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Transmission of Aggression through Imitation of Aggressive Models Bandura, Ross and Ross- 1961 Aims: 

To investigate whether aggressive behaviour could be learned through observation.

Procedure:  72 participants (36 males 36 females) all aged between 3 and 6. They were all enrolled at Stanford University Nursery School. Participants in experimental and control conditions were matched individually on their ratings of their aggressive behaviour in social interactions (rated by their teacher and experimenter who knew the children well).  The confederates used were 2 adult models (one male, one female). An experimenter also conducted the study for all 72 children. The method was a controlled observation in lab conditions.  Participants were taken into a room individually by the experimenter and were invited to play a game. The model was outside, and was asked to join in the game. The experimenter took the model to the other side of the room which had a table, a chair, some toys and a bobo doll.  Non Aggressive Condition The model assembled the toys for the full ten minutes, ignoring the bobo doll. Aggressive Condition The model started to assemble the tinker toys for one minute but for the rest of the time played with bobo aggressively. They physically abused bobo by laying on him, punching him in the nose, kicking him, throwing him in the air and hitting bobo with a mallet. The verbally abused bobo by saying, sock him in the nose, hit him down, POW and kick him.  After ten minutes participants were taken into another room. Aggression Arousal they were taken into a room with attractive toys with a fire engine and were told that these toys weren’t for them and were for the other children.  They were then taken into another room which had aggressive toys (bobo, mallet, guns, and ball hanging from the ceiling) and non aggressive toys (dolls, crayons, tea set, cars). Toys were in a set order for each participant as a control. Participants spent 20 minutes in the experimental room, and their behaviour was rater using predetermined response categories. This was judged through a one way mirror.  Behaviour was rated using time sampling, and participants were rated every 5 seconds during the 20 minute period. For each participant there were 240 recorded behaviours. The male model observed (scored) all 72 of the participants, and half were also scored by another observer. There was high inter rater reliability of 0.09.  These are all the conditions that occurred: Group 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Control

Num of Ppts 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 ?

Sex of Ppts M M M M F F F F ?

Aggressive/Non- Aggressive Aggressive Non Aggressive Non Aggressive Aggressive Aggressive Non Aggressive Non Aggressive Aggressive ?

Sex of Model M F M F M F M F ?

Results:  Response Measure obtained were; imitation of physical aggression, imitation of verbal aggression, non-imitave aggressive responses.  Inter-rater reliability for the aggressive behaviour was very high (0.9).  Children who observed the aggressive models made far more imitative aggressive responses than those who were in the non-aggressive or control groups.  There was more partial and non-imitative aggression among those children who had observed aggressive behaviour, although the difference for non-imitative aggression was small  Children who observed non-aggressive models or no models showed fewer aggressive acts.  Boys were more likely to imitate same-sex models than girls. The evidence for girls imitating same-sex models is not strong.  Boys imitated more physically aggressive acts than girls. There was little difference in the verbal aggression between boys and girls.

Physical

Female Model

Male Model

Female Model

Male Model

Control

Aggression Female Ppts Male Ppts Verbal Aggression Female Ppts Male Ppts Non-Imitave Aggression Female Ppts Mae Ppts

Aggressive 5.5 12.4 Female Model Aggressive 13.7 4.3 Female Model Aggressive 21.3 16.2

Aggressive 7.2 25.8 Male Model Aggressive 2.0 12.7 Male Model Aggressive 8.4 36.7

Non Aggressive 2.5 0.2 Female Model Non Aggressive 0.3 1.1 Female Model Non Aggressive 7.2 26.1

Non Aggressive 0 1.5 Male Model Non Aggressive 0 0 Male Model Non Aggressive 1.4 22.3

1.2 2.0 Control 0.7 1.7 Control 6.1 24.6

Conclusion:  Boys produced more imitate physical aggression than girls.  Both boys and girls showed similar levels of verbal aggression when imitating their same sex role model.  Boys showed relatively high levels of non imitate aggression across all groups.  Girls only showed high levels of imitate aggression in the group where they had observed the same sex aggressive model. Independent Variables There were three independent variables. Which were as follows; 1.

Behaviour of model; a. Non-aggressive model b. Aggressive model c. No model (control group)

2.

Gender of the model a. Male role model b. Female role model

3.

Gender of the child a. Male b. Female

Dependent Variable The behavioural response of the children Evaluation: -

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Strengths Results can be generalised to other children as large sample group and equal gender balance The study has application to real like, in terms of TV violence. Quantitative data was easy to analyse, and was free from bias. High levels of control meaning it could be replicated again. Supports Social learning Theory Practical application- media violence Scientific controls- 1 way mirror less chance of demand characteristics Bobo doll present in all conditions made sure it wasn't just a preferred play toy Children's aggression measured before being split into groups so they knew aggression wasn’t down to individual differences Artificial- aggression against a toy not a real person

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Weaknesses It was unethical in terms of influencing children to be violent, which could have caused long term effect. There is not talk of parental consent. The study lacks in ecological validity as it is in a lab condition High chance of demand characteristics- children knew they should kick the doll as allowed to play with toys where Bobo doll was present Distress to the children-uncomfortable watching an adult be aggressive Could replicate behaviour in real life- kick someone in the playground...