Bandura 1961

Bandura 1961

1. To demonstrate that if children were passive witnesses to an aggressive display by an adult they would imitate this aggressive behaviour when given the opportunity.

   • Children exposed to aggressive models will reproduce aggressive acts resembling those of the models.
   • Children exposed to non-aggressive models will reproduce less aggressive acts.
   • Children will imitate the behaviour of a same-sex model to a greater degree than a model of the opposite sex.
   • Boys will be more predisposed than girls towards imitating aggression.

2. 36 boys and 36 girls aged between 37 to 69 months (mean = 52 months).

   • Laboratory experiment

3. Independent variables: The condition the children were exposed to, the sex of the role model and the sex of the child.

   • Control Group (24 children)
     • Split into four groups of 6 children (6 boys with same sex/opposite sex, 6 girls same)
   • Aggressive Group
   • Passive Group
   • The researchers pre-tested the children for how aggressive they were. They did this by observing the children in the nursery and judged their aggressive behaviour on four 5-point rating scales. It was then possible to match the children in each group so that they had similar levels of aggression in their everyday behaviour. The experiment is therefore an example of a matched pairs design.
     • Physical aggression
     • Verbal aggression
     • Aggressive inhibition
     • Aggression towards inanimate objects

4. In stage one of the experiment children were brought to the experimental room by the experimenter, and the model, who was in the hallway outside the room, was invited to come in and join in the game. The room was set out for play and the activities were chosen because they had been noted to have high interest for nursery school children. One corner was arranged as the child's play area, where there was a small table and chair, potato prints and picture stickers. After settling the child in its corner the adult model was escorted to the opposite corner of the room where there was a small table, chair, tinker-toy set, a mallet and a five foot inflatable Bobo doll. After the model was seated the experimenter left the experimental room. After ten minutes the experimenter entered and took the child to a new room which the child was told was another games room.

   • In the non-aggressive condition, the model ignored Bobo and assembled the tinker-toys in a quiet, gentle manner.
   • In the aggressive condition the model began by assembling the tinker-toys, but after one minute turned to Bobo and was aggressive to the doll in a very stylised and distinctive way.
     • An example of physical aggression was "raised the Bobo doll and pommeled it on the head with a mallet", An example of verbal aggression was, "Pow!" and "Sock him in the nose".
   • In stage two the child was subjected to 'mild aggression arousal'. The child was taken to a room with relatively attractive toys. As soon as the child started to play with the toys the experimenter told the child that these were the experimenter's very best toys and she had decided to reserve them for the other children.
     • Then the child was taken to the next room for stage three of the study where the child was told it could play with any of the toys in there. The experimenter stayed in the room "otherwise a number of children would either refuse to stay alone, or would leave before termination of the session".
       • The non-aggressive toys included a tea set, crayons, three bears and plastic farm animals. The aggressive toys included a mallet and peg board, dart guns, and a 3 foot Bobo doll.
       • The child was kept in this room for 20 minutes during which time their behaviour was observed by judges through a one-way mirror. Observations were made at 5-second intervals therefore giving 240 response units for each child.