Bandura et al past paper questions

Describe the psychology that is being investigated in the study by Bandura et al. (aggression). [5]

Social Learning Theory is being investigated which centres around observing and imitating behaviours. People pay attention to a role model and retain this information in their memory. They must feel like they are capable of imitating the behaviour. Delayed imitation is when someone witnesses a behaviour at one time point but only reproduces that behaviour at a different time point. In the study by Bandura et al this was seen when the children imitated behaviours in the final room.

Tejas is talking about the study by Bandura et al (aggression). He says that the study is not ethical. Explain why Tejas is correct that the study is not ethical, using evidence from this study in your answer. [4]

The children were put under psychological harm. Some were having to witness an adult being aggressive towards a Bobo doll and this may have scared them. All children had to go through the ‘Aggression Arousal’ phase where they were stopped from playing with toys that were for ‘better children’. The children did not know they were being observed in the final test for delayed imitation.

Outline two assumptions of the learning approach in psychology. [5]

We all begin life as a blank slate. Experiences and interactions with the environment shape our behaviour. We learn through the processes of operant conditioning, classical conditioning and social learning

Explain how one finding from the study by Bandura et al. (aggression) supports one of the assumptions you outlined in part (a). [2]

Children were more likely to imitate aggressive behaviour if they have seen an aggressive model compared to a non-aggressive model. This supports the idea of social learning as they observed and imitated the behaviours.

From the study by Bandura et al. (aggression): Outline how ‘mallet aggression’ was defined in this study. [2]

The subject strikes objects other than the Bobo doll aggressively with the mallet.

From the study by Bandura et al. (aggression): Outline one feature of social learning theory, using an example from this study. [3]

Replication. This is when the person feels they can replicate an observed behaviour. In Bandura, the children replicated hitting the Bobo doll.

The first stage of the study by Bandura et al. (aggression) was when the children were rated on four scales by the experimenter and a nursery school teacher. One of these scales was ‘aggressive inhibition’. Identify one of the other scales used in this first stage. [1]

Physical aggression

Outline how the children were assigned to one of the conditions in this study. [2]

The scores on the four scales were added together. Participants were arranged ‘in triplets’.

Identify two features of the final experimental room used in the ‘test for delayed imitation’. [2]

Variety of dolls

Some were aggressive toys such as Bobo doll.

From the study by Bandura et al. (aggression): Outline one aim of this study. [2]

To investigate whether children imitate the aggressive behaviour of an aggression model.

From the study by Bandura et al. (aggression): Outline how the response measure of ‘aggressive gun play’ was defined in this study. [2]

Subject shoots darts or aims the guns and fires imaginary shots at object in the room.

Suggest two real-world applications based on the study by Bandura et al. (aggression). Your suggestions must be ethical. [4]

Children can be taught prosocial behaviour. A child can observe a model engaging in prosocial behaviour and they are likely to imitate this.

Children can be taught a new skill at school. A child can observe a teacher showing them how to complete a new skill and then are given an opportunity to replicate it.

Two friends, Zayn and Danna, are discussing the nature versus nurture debate in relation to the study by Bandura et al. (aggression). Zayn thinks the study supports the nature side of the debate but Danna thinks the study supports the nurture side of the debate. Explain one reason why Zayn is correct and one reason why Danna is correct using evidence from this study. [6]

Zayn nature: Nature is about behaviours being genetically encoded and with us from birth Boys were more physically aggressive than girls across a range of the conditions irrespective of the sex of the model. This could be due to them having higher levels of testosterone which is biological.

Danna (nurture): Nurture is about the learning of behaviours through experiences. Participants in all conditions had already been matching on pre-existing aggression levels yet, for instance, male participants we much more likely to imitate a physically aggressive male role model. Therefore, this imitated behaviour must have been learned.

From the study by Bandura et al. (aggression): Describe the background to this study. [4]

Previous studies had shown that children readily imitate behaviour in the presence of an adult model. Social learning theory was being investigated, which centres around observing and imitating behaviours. People may attention to a role model and retain this information in their memory.

From the study by Bandura et al. (aggression): Explain why this study is from the learning approach. [2]

One assumption of the learning approach is that we learn through social learning. In this study, participants observed and imitated a models aggressive behaviours.

From the study by Bandura et al. (aggression): Describe the sample used in this study. [3]

It consisted of 72 participants 36 females and 36 males. They were aged from 37 to 69 months.

From the study by Bandura et al. (aggression): Describe one result about aggressive gun play in this study. [2]

Males showed more aggressive gun play than females across all conditions.

From the study by Bandura et al. (aggression): State the number of participants used in each of the experimental groups in this study. [1]

24

From the study by Bandura et al. (aggression): Outline how the participants were allocated to one of the conditions in this study. [2]

Participants were arranged in triplets and assigned at random to one of the conditions.

From the study by Bandura et al. (aggression): Identify one example of imitative verbal aggression shown in this study. [1]

Hit me down.

Describe the psychology being investigated in the study by Bandura et al. (aggression). [4]

Social learning is being investigated which centres around observing and imitating behaviours. People pay attentioin to a role model. They watched a model being aggressive and non-aggressive towards a Bobo doll. They then retain that information in their memory.

Explain whether each ethical guideline below was broken in the study by Bandura et al. (aggression)

• Confidentiality

• Deception

• Protection from physical harm

• Protection from psychological harm

[8]

Confidentiality: Any data should not be identifiable as a single participants’ responses. The identities of the children were not revealed all we know is that they attended a Nursery at Stanford and their age range.

Deception: A participant should not be deceived without a strong justification. The children were deceived as they never knew they were being watched in the experimental room.

Protection from physical harm: Participants should leave the study in the same physical state as they entered. The children witnessed and then repeated aggressive behaviours and these were not ‘reversed’ before leaving the study. The child might have got harmed when hitting the Bobo Doll.

Protection from psychological harm: Participants should not be potentially distressed by the procedure of a study. The children may have been scared of watching a model acting aggressively towards the Bobo doll. The children might have had longer-term psychological effects of watching aggression.

From the study by Bandura et al. (aggression): Identify one example of ‘imitative verbal aggression’ said by the participants. [1]

Hit him down

From the study by Bandura et al. (aggression): Identify one example of ‘imitative non-aggressive verbal response’ said by the participants. [1]

He keeps coming back for more.

Two friends, Arturo and Gloria, are discussing this study in terms of validity. Arturo believes the study does have validity but Gloria believes the study does not have validity. Outline why you think either Arturo or Gloria is correct, using evidence from the study. [4]

Arturo as there were strict controls in the study meaning cause-effect could be established. Pre-aggression levels were matched across conditions to help conclude if the behaviour of the model was affecting imitative aggressive behaviours. It was laboratory based so it reduces the effects of extraneous variables. Participants were matched on aggression levels so this participant variable was controlled for.

Outline what is meant by the ethical guideline of ‘privacy’. [2]

Participants have the right to not reveal personal details that they would not do in everyday life.

From the Bandura et al. study (aggression): Two friends, Adria and Don, are discussing this study in terms of ethics. Adria believes the study is ethical but Don believes the study is not ethical. Outline why you think either Adria or Don is correct, using evidence from the study. [4]

Don as it can be argued that the study broke the ethical guideline of protection from psychological harm. The children witnessed an adult being aggressive so they may have been scared of this and did not leave the study in the same psychological state as they entered.

Omar organises a football team for children but they are sometimes too aggressive during games. He wants to reduce this aggressive behaviour and asks you for advice. Outline the advice you would give to Omar, using your knowledge of the study by Bandura et al. (aggression). [4]

Omar could bring in a trainer that is non-aggressive. The children could be asked to watch the model as they play football. Omar can monitor physical aggression in boys as they are more likely to display it. He could reward the model for their non-aggressive behaviour

Prior to the experimental part of the study by Bandura et al. (aggression), the children were observed and rated for their baseline aggressive behaviour. State where the children were observed in this part of the study. [1]

Stanford University School.

Prior to the experimental part of the study by Bandura et al. (aggression), the children were observed and rated for their baseline aggressive behaviour. State one person who observed the children in this part of the study. [1]

The experimenter.

Outline how the children were rated for their baseline aggressive behaviour in this part of the study. [2]

The children were rated on four different scales about aggression all five point ratings. The scales included physical and verbal aggression.

Outline one weakness of how the children were rated for their baseline aggressive behaviour in this part of the study. [2]

It is a subjective measure of aggression the teacher may already have an incorrect idea of how aggressive a child is making it less valid.