Bandura '61

What was the aim of Bandura ‘61?

To investigate whether a learnt behaviour will be replicated in a different setting.

What are the IVs?

• Sex of the child

• Sex of the model

• Behaviour of the model

What is the DV?

The behaviour of the child

How were extraneous variables (like natural aggression levels) controlled for?

• The natural aggression levels of the children was rated by their nursery teacher

• Then using a matched triplets design the children were randomly assigned to a condition

What were the 3 experimental conditions?

1. Aggressive model

2. Non-aggressive model

3. Control (no model)

Describe the sample of Bandura ‘61

• 72 participants (36 male, 36 female)

• Aged 36-69 months (average age 52 months)

• All taken from the same nursery

• 3 adults involved

Who were the 3 adults involved?

• A male model

• A female model

• A female experimenter

What was stage 1?

Modelling

What happened in stage 1?

• Each child was exposed to a condition

What happened in condition 1 (aggressive model) during the modelling stage?

The model was aggressive towards the bobo doll

• Hit bobo with a mallet

• Pushed bobo over

• Punched and kicked bobo

• ‘Sock him in the nose’ ‘pow’

What happened in condition 2 (non-aggressive model) during the modelling stage?

The model didn’t do anything to the bobo doll.

What happened in condition 3 (control) during the modelling stage?

We don’t know what happened

What was stage 2?

Aggression arousal

What happened in stage 2?

• Children were taken to a room where they were free to play with attractive toys

• They were then removed from the room after 2 minutes to incite aggression

What was stage 3?

Delayed imitation

What happened in stage 3?

• Children were led into a room with aggressive (e.g gun) and non-aggressive toys (e.g crayons and paper)

• Child was supervised by the experimenter doing some paperwork

• Child was observed through a two-way mirror every 5 seconds for 20 minutes by multiple observers who were looking for physical and verbal aggression imitation (time sample)

What kind of observation did Bandura use in stage 3?

• Structured

• Covert

• Non-participant

What were the results of Bandura ‘61?

• Aggressive models created more aggressive imitation (25.8 vs 1.5)

• Boys were more aggressive than girls (25.8 vs 12.4)

• The male model had a greater impact on both genders than a female model

What conclusions can we draw from Bandura ‘61?

• Not all behaviour is learned via reinforcement, some is learned through observation and imitation