Bandura Study Flashcards
Core Studies (developmental area)
What was the aim of Bandura’s study?
To investigate the imitation of aggression between children who witness an aggressive role model and those who don’t.
What is the social learning theory?
It assumes that people (specifically children) learn by observing role models and imitating their behaviours.
What is Bandura’s first hypothesis?
Children who witness and aggressive role model will reproduce aggressive acts resembling the models.
What is Bandura’s second hypothesis?
Children observing a non-aggressive role model will show less aggressive behaviour than those who observe an aggressive role model.
What is Bandura’s third hypothesis?
Children will imitate the behaviour of a same-sex model to a greater degree than a model of the opposite sex.
What is Bandura’s last hypothesis?
Boys will show significantly more imitative aggression than girls.
How did the researchers balance out the aggression in each sub-condition for Bandura’s study?
Children were observed on their natural levels of aggression by their nursery teachers and an experimenter using four 1-5 point rating scales.
How many participants took part in Bandura’s study and what was the gender divide?
72 participants- 36 female and 36 male.
What was the age range and mean age of the participants in Bandura’s study?
Age range= 37-69 months (3-5 years)
Mean age= 52 months (4 1/2 years)
Where were the participants in Bandura’s study from?
Stanford University Nursery School
What were the conditions and sub-conditions in Bandura’s study?
- 24 children in the ‘Aggressive Role Model’ condition
- 24 children in the ‘Non-Aggressive Role Model’ condition
- 24 children in the ‘Control Group’ (no model)
- Sub conditions being male or female role model.
How long did room 1 last in Bandura’s study?
10 minutes
What were the toys in room 1 in Bandura’s study?
- Small table and chair where they could design pictures with potatoes, picture stickers etc.
- Tinker toy set and five foot tall bobo doll (for adult)
What would the aggressive role model do in Bandura’s study?
- Adult would begin assembling tinker toys for 1 min
- After 1 min, role model would be aggressive and violent towards bobo doll.
What aggression would the aggressive role model show in Bandura’s study?
- Raise the bobo doll and pommel its head
- “Pow!”
- “Sock him in the head!”
What would the non-aggressive role model do in Bandura’s study?
- Adult role model would assemble tinker toys and play calmly for full 10 mins
How long did room 2 last in Bandura’s study?
2 minutes
What was room 2 referred to in Bandura’s study?
Mild aggression arousal phase
What happened in room 2 in Bandura’s study?
- Child taken to room with exciting toys
- After 2 mins of playing experimenter tells children “they’re their best toys and reserved for other children”
Why did the experimenter not let the children play with the toys in Bandura’s study?
To give the children something to be aggressive about in room 3.
What toys were there in room 2 in Bandura’s study?
Fire engines, jet planes etc.
How long did room 3 last in Bandura’s study?
20 mins
What happened in room 3 in Bandura’s study?
- Room contains aggressive and non-aggressive toys
- Children observed through one-way mirror
- Behaviour recorded every 5 secs
What were the aggressive toys that the children could play with in Bandura’s study (room 3)?
- Mallet
- Peg board
- Dart guns
- 3 foot bobo doll
What were the non- aggressive toys that the children could play with in Bandura’s study (room 3?
- Tea set
- Crayons
- Three bears
- Plastic farm animals
What were the options on the behaviour checklist in Bandura’s study?
- Imitation of physical aggression
- Imitation of non- aggressive verbal responses
- Imitation of verbal aggression
What were the results of Bandura’s study?
- Aggressive condition displayed more non-imitative aggression
- Non- aggressive and control conditions displayed very few aggressive behaviours
- Male models had greater influence than female
- Some evidence of same-sex effect for boys
- Boys imitated more physical aggression
- No difference between genders for verbal aggression
What were the conclusions of Bandura’s study?
- Evidence for social learning theory
- Gender influences imitation.
What were the 3 IVs of Bandura’s study?
- Aggressive, non-aggressive or control Model
- Sex of model
- Sex of child
What was the dependent variable of Bandura’s study?
Number of imitative and non-imitative acts of aggression
What was the research method of Bandura’s study?
Lab experiment
What was the research design of Bandura’s study and how do you know?
Matched pairs design- children matched by level of natural aggression prior to observation
What data did Bandura collect?
Quantitative and nominal data
List controls for Bandura’s study.
- Timings for each room
- Toys in each room
- Scripts of role-models
- Mild aggression arousal phase
What are some strengths of Bandura’s study?
- No gender bias
- Lots of participants
What are some weaknesses of Bandura’s study?
- Ethnocentric
- Small age range
How could Bandura’s study be called valid?
It was a covert observation so there were no observer effects
How could Bandura’s study be called invalid?
- Low ecological validity
- Doesn’t display realistic aggressive behaviours (only aimed at toys)
What are some practical applications of Bandura’s study?
- Censorship on TV
- Age restrictions on media
- BBC 9pm watershed
What are the parts of Bandura’s study that make it less useful?
- It has a limited age range
- Doesn’t reflect aggression in real life
Why could Bandura’s study be considered unethical?
- Lack of protection (learnt aggressive behaviour could be long-term)
- Lack of consent
- Difficult to debrief children of this age
