Bandura

• Background

  Social learning Theory- children learn behaviour through observing the behaviour of role models in the environment and storing that behaviour in their memory. If the child receives vicarious reinforcement for the behaviour (ie if the model is rewarded), they will imitate the behaviour.
• Background

  Social Learning Theory

  Children can learn aggression through observing aggressive models who are not punished for their behaviour.
• Background

  Social learning theory is a type of observational learning and supports the nurture side of the nature/nurture debate (behaviour is aquired through experience).
• Background

  Little was known about whether children would reproduce learned behaviour in a new situation without the model being present.

  Bandura's study exposed children to aggressive and non-aggressive models and then tested the amount of imitative learning demonstrated by the children in a new situation, in the adsence of the model.
• Aims

  • To demonstrate the learning of aggression can occur through observation of an aggressive model and that imitation of learned aggressive behaviour can occur when the model is no longer present.
• Aims

  To investigate the effects of gender on imitation; whether boys are more likely to imitate aggression than girls, and whether children are more likely to imitate same sex rather than opposite sex models.
• Hypotheses

  1. Children shown aggressive models will show significantly more imitative aggressive acts resembling those of their models than those shown non-aggressive models or no models.
• Hypotheses

  2. Children shown non-aggressive models will show significantly fewer aggressive acts than those shown aggressive models or no model at all.
• Hypotheses

  3. Boys will show significantly more imitative aggressive acts than girls.
• Hypotheses

  4. Children will imitate aggression modelled by a same-sex adult more than that modelled by an opposite sex adult.
• Sample

  • 72 children (36 boys and 36 girls)
  • Aged between 3 to 5 years
  • from Stanford University Nursery School, California, USA
• Sample

  The sampling method was opportunity sampling
• Design

  The research method was a laboratory experiment
• Design

  A matched participants design was used.
• Design

  The independent variables were:

  1. The behaviour of the model (aggressive or non-aggressive)
  2. The sex of the model
  3. The sex of the child
• Design

  The dependent variables measured via observation were:

  1. The amount of imitative aggression (physical & verbal aggression identical to that of the model)
  2. The amount of partially imitative aggression (similar to that carried out by the model)
  3. The amount of non-imitative aggression (aggressive acts not shown by the model)
• Design- pre-existing levels of aggression

  • Participants were matched on pre-existing levels of physical aggression, verbal aggression, aggression towards inanimate objects and aggression inhibition (four 5-point rating scales)
  • The four ratings were added together to give an overall score.
  • The ratings were done independently by the experimenter and a nursery teacher.
  • Scores were compared to test for inter-rater reliability.
  • There was a strong agreement with a correlation of 0.89.
• Procedure- Phase 1

  • Children in the experimental conditions were individually taken into a room and sat at a table to play with potato prints and picture stickers for 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, the aggressive model began assembling a tinker toy set.
  • After a minute he turned to a 5 -foot Bobo doll and spent the remainder of the period being physically and verbally aggressive towards it, using a standardised routine or behaviours.
  • The non-aggressive model assembled the tinker toys in a quiet subdued manner, ignoring the Bobo doll.
• Procedure- standardised aggressive behaviours:

  • Kicking the bobo doll
  • Hitting the bobo doll (including with a hammer)
  • Saying aggressive things such as "kick him... pow... sock him in the nose"
• Procedure-Phase 2- mild aggression arousal

  • All the children were taken individually to a different playroom.
  • Initially they were allowed to play with some very attractive toys but after about 2 minutes, the participants were told they could not play with them as they were "the very best" toys and were going to be reserved for other children.
  • This was to arouse mild aggression.
• Procedure- Phase 3

  • Children were taken individually into a third room which contained both aggressive toys (3 foot high bobo doll, a mallet, dart guns) and non-aggressive toys (tea sets, cars, dolls).
  • They were observed through a one-way mirror by the male model and a second researcher for 20 minutes. They recorded behaviour in 5 second intervals (with inter score reliabilities of 0.9).
  • The observers were generally unaware of which condition each child was in.
• Procedure- Phase 3

  The behaviour was recorded in categories of:

  • Imitative aggression (physical and verbal)
  • Partially Imitative aggression
  • Non- Imitative aggression (physical and verbal)
  • Non- aggressive behaviour
• Results- Hypothesis 1- Supported

  Children in the aggressive condition showed significantly more imitation of physical and verbal aggressive behaviour than children in the non-aggressive or control conditions.
• Results- Hypothesis 2- Partially Supported

  Children in the non-aggressive condition showed very little aggression, significantly less than those in the aggressive condition, but results were not necessarily always significantly less than the control group.
• Results- Hypothesis 3- Partially Supported

  Overall boys produced more Imitative physical aggression than girls; little difference in imitative verbal aggression between boys and girls.
• Results- Hypothesis 4- Partially Supported

  Boys imitated male models more than girls for physical and verbal aggression, non-imitative aggression and gun play. Girls imitated female models more than boys for verbal imitative aggression and non-imitative aggression.

  The behaviour of the male model exerted greater influence than the female model.
• Result- Children in the aggressive condition showed more imitative and non-imitative aggressive acts in room 3 than children in non-aggressive and control conditions.


  Conclusion- Children can learn aggression through the observation and imitation of role models.
• Result- Boys imitated male models more than girls for verbal aggression and girls imitated female models more than boys for verbal imitative aggression.


  Conclusion- Boys and girls are likely to learn verbal aggression from a same- sex adult.