Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961) transmission of aggression

• Aims of Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961)

  • To see if children will imitate aggressive & non-aggressive role model behaviour, even if they are not rewarded for it.
  • If children are more likely to imitate aggressive behaviour from a same-sex role model.
  • If boys were more aggressive than girls, particularly when exposed to an aggressive role model.
• Sample of Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961)


  Total sample - 72 children

  • 36 boys and 36 girls.
  • Aged between 3-5
  • Recruited from Stanford University nursery school.
• Results of Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961)

  • Participants in the aggressive groups reproduced more verbal & physical aggression.
  • Boys imitated more physical aggressive behaviour than girls.
  • Girls were equally as likely to imitate verbal aggression of the same-sex role model.
  • Girls spent more time playing with the dolls and the tea set, while boys spent more time with a toy gun.
• Conclusions of Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961)

  • Exposure to aggressive role models may weaken inhibitory responses in children, increasing the likelihood that they will give aggressive reactions.
  • Children appear to learn by imitation - more likely if the role model is male.
  • The role model was unknown to the child, showing that aggression could be imitated from any aggressor.
• Strengths and weaknesses of Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961)


  + Controlled environments & standardised procedure - replicable, resulted in reliable findings.

  + Children were matched into groups according to their normal levels of aggression, ensuring that a group was not naturally more/less aggressive than another.

  - Children were tested in an unfamiliar environment & may have guessed the aims of the research - demand characteristics.

  - Researchers deliberately exposed small children to aggression without questioning the long-term effects on the child's behaviour - ethical issues.