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Learning - Bandura (1961) (observing model) - Coggle Diagram
Learning - Bandura (1961) (observing model)
Aims
Bandura wanted to find out if aggressive behaviour can be acquired through the observation of aggressive role models
Procedure
Step 1 - Kids were taken into a room with an observational window and were allowed to play with toys
Step 2 - The kids were taken into a new room and were shown shiny new toys but were told that these are for other kids in order to frustrate them. (They need the urge to be aggressive later.)
Step 3 - They were taken into a new playroom with a range of toys and the Bobo doll. Their behaviour was then observed through a one way mirror by a male model. A second observer was present for half of the participants to ensure inter-rater reliability
Their behaviours were categorised as one of these 3
Partially imitative - Using the mallet on other toys, not Bobo
Non imitative aggression - Punching the Bobo doll, saying hostile things that the model didn't say
Imitative aggression - Behaving aggressively, saying ‘pow’ (actions of the model)
Sample
72, 36 boys and 36 girls from the Stanford uni nursery in California
Randomly allocated to 3 groups while controlling gender; aggression group, non-aggression group and the control group
Non-aggression group - Observed a non-aggressive model playing with toys
Control group - No model present when the children were ploaying
Aggression group - Observed an adult model (male or female) shouting, kicking and punching the Bobo doll
IV - Modelling of aggression, sex of model
DV - Level of aggression the children showed
Conclusions
Social behaviour such as aggression can be acquired through the imitation of models
Imitation is more likely when the model and the observer are of the same gender
Findings
Children who witnessed the model do aggressive things to Bobo were likely to completely or partially imitate the aggression of the model
Children who didn’t observe an adult or didn’t witness aggression showed much less aggression
Boys were more likely to imitate aggression shown by a same sex model than an opposite sex model
Boys were more likely to imitate physical aggression but not verbal aggression
Evaluation
Aggression was controlled by ensuring that each of the 3 groups had equally aggressive children. This was done by rating the aggression of the children by an experimenter and also the children's teacher (2 raters, inter-rater reliability)
It’s very applicable as it can be used to explain peer pressure. Individuals imitate the behaviours of people who are ‘accepted’ in a certain setting in order to fit in.
It doesn’t accurately explain why we learn or don’t learn every behavior. For example, just because we’ve had experiences of violence doesn’t mean we’ll reproduce such behaviour
It’s too reductionist as it suggests that our environment is the chief influencer of our behaviours, meaning that it sits on the nurture side of the nature v nurture debate. This means that it ignores the effect of biological factors on behaviour, such as genetics and hormones