Bandura Study 1961

Question 1

What was the aim

Answer 1

To find out whether children will imitate aggressive behaviour even when in a different environment without a model present

Question 2

What was the sample

Answer 2

36 boys, 36 girls
Stanford university nursery school
Caucasian
Aged 3-5
Average age 52 months

Question 3

What were the independent variables

Answer 3

How the role model acted/ if there was one
Gender of the role model
Gender of the participant

Question 4

How were the samples sorted

Answer 4

24 saw agressive role model
( 6 boys and 6 girls had a female model etc)
24 saw non aggressive
24 were control

Question 5

Procedure
Room 1

Answer 5

Modelling room
Bobo doll and rubber mallet (aggressive)
Tinker Toy set (non aggressive)

Question 6

Procedure
Room 2

Answer 6

Aggression arousal
Many cool toys
Researched took child in but only allowed them in for 2 minutes then said the toys weren’t for them

Question 7

Procedure
Room 3

Answer 7

Delayed imitation
Bobo doll, mallet and gun
Tea set, tinker toy set

Question 8

How were results gathered

Answer 8

2 researchers (1 model, 1 independent coder - didn’t know the model seen)
Watched the child for 20 minutes
Recorded every 5 seconds (test retest reliability)
240 observations made per child

Question 9

Dependent variables
Directly copied

Answer 9

Imitative aggression responses
Physical: striking bobo doll w mallet, punching in nose, throwing in air
Verbal: hit him down, kick him

Question 10

Dependent variables
(Copied somewhat)

Answer 10

Partially imitative response
Mallet aggression e.g using mallet on other toys
Sitting on bobo doll

Question 11

Dependent variables
Not copied

Answer 11

Non imitative aggressive response
Slapping/ punching bobo doll
Non imitiative physical and verbal aggression
Aggressive gun play

Question 12

Results (numeral)

Answer 12

Children who had seen an agressive role model showed 50.9 on average physical aggressive compared to 4.2 non aggressive RM

Question 13

Results

Answer 13

Boys watching a male model were the most aggressive
Girls watching a female model were more aggressive
Girls were more verbally aggressive
Both were more likely to imitate same sex models

Question 14

Conclusion

Answer 14

Supports Bandura SLT as children observed and imitated behaviour

Question 15

Generalisability

Answer 15

Can’t generalise to other ages
Parents all of high education level
All Caucasian

Good Sample size, boys and girls

Question 16

Reliability

Answer 16

Standardised procedures
Same criteria was used to measure the aggressive behaviour
All kids seeing aggressive saw the exact same acts in the exact same order
Replicabke

Question 17

Application

Answer 17

How we punish children for behaviour so it won’t be repeated later on
How to help children who have witnessed domestic violence

Question 18

Validity Strengths

Answer 18

Laboratory experiment meant high control of any variables
Confounding variables were removed (matched on age and gender)
Matched children on pre existing levels of aggression (asked nursery teacher to rate (0-5))
Had 2 raters giving inter rater reliability and one didn’t know the true aim
240 observations

Question 19

Validity weaknesses

Answer 19

Laboratory experiment - artificial setting
Demand characteristics - children behaved artificially

Question 20

Ethics

Answer 20

Normalised aggressive behaviour which could have been detrimental as they may have replicated this later on
No consent or right to withdraw for children
Didn’t tell children behaving that way is bad
Children purposely distressed in arousal stage (children in real life experience frustration)

Question 21

Vicarious reinforcement

Answer 21

Independent variable of the observed consequence for the model, some rewarded some punished
Children who saw the model punished were significantly less agressive
Promise of reward was the most powerful influence