Week 3 - Aggression Flashcards
Relevant Background: What are the three types of behaviourist learning?
Behaviourism: Behaviour is learnt
a) Classic Conditioning: Stimulus-Response Associations
b) Operant Conditioning: Measured effect of reinforcement and punishment
c) Observational Learning: Bandura
–> How do we acquire NEW behaviours (do we have to wait for it to be paired with another stimulus)
–> Reciprocal Determinism: a person’s behaviour is both influenced by personal factors and the social environment (we imitate the behaviour of those around us = environment causes behaviours)
Relevant Background: What did Bandura show leading up to his famous Bobo Doll study
Bandura’s Inspiration:
- Miller: animals and children imitate adult model when directly rewarded for it
- Rosenbluth - imitative behaviour differs based on gender
Aggression: Biologically programmed (evolution) and situational factors eg. frustration
Bandura and Walters (1959): Children imitative an adult when they get DIRECTLY AWARDED OR IT: inspired the ‘classic study’ –> will children imitate behaviour even when neither the child nor the model are rewarded for it, and when the model is no longer present
Experiment: Aims
Can children learn aggressive behaviour through imitation?
Does gender matter?
Hypotheses:
1. Children who observe aggressive adult models will imitate aggression in the absence of a reward
2. Imitation of aggression will occur even if model is absent
3. Children more likely to imitate same-sex model
Experiment: Participants
36 boys, 36 girls
Aged 37-69 months (mean = 52 months)
Stanford University Nursery
Experiment: Methods
Experiment: 8 Conditions (6 children in each)
Of the 72 children:
24 were in the control (no model)
24 were in the ‘non-aggressive model’
24 were in the ‘aggressive model’
In each sub-group of model
12 (half) saw a male model and half saw a female model
There was an equal gender split in these groups
In Summary:
MALE AGGRESSIVE - 12 (6 boys and 6 girls)
FEMALE AGGRESSIVE - 12 (6 boys and 6 girls)
MALE NON-AGGRESSIVE - 12 (6 boys and 6 girls)
FEMALE NON-AGGRESSIVE - 12 (6 boys and 6 girls)
Experiment: Procedure
Phase 1: Cover Story
–> Each child was brought alongside the model (who was invited to play ‘the game’) to the experiment room
–> Child was escorted to one side of the room with potato prints and stickers
–> Model was escorted to opposite side of the room with a mallet, tinker toys, and a 5 foot bobo doll
Phase 2: Modelling
NAGG: Model assembled tinker toys in a quiet way
AGG: Model assembled tinker toys for a minute, then turned to Bobo doll and was aggressive towards it
o Striking it with mallet
o Tossing it in the air
o Kicking and punching it on the nose
o Verbal aggression: “Throw him” “kick him” “pow”
–> approx 3 repetitions of the actions interspersed with aggressive and 2 non-aggressive responses
Phase 3: Mild Aggression Arousal
–> Each child taken to a new room, and told that they couldn’t play with the attractive toys in there because they were reserved for the other children
Phase 4: Test for Imitative Learning
–> Each child in room with mallet, dart guns, 3ft bobo doll, and non-aggressive toys such as crayons, dolls, and farm animals
–> Observed for 20 mins
–> Coded: for imitative and non-imitative play
Findings
H1: More imitative aggression behaviour in the aggression condition than the other two (SUPPORTED). Children in the aggressive groups:
–> Displayed physical and verbal aggression
–> Most likely to sit on the doll
–> Also engaged in non-imitative aggressive
H2: NOT SUPPORTED: Very little aggression seen in either the non-aggressive and control groups (potentially a floor effect)
H3: Children imitative same-sex models more than opposite sex models (SUPPORTED)
H4: Boys imitated aggression more than girls, especially with a male model (SUPPORTED)
–> Boy violent acts: 270
–> Girl violent acts: 128
BEHAVIOUR IS LEARNT THROUGH OBSERVATION AND IMITATION WITHOUT REINFORCEMENT (AND DELAYED IMITATION IS SEEN TOO)
Debate
Scientific Issues:
–> Lab study: low ecological validity
–> Bias in the sample (High SES, Western values)
Aggression of Play?
–> Aggression is defined as an act intending to cause physical or psychological harm - was harm caused to the bobo doll?
Controversy: Ethical Issues
How could we operationalise aggression in an ethical way?
–> Mild aggression arousal - is purposefully upsetting the child
–> What are the effects of long-term aggression
Legacy on THEORY
Social Learning Theory
Step 1: Attention - interesting, distinctive and attractive behaviour
Step 2: Retention - time for mental rehearsal (age is important - must be old enough to be able to retain)
Step 3: Motivation - rewards and punishments for the person (eg. does this activity look fun?)
Step 4: Reproduction - opportunity to reproduce behaviour
The MODEL
–> A LIVE model: an individual acts out behaviour
–> A VERBAL INSTRUCTIONAL MODEL: involves description of instructions
–> A SYMBOLIC MODEL: eg. characters in films and books
