Bandura (procedure)

Question 1

Why did Bandura decided to use young children as his sample?

Answer 1

Because they would regard any adult as role model and would be prepared to engage in extreme behaviour without self-restraint.

Question 2

Where were the children from?

Answer 2

Nursery School on Stamford University campus, mostly the children of older students or college staff.

Question 3

How did he match the boys and girls on how aggressive they were?

Answer 3

Asked and experimenter and a nursery teacher to rate each child for aggression on a 5-point scale; groups created so that there were similar ranges of aggression in each.

Question 4

What was the Model Room?

Answer 4

Children played with finger paints and stickers. Experimental groups observed an adult role model enter room and interact with 6ft tall bobo doll. Children observed role model go thorugh a pre-scripted routine; some role models attacked a “Bobo Doll”.

Question 5

What did the aggressive model do?

Answer 5

• Pushed the doll over
• Sat on it and punched it
• Hit the doll on the head with a plastic mallet
• Say aggressive phrases, e.g. “sock him on the nose!”

Question 6

What did the non-aggressive model do?

Answer 6

Played quietly alongside children and ignored the Bobo Doll.

Question 7

What was the Arousal Room?

Answer 7

Children taken to another room with many toys and given a few mins to play. Experimenter entered and told them the toys were for “other children” - so they were all in the same emotional state and experienced frustration, making them likely to act on any agg they felt.

Question 8

What was the Observation Room?

Answer 8

Children placed in room for 20 mins, with a mix of agg and non-agg toys. A 1 way mirror enabled 2 experimenters to observe children and tally behaviours on a checklist.

Question 9

What toys were in the Observation Room?

Answer 9

• 3’ tall Bobo Doll.
• Plastic mallet.
• Gun that fired suckers.

Question 10

What behaviour did Bandura look for in the Observation Room?

Answer 10

Physical and verbal agg that…

• Imitated the role model.
• “Mallet aggression”.
• “Gun play”.
• Non-imitative aggression.

Question 11

What is meant by Non-imitative aggression?

Answer 11

Where children invented their own aggressive actions or phrases.

Question 12

How often did observers record the child’s behaviour?

Answer 12

Every 5 seconds.

Question 13

What was the aim of Bandura’s 1961 study?

Answer 13

• Find out if children would show more agg behaviour if exposed to an agg role model, and vice versa.
• See if children more likely to imitate a same sex role model and if boys were more agg than girls.

Question 14

What was the sample of Bandura’s 1961 study?

Answer 14

72 children, 36 boys and 36 girls aged 3-5, recruited from Stanford Univerisy Nursery School.

Question 15

What was the sample of Bandura’s 1961 study broken down into?

Answer 15

2 Experimental groups and a control group:

• Agg role model: 24 P’s, split into M and F role model groups with 6 boys and 6 girls in each.
• Non-agg role model: 24 P’s, split into M and F role model groups with 6 boys and 6 girls in each.
• Control group no role model: 24 P’s.

Question 16

What were the results of Bandura 1961?

Answer 16

• Kids observing agg role model showed lot of verb and physical agg that resembled scripted routine the model acted out.
• Very little agg in non-agg model cond and control cond;
  
  • around 70% had score of 0 for agg.
• Children from non-agg model cond spent most time sitting quietly.
• M role model had bigger influence than F:
  
  • agg M model produced more agg; non-agg M produced more calm.

Question 17

What are some important stats from Bandura’s 1961 study?

Answer 17

• Boys’ physical agg after M agg role model was avg 25.8 acts compared to girls’ after F agg role model which was 5.5 acts.
• Girls’ verbal agg after F agg role model was avg 13.7 compared to boys after M agg role model which was avg 12.7.
• Control group, non-imitative agg is higher for boys (24.6) than girls (6.1).

Question 18

What are the conclusions from Bandura 1961?

Answer 18

• Learning can be learned by imitation even if it’s not been reinforced.
• M role model was more influential than F and boys’ showed greater tendency to engage in physical agg.
  
  • linked to cultural expectation.
• Verbal agg was sex-typed, with girls imitating F role model and boys imitating male role model.
  
  • Suggests no strong cultural expectations, people will imitate the model they most indentify with.
• Agg models seem to weaken social inhibitions.

Question 19

What do cultural expectations mean?

Answer 19

Bandura suggested even at a young age, boys and girls have learned what society expects them to behave like, based on TV, stories and family.

Question 20

Where can you see agg models weakening social inhibitions?

Answer 20

By comparing the model conditions to the control group who acted ‘naturally’ - Interesting to see how much Mallet agg and Gun Play went on in control group - presumably cultural expectations tell children they ought to play with mallets/guns in this way.