Bandura (1961) - Original Bobo Doll Experiment Flashcards
What was the aim of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
To investigate whether:
aggressive behaviour could be acquired through observation of aggressive models
if children are more likely to aggress having observed aggression
if children selectively imitate same-sex models
if boys are more prone to acquiring aggressive behaviour
What experiment design was used in Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
Lab experiment
Matched pairs design
How were the participants in Bandura’s bobo doll experiment matched?
Matched on pre-existing aggressiveness
One experimenter and one teacher observed the children in the nursery and rated them on four 5-point rating scales
What was the sample of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment like?
36 boys and 36 girls aged 3-6
Selected from Stanford University nursery
What was the IV of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
Modelling of aggression or non-aggression
Sex model
Same/different sex model and observer
What was the DV of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
Level of aggression the children displayed
What was the gender control of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment like?
Children were placed in groups of three (3 boys or 3 girls)
What were the three conditions used in Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
Aggression group - observed an aggressive adult model (M/F) punching, kicking and shouting at bobo doll
Non-aggression group - non aggressive model assembles mechanical toys
Control group - no model present while child was playing
What was stage 1 of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment like?
Children brought into room with observation window and allowed to play with toys
One corner - children’s play area
Other corner - table, chair, tinker toy set, mallet & bobo doll
Non-aggressive condition - model ignored bobo doll & assembled tinker toy in gentle manner
Aggressive condition - model began assembling tinker toy but after a minute began being aggressive toward bobo doll
After 10 minutes, experimenter entered room and took child to new room which child was told was a games room
What was stage 2 of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment like?
Child subject to ‘mild aggression arousal’
Room had relatively attractive toys
As soon as child started playing with toys experimenter told child that these were the experimenters very best toys and were for other children
What was stage 3 of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment like?
Child taken to another playroom (included bobo doll) and told they could play with any toys - variety of both aggressive and non aggressive
Child kept in this room for 20 minutes - behaviour observed covertly by 2 observers to determine inter-rater reliability
Observations made at 5 second intervals giving 240 responses for each child
How was behaviour catagerised in stage 3 of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
Imitative aggression - imitation of physical or verbal aggression
Imitative non aggressive verbal responses
Partially imitative
Non imitative aggression
What were the results of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment with children who witnessed aggressive models?
Children who witnessed aggressive model were likely to completely or partially imitate aggression
(mean = 10.5) and were slightly more likely to engage in non imitative aggression (mean = 14)
What were the results of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment with M/F aggressive models?
Children who witnessed male aggressive model imitated more aggressive acts (mean = 16.5)
Thos who witnessed female aggressive model (mean = 8.95)
What were the results of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment with children who witnessed non aggressive behaviour or no model?
Children who observed non aggressive behaviour or non model displayed much less aggression
None in 70% of cases
What were the results of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment between boys and girls?
Boys were more likely to imitate aggression by the same sex model than opposite sex model and more likely to imitate physical aggression
Girls in the aggressive model condition showed more physical aggressive responses if the model was male but more verbal aggressive responses if the model was female
What conclusions were made of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
Social behaviour such as aggression can be acquired by imitation of models
Imitation is more likely when the modelled behaviour is gender typical and when the model and the observer are the same gender
What are the strengths of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
Internal Validity
Reliability
Cause and effect
What are the weakness of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
Ecological Validity
Ethics
Subjectivity
Why is internal validity a strength of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
Allows for precise control of variables. Many variables were controlled such as gender of the model, time the children were observed, behaviour of the model etc.
Why is reliability a strength of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
Standardised procedure and instructions used allowing for replicability
Why is cause and effect a strength of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
Experimenters are only means by which cause and effect can be established
It could be demonstrated that the model did have an effect on the child’s subsequent behaviour because all varibaled other than IV are controlled
Why is ecological validity a weakness of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
Situation involves the child and adult model, which is a very limited social situation and there is no interaction between the child and model at any point
Child has no chance to influence the model in any way
Quite unlike ‘normal’ modelling which often takes place in the family
Why is ethics a weakness of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
Possible to argue experiment is unethical
e.g. there is a problem of whether or not the children suffered any long-term consequences as a result of the study
Why is subjectivity a weakness of Bandura’s bobo doll experiment?
Study is criticised for interpreting the behaviour towards the bobo doll as aggression
Prehaps the children interpreted their own behaviour as play
