bandura 1963 study Flashcards
aim
Bandura aimed to investigate whether a filmed model would have the same effect as a live model on children’s aggression
a secondary aim was to investigate whether cartoon aggression would have a similar impact to realistic filmed aggression
sample and research method
laboratory experiment using an independent groups design
48boys and 48girls who were aged 39-52 months old and selected from the Stanford university nursery in California
independent variable
the model - live, filmed or cartoon
dependant variable
the level of aggression the children displayed
procedure
- the participants were randomly allocated to one of the 4 conditions:
1. live aggression condition - watched an adult aggress towards a Bobo doll
2. filmed realistic aggression - watched the same behaviour displayed on a screen
3. cartoon aggression condition - watched on TV a model dressed as a black cartoon cat perform the same aggressive behaviours towards a Bobo doll as in the other conditions
4. control group - did not watch aggression - the children were brought into a room with an observation window and allowed to play with toys in all conditions
- the children were then taken to another room where all the children were deliberately frustrated by being show shiny new toys and told they were for other children (if they were not frustrated, they would not have the urge to be aggressive later on)
- the children were taken into a playroom containing a range of toys including a inflatable bobo doll. their behaviour was observed through a one-way mirror by the male model. a second observer was present for half of the pps to determine inter-rater reliability
findings
the three experimental groups all displayed increased aggression
the mean total number of aggressive acts was 83 for the live aggression condition, 92 for the filmed realistic aggression condition and 99 for the cartoon aggression condition
the differences between the three experimental conditions were not significant, however they did differ significantly from the control condition, which had a mean total aggression score of 54
conclusions
Bandura concluded that exposure to live or filmed aggression increases the likelihood of aggression in response to frustration, even if the aggression is modelled by a cartoon figure
weakness of sample - generalisability
one weakness of Bandura’s 1963 study is that the sample of children aged 39-52 months that was used were all young and from the same nursery
this means that the sample may not be representative of other young children who do not come from this nursery because the children from Stanford University nursery are extremely well behaved so will copy the role model as this is what they have been taught to do
therefore, this means that the findings may be unrepresentative of children in the wider population and unable to be generalised to people of different ages and who did not go to Stanford University nursery
strength - control of extraneous variables
one strength of Bandura’s 1963 study is the controls used to reduce the impact of extraneous variables
children taking part in each condition were matched for aggression, reducing the impact of individual differences in aggression, a potential extraneous participant variable
the non-aggressive conditions allowed researchers to control for spontaneous aggression
observing the children one at a time controlled the possibility that a child may imitate the behaviour of another child
therefore, this means that we can be sure that the observed aggression was the result of imitation of the aggressive model, enhancing the internal validity of the study
counter argument to control extraneous variables
However, Bandura’s research only showed short-term effects, and also aggression was shown towards a doll
therefore, there is some concern that, despite the clever design, the findings do not necessarily explain aggressive behaviour in everyday life
strength - application of findings
one strength of Bandura’s study is that it has informed the development of the Sabido method
Bandura and Sabido pioneered the use of telenovelas (like a soap opera) to tackle specific social problems in countries all over the world
viewers identify with the popular characters who become role models
research has shown that these serials have been highly effective in prompting behavioural change, e.g., increasing contraception use or the take-up of literacy classes
therefore, this demonstrates the significant contribution of Bandura’s development of social learning theory in promoting behaviours which are of benefit to individuals and also to wider society
weakness - risk of demand characteristics
one weakness of Bandura’s 1963 study is that elements of the procedure could have cued children as to how they were expected to behave
Noble (1975) reported that one child arriving at the laboratory for the experiment said, ‘Look Mummy, there is the doll we have to hit’
this suggests that the children may have believed that they were expected to aggress towards the doll - why else would the adult have modelled aggression towards the doll then left them with one?
therefore, this means that the experimental procedures may lack validity - we cannot be sure to what extent the results reflect learning and to what extent they are affected by demand characteristics
strength - inter-rater reliability
one strength of Bandura’s 1965 study was that there was inter-rater reliability when rating the children’s aggression levels before the study began
when the children were being placed into the groups, the experimenter and the children’s teacher rated each child in terms of aggression levels, both the teacher and experimenter conferred over the values they gave to the children
this gives the study a good level of reliability because in order for the children to be placed in the experimental groups, they had to be rated by more than one person to ensure aggression levels were the same in each group
therefore, this means that we can be certain that the groups both had equal levels of aggression because they were rated by two people who had to agree in order for them to be placed into an experimental group
