topic 6 - Bandura et al (1961) : transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models

Question 1

what was the background of the study?

Answer 1

Bandura et al’s study was influenced by previous research which demonstrated that children could learn incidentally through the mere observation of others. They were also interested in sex appropriate behaviour.
Parents would shape sex appropriate behaviour in their children through punishment and reinforcement. For example, if their daughter was role-playing a housewife who would cook, positive reinforcement would be established through rewarding her with compliments which is a positive outcome but if she is seen playing rough they may scold her which is a positive punishment which will then influence her behaviour into what she is supposed to do. This also may happen with males.

Question 2

what was the procedure of the study?

Answer 2

1. The participant was brought into a room with lots of attractive toys e.g. dolls, fire engine and they were told they could play with the toys.
2. They were told that they couldn’t play with these ‘best’ toys, which was meant to make the child a little frustrated.
3. The child was brought into a playroom by the experimenter with the model.
4. The model and the child are brought to a corner of the room. The child is shown how to play with potato prints and stickers.
5. The model is taken to the other side of the room and the experimenter explained these are the toys that the model is to play with.
6. In the aggressive condition the model played aggressively with an inflatable bobo-doll. They punched, sat on it, hit it with a mallet, threw it around the room and kicked it. They also spoke aggressively to the doll, saying things like “sock it”, “Pow” and “Hit him down.”. In the non-aggressive condition the model played with construction toys.
7. After 10 minutes the experimenter returned. The experimenter and participant said goodbye to the model.
   The experimenter and participant then went to the room next door, where there was a set of toys in a fixed order. The experimenter sat inconspicuously in the corner whilst appearing to do some paperwork.
8. The child was left to play by themselves for 20 minutes in a room. They were observed through a one-way mirror during this time and then taken back to nursery.

Question 3

what were the results of the study?

Answer 3

1. Children imitated aggression . Children who were exposed to the aggressive control group displayed more aggression than the children exposed to the non-aggressive control group.
2. Boys were far more likely to imitate aggression after observing a same sex aggressive role model. This could be due to the boys relating more to someone of the same gender.
3. Girls were far more likely to imitate aggression after having observed a same-sex aggressive role model this may be due to the girls relating more to a person of the same gender.
4. Girls were more likely to imitate verbal aggression from women, this may be because they found it much easier to speak than move around.
5. Boys were much more likely to imitate physical aggression with both a female and male aggressive model than females.

Question 4

what was the conclusion of the study?

Answer 4

Children are more likely to imitate/ copy those with whom we share similar characteristics with and this person becomes known as a role model. Children can be motivated to model a role model where the motivation can be either intrinsic, where you can gain pleasure from copying it or through vicarious reinforcement, where it is observed that the role model received a reward for their behaviour so you copy it for the reward. If the child observes the role model being rewarded for being aggressive or not being punished for being aggressive then they are more likely to imitate the behaviour.

Question 5

what are the strengths of the study?

Answer 5

1. the experiment was scientific as researchers were able to control the environments and used a standardised procedure to ensure that all children experienced exactly the same conditions of the experiment. This means that the experiment has replicable findings.
2. the children were matched in groups according to their normal levels of aggression. This ensured that one group was not naturally more or less aggressive than the other groups.

Question 6

what are the weaknesses of the study?

Answer 6

1. ethical issues as the researchers purposely exposed small children to aggression and they could not predict long-term effects on the behaviour of the child. They broke the ethical rule of protection of participants.
2. Children were tested in an unfamiliar environment so they may have guessed the aims of the study. After the experiment one child told their mom that there was an adult in there that they were supposed to copy. This indicates that the children may have believed that they were expected to copy the role model rather than imitate them, this is known as responding to demand characteristics.