Bandura

Question 1

Aim of Bandura

Answer 1

1) to see if children will copy aggressive behaviour shown by model

2) to see whether gender affects imitation

Question 2

Research Method of Bandura

Answer 2

Lab experiment/ controlled observations
IV = aggressive model, non-aggressive model, no model
= sex of model, sex of child

DV- no. of imitative behaviour + aggression responses shown in phase 3

Controls = observed through one-way mirror, recording at 5-second intervals

Question 3

Type of Design in Bandura

Answer 3

Matched Pairs Design
= participants were matched on aggressiveness
= five point rating scale by experimenter + nursery teacher
= based on these scores children were randomly assigned to each group

= good as some children could be more aggressive then others and this could affect results

Question 4

Sample of Bandura

Answer 4

72 children from Sandford Nursery USA
Equal boys and girls
3-5 yrs old

Question 5

Procedure of Bandura

Answer 5

Groups
24 in control group (no model), remaining 48 put in 8 conditions involving watching agg vs non-agg model, same-sex model or not.

Phase 1
Children were individually taken to room with and played with potato prints / stickers for 10 minutes

Non-aggressive = model played with tinker toys
Aggressive = model repeated punched Bobo doll in nose, stuck doll with mallet. verbal aggression included comments ‘sock him in the nose’ ‘kick him’

Phase 2
After 10 mins, experimenter took them to different room but all put in an aggressive state after being told not to play. (equally aggressive, sure IV affected aggressiveness not individual aggressiveness)

Phase 3
Taken into room with aggressive + non-aggressive toys eg. bobo doll + tinker toys

Recording Data
Observed through one-way mirror for 20 mins recording categories
including imitative aggression and non-imitative aggression

Question 6

Results of Bandura

Answer 6

100% of children who watched an aggressive model showed aggression

30% of children who watched non-aggressive model/no model showed aggression

boys were more than double no.of aggressive acts towards bobo doll after observing male model compared to female model

inter rater reliability of 0.90

Question 7

Conclusions for Bandura

Answer 7

Children can learn aggressive behaviour through observation and imitation

Children are more likely to copy same-sex models, especially boys.

Question 8

Generalisability of Bandura

Answer 8

all children from one nursery in the USA
hard to generalise to wider population

Question 9

Reliability of Bandura

Answer 9

Lab experiment with good controls so replicable and reliable

matched children on levels of aggression at start

inter-rater reliability of 0.90 by having more than one observer and clear behavioural categories for aggression

Question 10

Applications of Bandura

Answer 10

1) 9pm watershed. children aren’t exposed to too much violence before 9pm

2) understand how children might copy their parents’ aggressive or violent behaviour. could help social workers understand better how to help these children

Question 11

Validity of Bandura

Answer 11

Lab experiment - lacks ecological validity

children may have realised bobo doll couldn’t be hurt.
they may have thought they were supposed to behave that way to Bobo doll (nor real aggression)

Question 12

Ethics of Bandura

Answer 12

Not protected from harm
- children who watched aggressive model may have been made more aggressive

No Informed Consent
= children young so couldn’t give, parental consent should have been gained

Felt No Right to Withdraw
= may have been scared by adult being aggressive to bobo doll

Question 13

Credibility of Bandura

Answer 13

although children will copy aggressive behaviour off role model immediately,
it doesn’t establish link between watching violence and long-term aggressive behaviour

Question 14

Bandura relate to key theme ‘ external influences on children’s behaviour’

Answer 14

investigated how role models in a child’s enviro can affect their aggressive behaviour

demonstrates importance of the enviro in which a child is brought up
eg. siblings + parents aggressivness

Question 15

Bandura relate to developmental area

Answer 15

developmental area looks at people can change and develop across the lifespan

cause it looked at children’s development, specifically how role models in enviro can affect their development in terms of aggressiveness

founf that children will copy aggressive role models + a factor in the way they develop

Question 16

Bandura relate to behaviourist perspective

Answer 16

behaviourist perspective looks at how we learn behaviour from our environment

bandura showed how children can learn aggressive behaviour through observing + imitating models in enviro (social learning theory)

it also looks at measuring behaviour in scientific wat

bandura was a controlled observation so they could establish it was the model affecting the children’s behaviour

Question 17

Individual, Social, Cultural diversity of bandura

Answer 17

INDIVIDUAL - children showed more aggression if they saw aggressive models. 30% of non-aggressive group still showed aggression

SOCIAL - boys more likely to copy physical aggression than girls. male models more likely to be imitated than female models

CULTURAL - carried out in only USA

Question 18

Bandura and Nature/Nurture Debate

Answer 18

NURTURE
= focuses on enviro influence on behaviour, specifically how aggressive role models will be observed and imitated

= boys showed more physical aggression than girls, could be due to greater acceptance of aggression in boys due to social norms

NATURE
= difference in physical aggression in boys could be due to biological differences between m+f eg. higher testosterone levels in boys