Bandura 1961

• What was the aim of Bandura's 1961 study?

  To study aggressive behavior
• Bandura manipulated whether the role model was aggressive or non-aggressive
• Bandura's study uses a matched pairs design.
• What type of aggressive actions did Bandura's observers record?

  Verbal, physical, mallet, gun-play
• The sample for Bandura's study consisted of 72 children aged 3 to 5
• Children in the control group did not watch any role model.
• What ratio of children saw a same-sex role model versus an opposite-sex role model?

  Half same, half opposite
• Children in the non-aggressive model condition showed little aggressive behavior.
• Which gender of role model had a bigger influence in Bandura's study?

  Male
• Boys' physical aggression after a male aggressive role model averaged 25.8
• Match the study condition with its typical behavior:

  Aggressive model ↔️ Verbal and physical aggression

  Non-aggressive model ↔️ Sitting quietly

  Control group ↔️ Non-imitative aggression
• What did Bandura conclude about behavior learning in his study?

  Behavior is learned by imitation
• Boys showed a greater tendency to engage in physical aggression due to cultural expectations.
• Verbal aggression was sex-typed, with girls imitating the female role model and boys imitating the male role model
• What did Bandura suggest about social inhibitions after observing aggressive models?

  They are weakened
• What is the aim?

  To investigate the effect of children's exposure to an agressive model
• Who were the participants?

  72 children mean age of 4
• Where did the study take place?

  Stanford University
• Describe the procedure of the study

  Children matched on pre-existing aggressiveness that was rated on a 5 point scale. Split into 8 experimental groups and a control gorup of 24. Half of the groups saw agressive model. Then split again into same/opposite sex model.
• Explain the first stage of the study

  Modelling - either shown an aggressive role model attacking bobo doll or shown a role model playing nicely with toys
• Explain the second stage of the study

  Aggression Arousal - all children subjected to mild aggression arousal, told that they weren't allowed to play with toys.
• Explain the third stage of the study

  Delayed Imitation - child's behaviour observed at 5 second intervals (240 response units per child) Recorded aggressiveness towards toys/bobo doll.
• Describe the results of the study

  Children who observed the aggressive model gave more aggressive responses than children who observed non-aggressive model.

  Girls in aggressive condition showed physical aggression if they observed the male model but verbal when observing the female.

  Boys were more physically aggressive than girls.
• Describe the conclusion of the study

  Supports SLT which suggests that children learn social behaviour such as aggression through observation
• Evaluate the generalisability of the study

  Sample large enough that anomalies might be cancelled out. However may be unrepresentative as all children's parents worked @ Stanford therefore may have unusual home lives as all their parents are clever.
• Evaluate the reliability of the study

  Reliable as it is replicable due to a standardised procedure. 2 x observers therefore high inter-rater reliability.
• Evaluate the applicability of the study

  Can be applied to parenting/teaching styles
• Evaluate the validity of the study

  Lacks mundane realism as children were put in unlikely situations.

  High ecological validity as done in real life situation
• Evaluate the ethics involved in the study

  Children may have been distressed by the aggressive behaviour. Couldn't withdraw as did not know they were in experiment. No debrief to overcome issues.
• The study by Bandura et al. (aggression) is from the learning approach.

  Outline two assumptions of the learning approach.

  1. We all begin life as a blank slate.Experiences and interactions with the environment shape our behaviour/these changes are directly observable.

  2. We learn through the processes of operant conditioning, classical conditioning and social learning (at least 2 need to be named).
• Outline one aim of the Bandura study. [2]


  1. To investigate whether children imitate the aggressive behaviour of an aggressive model

  2. To investigate whether children are more likely to imitate the behaviour of a same-sex model

  3. To investigate whether children would imitate aggression of a model in the absence of the model
• Explain how one finding from the Bandura et al. study supports one of the assumptions of the learning approach. [2]

  Children were more likely to imitate aggressive behaviour if they had seen an aggressive model compared to a non-aggressive model(1 mark: result).Therefore, this supports the idea of Social Learning as they observed and imitated the behaviour(s)(1 mark: link)
• Describe the sample used in this study. [3]

  -72 Ps

  -Split evenly across gender/36 male and 36 female

  -Enrolled at Stanford University Nursery School

  -Age 3-6

  -Mean age of 52 months
• Explain one reason why generalisations should not be made from the 72 participants in this study, other than because of their age. [2]

  The sample was not representative (e.g. all children from same background); (reason)

  from one nursery; (linked detail)

  
  

  Only children from Stanford/a university; (reason/detail) (Stanford / a university has) predominantly people from wealthy / middle class / high IQ families; (linked detail)

  
  

  There were lots of conditions/levels of the IV; (reason)

  So only 6 children per condition/level of the IV (which isn't many); (linked detail)
• Describe the procedure from the study by Bandura et al. (aggression) from when a participant entered the experimental room until the model began to assemble tinker toys. [5]

  -The participant was taken to one corner of the room;

  -The child was seated (at a table);

  -The experimenter demonstrated to the child how to make pictures/potato prints/use stickers;

  -Once the child began 'playing', the experimenter took the model to the opposite corner;

  -A variety of objects were located there (e.g. mallet, Bobo etc.);

  -The experimenter explained that these were for the model to play with;

  -The model was seated at their own table;

  -The experimenter then left the room;
• Outline what Bandura et al. meant by 'imitative verbal aggression'. [1]


  This is when the child copied/imitated/repeatedthe things that weresaidby the model/model’s verbal aggression
• Identify two examples that were recorded as imitative verbal aggression. [2]


  'Sock him';

  'Hit him (down)';

  'Kick him';

  'Throw him (in the air)';

  'Pow';
• One of the response categories was 'imitation of physical aggression'. Identify three examples of 'imitation of physical aggression' from this study. [3]


  -Hitting Bobo with a mallet;

  -Sitting on the Bobo doll and punching the Bobo doll (on the nose);

  -Kicking the Bobo doll;

  -Tossing the Bobo doll into the air;
• Describe the 'Aggression Arousal' procedure in the study by Bandura et al. [5]

  -The child was brought to an anteroom/a room;

  -It contained toys (for the children)/shown toys;

  -These included a fire engine, locomotive, a fighter jet, cable, spinning top, doll, doll carriage, crib, car, wardrobe (two need to be named to gain 1 mark);

  -They were told they could play with them;

  -As soon as they did begin to play/get involved (usually 2 mins), the experimenter stopped them;

  -The experimenter explained that she did not let just anyone play with the toys;

  -She then said that she decided they were reserved for some other children;

  -The children were told that they were her very best toys;

  -The experimenter sat away from the child (during this phase)/completed some paperwork
• Describe one result

  about aggressive gun play. [2]Males showed more aggressive (gun) playcompared tofemales across all conditions (2 marks)

  Males showed themostaggressive (gun) play in thenon-aggressive male modelcondition (2 marks)

  Girls showed theleastaggressive (gun) playwhen the model was an aggressive female(2 marks)