 females
       • Female model 6 males 6 females
     • No model
       • 12 male
       • 12 female

7. Controlls

   • The children were pre rated/ measured for their levels of aggression by their nursery teacher and the female experimenter
     • They observed the children and rated them on a five point scale
     • The scales measured the extent to which the children displayed physical agression, verbal aggression, aggression towards inanimate objects and aggression inhibition.
       • The four ratings were added up and compared for inter-rater reliability (0.89)
     • Based on the results the children were arranged into tripletsand then randomly assigned one of the model conditions

8. Procedure

   • Once participants were put into their group they went through the same precedure
   • Room 1
     • children from the control group didn't go into this room
     • they were sat at a table an shown how to design pictures of flowers and animals with potato prints and stickers
     • the model began assembling the tinker toys and after a minute the model turned to the Bobo doll an spent the remained of the time being aggressive towards it.
       • set aggressive routine
         • verbal aggression: POW!, Sock him in the nose!, kick him and Hit him down. non-aggressive: He sure is a tough fella
         • physical aggression: the Bobo doll was laid on its side, sat on and then punched in the nos. the model then lifted it in the air and hit the Bobo doll on the head with a mallet. finally the Bobo doll was thrown in the air and kicked about the room.
         • was repeated three times for each child
       • CONDITION 1
     • CONDITION 2
       • The model began assembling the tanker toys, totally ignoring the Bobo doll. at the end of the ten minutes, the female exp. entered the room, and informed the child that they would now go onto another game room
   • room 2
     • All 72 children entered this room
     • the children were taken into a room full of attractive toys
       • e.g. a fire engine, a jet fighter plane, a colourful spinning top and a doll set complete with wardrobe, doll carriage and baby crib
     • the experimenter explained that the toys were for the children to play with, but a soon as the child became involved with playing with the toys (2mins), the exp. then said these were her very best toys, that she didn't let just anyone play with them, and that she decided to keep the, for the other children. Howver the children were told they could play with the toys in the next room
       • provoking mild aggressive arousal
   • room 3
     • this room contained various toys, SET IN A FIXED ORDER
     • Aggressive: 3 ft Bobo doll, mallet and two dart guns
     • Non-aggressive: crayons, tea set and plastic farm animals
     • The child was allowed to play for 20 mins and was observed without their knowledge through a one way mirror by the male model and other observer in five second intervals.
     • As a control the observes were not aware of which condition the children where from
       • the exp. stayed in the room with the child but to avoid distraction kept themselves busy with paper work.

9. Results

   • children who observed the aggressive moles made more imitative aggressive acts (verbally and physically) than those in non-aggressive or control group
     • e.g. males showed an average of 25.8 physically aggressive acts when seeing a male model act aggressively compares to an average of 1.5 physically aggressive acts when seeing a male model act aggressively compared to an average of 1.5 physically aggressive acts when seeing a non-aggresssive male model
   • Boys were more likely to imitate same sex models than girls. the evidence for the girls imitating sam e sex models was NOT strong e.g. male participants and male model + 25.8, female participants & female model = 5.5
   • overall boys showed moor imitate aggression than girls
   • overall boys showed more mallet aggression, punched the Bobo doll more and where more aggressive with gun play than girls
   • But girls showed more imitative verbal aggression than boys when they had witnessed a female model
   • male model was more influential over both the boys and girls than the female model
   • There was often confusion about the female role; it seemed that the children it wasn't appropriate of a lady to act like that.
     • 'who is that lady?' thats not the way for a lady to behave, ladies are supposed to act like ladies'
     • 'that man is a strong man.'

10. Conclusion

    • this study provides evidence to suggest that behaviours not learnt as a direct result of just rewards and punishment, but that behaviour is learnt via observation of models and then can be transmitted from on situation to another.
    • aggression is learnt from observing role models, as such highlighting the importance go considering your own actions around children who are more likely to replicate them. Bandura suggests that if one child sees an adult behave aggressively it legitimises the behaviour, so the child will assume that aggressive behaviour is acceptable.
    • certain types of models are more likely to be imitated than others dependent upon the sex of the child and the sex of the model.
    • in general the male aggressive model was more influential and boys imitated more physical aggression than girls. Bandura concluded that this was due to general socialisation (girls and boys from and early age are socialised to understand and accept differences in make and female role models)
    • this study supports that aggression is a learnt response, and occurs through th process of social learning theory. Bandura argues that his study is clear evidence for NURTURE rather than NATURE

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