Bandura et al

• Aim: To investigate the extent to which children would imitate aggression modelled by an adult and the effects of gender on imitation.
• Background to study:

  Previous research has shown that children will readily imitate

  behaviour demonstrated by an adult model if the model

  remains present

  However, little was known about how the behaviour displayed

  by a model might affect an individual in novel settings when the

  model is absent.
• Participants: 72 participants– 36 boys, 36 girls. 37 months – 69 months (3-5.5 years old) Mean age of four years four months.
• IV:The independent variables (IVs) were: (i) Whether the child witnessed an aggressive or a non-aggressive adult model in the first phase of the experiment (ii) The sex of the model (male or female). (iii) The sex of the child (boy or girl)
• DV: the amount of imitative behaviour and aggression shown by the child
• METHOD:

  Phase 1 – played for 10 minutes, model (aggressive or non-aggressive) present or not (control) Phase 2 – Different room, nice toys, mild aggression arousal raised by removing nice toys. Phase 3 – 3rd room. Observed alone
• Children in the aggressive condition


  • Showed more imitation of physical and verbal aggressive behaviour and non-aggressive verbal responses than children in the non-aggressive or control conditions
  • Showed more partial imitation and non-imitative physical and verbal aggression than those in the non-aggressive or control conditions
• Children in the non-aggressive condition

  • Showed very little aggression
• Children who saw the same sex model

  Imitated the model's behaviour significantly more
• Boys


  • Imitated male models more than girls
• Girls


  • Imitated female models more than boys for verbal imitative aggression and non-imitative aggression
• Male model


  • Exerted greater influence than the female model
• Boys


  • Produced more imitative physical aggression than girls
• Conclusion

  Children will imitate aggressive/non-aggressive behaviours

  displayed by adult models, even if the model is not present.

  Children can learn behaviour though observation and imitation.

  Behaviour modelled by male adults has a greater influence on

  children’s behaviour than behaviour modelled by a female

  adult.

  Both boys and girls are more likely to learn highly masculine-

  typed behaviour such as physical aggression from a male adult

  rather than a female.

  Boys and girls are likely to learn verbal aggression from a same-

  sex adult.