Psychology Core studies

• How does the developmental area explain behaviour?


  Behaviour is explained through our development across our lifetime including inherited factors and lifetime experiences.
• What is development?


  An ongoing process that continues through our lifetime, possibly through predetermined stages.
• What does the developmental area study?


  Changes that occur across childhood and adulthood.
• What does the developmental area aim to do?

  To understand the changes in behaviour through the lifespan.
• What are the strengths of the developmental area?


  -Provides evidence for the nature v nurture debate.

  -Explains age related differences.

  -Helps improve the lives of children.

  -Has real life application.

  -Obtains useful data.

  -Able to use longitudinal studies.
• How does the developmental area support both the nature and the nurture debate?


  It believes that behaviour can be influenced by both inherited factors and lifetime experiences.
• What real life applications does the developmental area have?

  Education, parenting styles, TV watershed and game ratings.
• What are the weaknesses of the developmental area?


  -Ethical issues

  -Children are easily influenced

  -Deterministic theories

  -Usually small samples

  -Research can be constrained

  -Children cant give informed answers.
• Why might the developmental area raise ethical issues?

  It relies on experimentation on children whom cannot give fully informed consent.
• What theory is Bandura et als study based on?

  The social learning theory.
• What is the social learning theory?

  Behaviour can be learned through vicarious learning, which occurs through observing other people.
• How does the social learning theory explain behaviour?


  As a continuous interaction between cognitive, behavioural and environmental influences.
• What is the background research to Bandura et als study?


  Research had shown that children will imitate behaviour of a role model if they remain present but little was known about whether the behaviour would continue if the model was absent.
• What are the aims of Bandura et als study? *2


  To investigate whether aggression can be learned through the imitation of role models.

  To see if learning took place in one situation could be generalised to other situations.
• What were the hypotheses of Bandura et als study?

  Children exposed to an aggressive model would produce more imitative aggression than both other conditions.

  Children exposed to a non-aggressive model would produce less aggression than the group that saw no model.

  Children are more likely to copy the same sex model.

  Boys are more likely to imitate aggressive acts than girls especially in same sex models.
• What was the sample for Bandura et als study?

  72 children from Stanford nursery split into 3 groups of 24, which were split into 2 groups of 12 each made up of 6 boys and 6 girls with age ranging from 3 to 6.
• How was the sample for Bandura et als study obtained?

  Opportunity sampling.
• What was the type of experiment and design used in Bandura et als study?

  A lab experiment with an independent/ matched pairs design.
• What is the DV in Bandura et als study?


  Time sampling of children's behaviour in stage 3.
• What is the IV in Bandura et als study?


  Aggressive role model vs non-aggressive role model vs control.

  Same sex vs opposite sex.
• How were participant matched in Bandura et als study?


  They were previously matched on levels of aggression by the experimenter and the nursery teacher, using 4x 5 point scales for: physical aggression, verbal aggression, aggression towards inanimate objects and aggression inhibition.
• What were the 3 stages in the procedure of Bandura et als study?


  1.Imitation where they watched the role model.

  2.Aggressive arousal where the toys were taken away.

  3.Observation where the children were watched through a one-way mirror.
• What were the findings in Bandura et als study?*5


  Children in the aggressive condition showed more aggressive imitative behaviour than the non aggressive conditions.

  Male model had more impact on children for physical aggression.

  Girls learned more verbal aggression and non-imitative aggression from same sex model.

  Boys learned more physical aggression from the same sex model.

  Children in non-aggressive condition showed little aggression.
• What conclusions were drawn from Bandura et als study?*5


  Children can learn behaviour through imitation.

  More likely to learn verbal aggression from a same sex model.

  Boys were more aggressive than girls due to higher testosterone levels.

  Male models are more influential in aggression imitation.

  Children imitate aggression.
• What type of data was collected in Bandura et als study?


  Quantitative *the prematched point scales.

  Qualitative *time sampling notes and notes on physical and verbal aggression.
• What ethical issues arose in Bandura et als study?


  The parents did not give informed consent, but the nursery teacher did.

  The might take psychological issues from this, using aggression long term.

  There was no right to withdraw.
• What are the strengths in validity in Bandura et als study?

  Construct validity as it tested the social learning theory.

  Face validity as it measured aggression by imitation of role models.
• What are the weaknesses in validity in Bandura et als study?


  Ecological validity as it took place in an artificial setting.

  Population validity as it used a small sample size.
• What was the internal reliability like in Bandura et als study?

  High due to a high number of control variables.
• What was the external reliability like in Bandura et als study?


  Low due to no mention of further tests or repeats.
• What was the inter-rater reliability like in Bandura et als study?

  High because the experimenter and nursery were used for matching participants together.
• What was the ethnocentrism like in Bandura et als study?

  It is ethnocentric because it doesn't apply to other cultures and was only tested on American children.
• How does Bandura et als study support the nature debate?

  They linked high levels of testosterone to high levels of aggression. *Gender link
• How does Bandura et als study support the nurture debate?


  Stereotypical parenting behaviours and we have been brought up to believe that women should be less aggressive.
• How does Bandura et als study support the free will debate?

  Male and female role models were not imitated equally which imitates an element of choice in the children.
• How does Bandura et als study support the environmental determinism debate?


  Children were put in a situation that made them think that they had to act in a certain way.
• How does Bandura et als study support the biological determinism debate?

  High testosterone links to more aggression.
• How can Bandura et als study be considered useful?

  Has been applied to societal benefits such as ratings for movies and games and the watershed
• How can Bandura et als study be considered to be in the developmental area?


  It is investigating the environment of a child and how they imitate an adults actions.
• How can Bandura et als study be considered to be in the cognitive area?


  Links to a child's attention and memory, both key internal mental processes.