Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models PDF

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Albert Bandura's study on Social Learning...

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Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models.

Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models. Albert Bandura, Dorothea Ross, and Sheila A. Ross (1961). Aim: Investigate that learning occurs through observation and imitation. Hypothesis: 1. Children observing aggressive behaviour will act aggressively even in the absence of the model. 2. Children observing the non-aggressive model will be less aggressive than the group exposed to aggression and the control group. 3. Children are more likely to imitate same sex models rather than opposite sex. 4. Boys will be more aggressive than girls. Subjects: 36 Boys and 36 Girls enrolled at Stanford University’s Nursery School. Age ranged from 37 (3yrs) to 69 (6yrs) months. Mean age of 52 months. 2 Adults – Male and Female as the role models. Experimental Design:

Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models.

To increase precision of the comparisons the subjects both experimental and control groups were individually matched on the basis ratings of their aggressive behaviour in social interactions in the nursery school. The subjects were rated on four five-point rating scales by the experimenter and a nursery school teacher. These scales measured the extent to which subjects displayed physical aggression, verbal aggression, aggression toward inanimate objects, and aggressive inhibition. Method: 1. The children were brought in individually to a playroom by the experimenter and taught the child how they could design pictures with potato prints and picture stickers provided. 2. After settling the subject in a corner, the experimenter escorted the model to the opposite corner which contained a small table and chair, a tinker toy set, a mallet, and a 5-foot inflated Bobo doll. The experimenter then left the room. 3. In the nonaggressive condition, the model assembled the tinker toys in a quiet subdued manner totally ignoring the Bobo doll for. 4. In the aggressive condition, the model assembled the tinker toys but after 1 minute the model began to behave aggressively to the bobo doll. Along with physical aggression the model also showed verbal aggression. 5. At the end of 10 minutes the experimenter entered the room and told the subject that he would now go to another play room. Aggression arousal All subjects including the control group were subjected to a mild aggression. Therefore, the experimenter brought the subjects to a room containing attractive toys and as soon as the subject began to play with the toys (usually within 2 mins), the experimenter remarked that these were her best toys and that they were reserved for some other children. Test for imitation The subjects were then taken into the experimental room which contained a variety of toys including some that could be used in imitative or non-imitative aggression. The aggressive toys included a 3-foot Bobo doll, a mallet and peg board, two dart guns, and a tether ball with a face painted on it which hung from the ceiling. The nonaggressive toys, on the other hand, included a tea set, crayons and colouring paper, a ball, two dolls, three bears, cars and trucks, and plastic farm animals.

Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models.

The subject spent 20 minutes in this experiments room and was observed though a one-way mirror in an adjoining observation room. The 20-minute session was divided into 5-second intervals by means of at electric interval timer, thus yielding a total number of 240 response units for each subject. Results: 1. Children who observed the aggressive model made far more imitative aggressive responses than those who were in the non-aggressive or control groups. 2. Boys were more likely to imitate same-sex models than girls. 3. Boys imitated more physically aggressive acts than girls. 4. The girls in the aggressive model condition also showed more physical aggressive responses if the model was male, but more verbal aggressive responses if the model was female. Evaluation: 1. It allows for precise control of variables. Many variables were controlled (the gender of the model, the time the children observed the model, the behavior of the model) 2. Experiments can be replicated. Standardized procedures and instructions were used, allowing for replicability. Limitations: 1. Tend to have low ecological validity, the situation involves the child and an adult model, which is a very limited social situation and there is no interaction between the child and the model at any point. Also, the model and the child are strangers. This, of course, is quite unlike 'normal' modeling, which often takes place within the family. 2. Cumberbatch (1990) found that children who had not played with a Bobo Doll before were five times as likely to imitate the aggressive behavior than those who were familiar with it. 3. The demonstrations are measured almost immediately therefore; we cannot discover if such a single exposure can have long-term effects. 4. The experiment was unethical....