Bandura et al - Aggression through Imitation

Psychology being Investigated

• Social Learning Theory: Social behaviour is learned primarily by observing and imitating others.

• Components of Social Learning:

  • Attention: Observers must pay attention to the behaviour of the model. The model must have some feature that attracts the observer.

  • Retention: Observers must store the behaviour in their long-term memory so that the information can be used again (when the observer wants to imitate the behaviour).

  • Reproduction: Observers must feel capable of imitating the retained, observed behaviour.

Background of the Study

• Observational Learning: Learning behaviour by imitating others.

• Several studies have demonstrated that children are influenced by witnessing adult behaviour in the same situation and in the presence of the adult who modelled the behaviour (also affected by gender.)

Aim of the Study

• Overall aim: To investigate observational learning of aggression.

• Specific aims:

  • To see whether children would reproduce aggressive behaviour when the model was absent.

  • To look for gender differences in the learning of aggression.

Sample

• Opportunity sample → all from Stanford University Nursery School.

• 72 participants: 36 boys and 36 girls. 

• Their ages ranged from 37 months to 69 months, with a mean age of 52 months. 

• 2 adults, a male and a female, served as the role models in the experiment. 

• One female experimenter conducted the study for all 72 participants.

Research Method and Design

• Experimental Design: Independent groups, Matched pairs design.

• Research Method: Lab experiment & Covert observation.

• Independent Variables:

  • Behaviour of the model - aggressive/non aggressive,

  • Sex of the model,

  • Sex of the subject.

• Dependent Variables:

  • The behaviour imitated and observed in the eight categories.

Detailed Description of the Experimental Design

Procedure of the Study

Experimental Conditions (Exposure)

• First step → individuals brought into the experiment room, seated at a small table and made to design some pictures with potato prints and picture stickers (they had the highest interest value for the children according to the nursery.)

• The model was escorted to the opposite corner of the room, where there was a small table & chair, a tinker toy set, a mallet, and a 5-foot inflated Bobo doll.

• In the non-aggressive conditions → the model assembled the tinker toys quietly and ignored the Bobo doll.

• In the aggressive conditions → the model assembled the tinker toys for a minute, and then began acting aggressive towards the Bobo doll. The model laid the doll on the side, sat on it, and punched it repeatedly in the nose. They also used the mallet on the doll’s head (did these actions three times). Comments like “Sock him in the nose,” “Hit him down,” etc were said by the model.

• Subjects were provided a diverting task to occupy their attention (the pictures etc), but were also exposed to the model’s behaviour without any instructions to pay attention or retain it. This made sure that if they imitated the behaviour then it would be natural and not fabricated. (Covert observation basis)

Aggression Arousal

• Subjects tested for the amount of imitative learning away from the main nursery school building → made sure that the experimental conditions were differentiated.

• This was included for two reasons: (1) observation of aggressive behaviour exhibited by others tends to reduce the probability of aggression on the part of the observer and (2) to instigate or annoy the children.

• The subjects were taken to a different room with some very attractive toys, including a fire engine, a locomotive, a jet fighter plane, a cable car, a colourful spinning top, a doll set complete with a wardrobe, a doll carriage, and a baby crib.

• They were allowed to play with them for 2 minutes before the experimenter stopped them and said that they were reserved for other children.

Test for Delayed Imitation

• Children were taken into the experimental room, which contained a variety of toys, including aggressive and non-aggressive toys.

• The aggressive toys were a 3-foot tall inflatable 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 non-aggressive toys included a tea set, crayons and colouring paper, a ball, two dolls, three bears, cars, trucks, and plastic farm animals.

• The toys were placed fixedly.

• Children were observed playing for the next 20 minutes.

• Two more observers (the models) watched the child play and had an inter-rater reliability of 0.90

• Three types of aggression were recorded: (1) imitative aggression (physical and verbal), (2) non-imitative aggression, and (3) partially imitative aggression.

Results of the Study

• There was a significant difference in levels of imitative aggression between the group that witnessed aggressive behaviour and the other two groups.

• There was a significant difference in levels of imitative physical and verbal aggression.

• Significantly more non-aggressive play was recorded in the non-aggressive model condition.

• Children who had witnessed an aggressive model were significantly more aggressive themselves.

• Overall, very little difference was present between aggression in the control group and the non-aggressive modelling condition.

• Boys were significantly more likely to imitate male-aggressive models.

• Boys were significantly more physically aggressive than girls. Girls were slightly more verbally aggressive.

Conclusion

• Witnessing aggression in a model can be enough to produce aggression by an observer.

• Children selectively imitate gender-specific behaviours.

Ethical Issues

• Lack of protection from harm → Children were exposed to aggressive behaviour and were not protected.

• Informed consent → was taken from the nursery teacher (trusted adult).

Evaluation of the Study

Issues & Debates (Discussion)

• Application to Everyday Life: can be helpful in advertising agencies.

• Individual and Situational Explanation: This study supports the situational side of the debate as the situation that the children found themselves in caused the imitated aggressive behaviour.

• Nature versus Nurture: This study supports the nurture side of the debate as the environment they found themselves in caused the imitated aggressive behaviour.

• The use of children who are less susceptible to demand characteristics could become more aggressive after this study.