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Bandura's study of children's aggression (1961) - Coggle Diagram
Bandura's study of children's aggression (1961)
HYPOTHESIS
children exposed to an aggressive role model would reproduce aggressive acts. Children would imitate more from same-sex models
PARTICIPANTS
72 children from Stanford University nursery, equal number of boys and girls
DESIGN
matched groups- 8 groups of six children based on mean age, 50/50 gender split, and aggression rating. 24 children in a control group (did not experience any model behaviour)
obtained aggression ratings by having two observers observe the children in nursery. Five point rating scales for: physical aggression, verbal aggression, aggression towards inanimate objects, aggression inhibition
each child then given an overall rating and put into groups of 3 with the same score. Then randomly allocated with one child from each group and put into role model condition
PROCEDURE
STAGE 1: each child taken individually into a room and invited to join a game with the model. the child was shown high-interest activities and also shown aggressive toys, told these were the model's toys. in the non-aggressive condition, the model ignored the bobo doll, in the aggressive condition played with the bobo doll
STAGE 2 (AGGRESSION AROUSAL): taken to a smaller toon with attractive toys (like planes etc) and told they could play with these, but after 2 minutes the toys were taken away
STAGE 3 (TEST FOR DELAYED IMITATION): in the 3rd room was a combination of aggressive toys and non-aggressive toys. The child was allowed to play for 20 mins and a time point sample was used every 5 seconds
MEASURES OF IMITATION: imitation of physical aggression (hitting the doll), imitation of verbal aggression ("hit him"), measures of partial imitation (mallet, sitting on doll), non-imitative aggression (aggressive towards other objects), non-aggressive measures (sitting still etc)
RESULTS
suggestion that children seeing aggressive behaviour would show more aggressive traits is supported by the difference between control and aggressive groups- means of 21.3, 8.4, 16.2, 36.7 vs 7.2, 1.4, 26.1, 22.3
boys being more aggressive than girls was partially supported as they showed a mean of 38.2 imitative physical acts vs girl's 12.7, but no significant difference between verbal aggression
EVALUATION
METHOD: lab experiment- enhanced validity as controlled extraneous variables, but lacks ecological validity. Matches participants- control participant variables and so increases validity
DATA: quantitative data was very easy to compare and read and supported the hypotheses made about the study, the qualitative data enhances our understanding of behaviour as the children stated their reasoning for their behaviour
ETHICS: teachers consented instead of parents and children were not aware that they had the right to withdraw. potentially had long-lasting effects on the children's behaviour and so was harmful, but arguable that the research was so useful that it outweighs the harm done
VALIDITY: controlled environment so reduced extraneous variables. Pre-testing of children meant results were not affected by all "naturally" aggressive children being put in the same condition. No test on long-term aggression
RELIABILITY: procedure was highly replicable but arguable that the sample was not large enough to establish reliable effects
SAMPLE: young children's imitation levels show us nothing about adults behaviours and so it is not very representable. It also lacks generalisability and it used a restricted sample
ETHNOCENTRISM: American gun laws different and so this may have had an impact on the children learning aggressive behaviour and so the study is ethnocentric
NATURE/NURTURE: seems to be nurture at first glance but some aspects of nature- why did boys act more aggressive than girls? could be nature in terms of testosterone levels but could still be nature as it is seen as more socially acceptable for a boy to be aggressive
FREEWILL/DETERMINISM: freewill is shown as verbal aggression was imitated more, showing a choice in which behaviours the children copied. However, also hints of biological determinism as there may be a link between testosterone levels and aggression
USEFULNESS: later studies supported Bandura's findings and society realised the effect of tv and films on children. Social Learning Theory is used throughout society and role models are often complained about
CONCULSION
Supported claim that simply observing behaviour would produce imitative behaviour which would not be expected if that behaviour had not been shown. Moved on from Skinner's view that behaviour would only be shown if it was rewarded