Banadura, Ross and Ross

Aim

do children who witness aggression later imitate that aggression?

hypothesis

* subjects exposed to an aggressive model will re produce aggressive acts
* subjects exposed to non aggressive acts will not be aggressive
* subjects will imitate same sex models to a greater degree
* boys will be more aggressive than girls

variables

* IV- type of role model like aggressive or non aggressive, male or female role model and children
* DV- children behaviour

data collection

* structured observation
* behavioural checklist
* time sampling ( behaviour recorded every 5 seconds)

Participants

* 72 children from Stanford University nursery
* 37-69 months old

Experimental group (aggressive)

Aggressive

12 boys + 12 girls

\-FRM,FC

\-FRM,MC

\-MRM,FC

MRM,MC

Experimental group (Non aggressive)

12 boys + 12 girls

\-FRM,FC

\-FRM,MC

\-MRM,FC

MRM,MC

Control group

* no role model
* 12 boys + 12 girls

Method

* lab experiment

Design

matched groupes

Initial observation (before acc procedure)

* children observed and scored out of 20
* physical aggression 0-5
* verbal aggression 0-5
* aggression to objects 0-5
* inhibition (shy/centre of attention) 0-5

Procedure (stage 1)

Exposure to role models

non aggressive group

* child sat at table with arts and crafts
* experimenter comes in with RM
* RM sits quietly

aggressive group
* everything the same but the RM performs a series of violent actions eg, throw bobo doll around, punches and hits the doll, makes aggressive comments

Procedure (stage 2)

Aggression arousal

* experimenter takes child into a toy filled room
* child stays in room until they are focused on one toy experimenter says “NO THESE TOYS R FOR GOOD CHILDREN NOT FOR U”

Procedure (stage 3)

Test of Imitation

* children in room with one way mirror so experimenter can observe from the other side
* there is a peg board and mallet a tetherball arts and crafts, toys, a gun and the bobo doll
* children stay in room for 20 minutes while the researcher records what they do from the other side of the glass using a behavioural checklist

results

* subjects with aggressive role models more likely to imitate aggressive behaviour eg, mallet aggression in FC shown the MRM was 18.8 whereas FC shown non aggressive MRM was 0.5.
* showing SLT

Evaluation-method

\+shows cause and effect

\+high level of control

\-low ecological validity because its a lab experiment

Evaluation-data

quantitative:

\+easy to compare

\-lacks detail

qualitative:

\+more detail

Evaluation-ethics

\+confidentiality

\-no consent from parents

\-no right to withdraw

\-taught aggression, cannot be undone

Evaluation-ethnocentrism

* if a culture is calm kids more likely to be

nature/nurture

NURTURE

* everything was learnt

Determinism/ freewill

DETERMINISM

* RM is determining the behaviour of the child

Reductionism/ holism

Reductionist

* as stimulus causes a response, the behaviour of role model caused the child to be aggressive.