Bandura et al (The Bobo Doll Study)

Question 1

Aim of Bandura et al

Answer 1

• To investigate whether aggression can be acquired through observed behaviour
• To investigate if boys are more prone to acquiring aggressive behaviour
• To investigate if children who observed aggressive model will behave more aggressively

Question 2

Participants of Bandura et al

Answer 2

• 72 children, 34 boys and 34 girls
• Split into 3 groups
• Aggressive role model:
  Observed an aggressive adult punching and shouting at the doll with a mallet while saying ‘Pow’
• Non-aggressive role model:
  Observed a model who was assembling a mechanical toy
• No role model:
  No model was present when the children were playing

Question 3

Procedure of Bandura et al

Answer 3

• After observing the model or not
• Step 1: The children were brought into a room to be able to play with toys
• Step 2: Children were taken to another room and were made frustrated by being deliberately shown new toys and told they were for ‘other children’
• Step 3: After 10 minutes, the participants were taken into a playroom with a range of toys including the bobo doll and their behaviour was covertly observed

Question 4

Findings of Bandura et al

Answer 4

• Children who had witnessed the aggressive model were likely to completely or partially imitate the aggression
• Children who hadn’t seen the aggressive model displayed much less aggression
• Boys were more likely to imitate aggression shown by a same sex model and more likely to imitate physically aggression rather than verbal

Question 5

Conclusion of Bandura et al

Answer 5

• Social behaviour such as aggression can be acquired by imitation of models
• Imitation is more likely when the modelled behaviour is gender typically and when the model and observer are the same gender

Question 6

Strength of Bandura et al

Answer 6

• One strength of Bandura study is that it had high internal validity
• Children taking part in each condition were matched for aggression, reducing the impact of individual differences in aggression
• The researchers also observed the children covertly, so the children would produce their natural behaviour instead of carrying out demanded characteristics or behaviour that is socially acceptable as they know they are being observed
• This is important as the degree of control in the experiment made sure that the observed aggression was a result of observing the aggressive model

Question 7

Weakness of Bandura et al

Answer 7

• One weakness of Bandura study is that it lacked mundane realism as the environment and the aggressive task was very artificial and controlled
• The conditions in which the children observed an aggressive role model, the toy they were to play with and the fact that they were alone is different from a typical environment a child may display aggression, such as in a classroom
• Therefore the finding of observation learning of aggression might not apply to setting outside the lab