Bandura et al

• The study is about imitative learning of aggression
• Catharsis


  The process of venting aggression as a way to release or get rid of emotions
• Three major types of behavioral learning in psychology


  • Classical conditioning
  • Operant conditioning
  • Observational learning
• Classical conditioning


  A neutral stimulus is associated with a natural response
• Operant conditioning


  Responses are increased or decreased due to reinforcement and punishment
• Observational learning


  Learning occurs through observation and imitation of others
• Bandura's study focuses on observational learning
• Social learning theory


  • Behavior is learned through a process of attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation
• Previous studies found that children imitate adult models in the presence of the model, and observing responses of a model can facilitate subjects' reactions in a social setting
• Children perceive parents' preferences for sex-appropriate behavior from a young age
• Vicarious reinforcement


  Reinforcement or punishment experienced by a model, which influences the observer's behavior
• Research design


  • Independent measures design, with some repeated measures elements
• Independent variables


  • Model type/aggression condition
  • Model gender
  • Learner gender
• Dependent variable


  Imitative learning of aggressive behaviors, measured at 5-second intervals over 20 minutes
• The study was conducted in a laboratory setting, an artificial environment set up on the university grounds
• Imitative learning aggressive behaviors


  1. Measured at 5 second intervals over a 20 minute period

  2. Observers note down frequency of child's behavior
• Imitative aggression


  Behaviors that were imitated exactly from the model
• Partially imitative aggression


  Behaviors that copied the model but not perfectly
• Non-imitative aggression


  Aggressive behaviors that were novel and not seen in the model
• Two observers measured the children's behavior behind a one-way mirror
• The inter-rater reliability between the two observers was 0.9, a very high level
• Sample


  • 36 girls, 36 boys, all from Stanford University nursery school, ages 3-6 years
• Matching participants


  1. 51 children were pre-rated on aggression by experimenter and teacher to match levels across conditions

  2. Unclear what happened to the other 21 children
• Conditions


  • Aggression condition
  • Non-aggression condition
  • Control condition
• Procedure


  1. Room 1: Children play with toys, model introduced and acts aggressively/non-aggressively

  2. Room 2: Attractive toys given then taken away to arouse aggression

  3. Room 3: Observation room with 3ft bobo doll and other toys, experimenter present but unobtrusive
• Children thought they were off the nursery school grounds in Room 3
• Children refused to stay in the room unless there was an adult with them
• The experimenter stayed in the room but they stayed in the corner without being obtrusive or conspicuous
• Children thought they were actually off the nursery school ground and in a new setting
• The room contained a lot of new toys, some were aggressive and some were neutral
• The toys were arranged in a fixed location and rearranged before the next child came in
• There were two observers behind a one-way mirror
• Boba doll size


  In the first room the adult model used a 5-foot doll, in the second room the child used a 3-foot doll
• Rearranging the toys in the room was a measure of standardization
• There were three conditions with zero aggressive behaviors: the non-aggressive group
• The children in the aggression condition watching the aggressive models had a higher mean of aggressive behaviors
• There was a significant difference in imitative aggression between the experimental conditions
• The aggressive and non-aggressive groups, and the non-aggressive and control groups, were not statistically different from each other in imitative aggression
• There was a significant difference between the aggressive and non-aggressive groups, and the non-aggressive and control groups, in partially imitative aggression (mallet aggression)
• The aggressive and control groups were not significantly different in partially imitative aggression