3 Core study Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models

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3 Core studyTransmission of aggression through
imitation of aggressive models

• Albert Bandura, Dorothea Ross and Sheila A. Ross

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Aim

• to see if imitated behaviour would be displayed
  in new settings

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Background

• Bandura and Huston (1961) found that children
  imitated behaviour exhibited by an adult model.

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Hypotheses

1. Subjects exposed to aggressive models would
   reproduce aggressive acts resembling those of
   their models.
2. Observation of non-aggressive models would
   inhibit aggressive behaviour.
3. Subjects will imitate the behaviour of a same-
   sex model more than model of the opposite sex.
4. Boys would display more aggression than girls.

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Method

• laboratory experiment with controlled observation

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Independent variables

• whether children observe model or not
• whether children observe aggressive or not
  aggressive model
• whether children observe same or opposite sex
  model
• gender of child

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Dependent variables (1)

• Number of aggressive acts
• imitation of physical aggression
• e.g. striking Bobo with mallet
• imitative verbal aggression
• e.g. saying Sock him!
• imitative non-aggressive verbal responses
• e.g. saying He sure is a tough fella.
• sitting on Bobo doll
• sits on Bobo doll but is not aggressive with it

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Dependent variables (2)

• mallet aggression
• e.g. striking object other than Bobo doll with
  mallet
• non-imitative aggression
• e.g. punches Bobo doll
• non-imitative physical and verbal aggression
• aggressive gun play
• Number of the times they were observed (behaviour
  units) in which children played non-aggressively
  or sat quietly and did not play at all.

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Participants

• 72 children from Stanford University nursery
  school
• 36 boys and 36 girls
• age range 3769 months
• mean age 52 months

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Procedure

• Children were observed in nursery by a male model
  and a teacher and given an aggression rating on
  physical and verbal aggressions, aggressive
  inhibition and aggression toward inanimate
  objects.
• Children were divided into eight groups of 6 plus
  a control group of 24.
• They were matched on age, gender and aggression
  rating.

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Stage 1

• 10 minutes
• Children in experimental group were taken by an
  adult to a room and invited by role model to come
  in and play.
• The child was sat at a table with potato prints
  and stickers.
• Model was taken to corner of room with the Bobo
  doll (5 foot), mallet and a tinker toy.

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Stage 1 cont (1)

• In the non-aggressive condition
• the adult played with the tinker toys.

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Stage 1 cont (2)

• In aggressive condition
• the adult began assembling tinker toys
• after one minute the adult began being aggressive
  with Bobo doll
• three repetitions of
• laying Bobo doll down, sitting on it and hitting
  its nose
• raising Bobo up and hitting it with the mallet
• throwing Bobo up and kicking it around the room
• this was interspersed with verbally aggressive
  responses
• Sock him in the nose, Kick him, He sure is a
  tough fella.

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Stage 2

• 2 minutes approximately
• The child was taken by experimenter to a second
  room.
• There were lots of attractive toys
• fire engine, doll set, jet fighter plane, dolls
  pram
• Child was told by experimenter he/she could play.
• As soon as child involved, the experimenter told
  child they were best toys and they were reserved
  for other children.

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Stage 3

• 20 minutes
• The child was taken to room not in nursery with
  variety of toys
• e.g. Bobo doll (3 foot), mallet, dart gun, tea
  set, crayons, farm animals.
• Child was observed through one-way mirror every 5
  seconds by male model and one other researcher.

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Results

• Hypothesis 1
• Subjects exposed to aggressive models produced
  significantly more aggressive acts than
  non-aggressive and control groups.

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Results

• Hypothesis 2
• Boys who observed non-aggressive models produced
  significantly less aggression than control group
  boys.
• No significant differences for girls
• Subjects in non-aggressive condition showed
  significantly more non-aggressive play with dolls
  than either aggressive or control.
• Subjects in non-aggressive condition spend more
  than twice as much time sitting quietly and not
  playing than in the aggressive condition.

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Results

• Hypothesis 3
• Subjects did imitate the behaviour of same-sex
  model more than model of opposite sex.
• Boys showed more imitation of male models
• Girls showed more imitative verbal and more
  non-imitative aggression of female models.

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Results

• Hypothesis 4
• Boys did display more imitative physical
  aggression than girls.
• No difference in verbal aggression
• Boys played significantly more with guns and less
  with tea set, dolls and colouring.

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Conclusions

1. Subjects exposed to aggressive models did
   reproduce aggressive acts resembling those of
   their models.
2. Observation of non-aggressive models did inhibit
   aggressive behaviour.
3. Subjects did generally imitate the behaviour of
   same-sex model more than model of opposite sex.
   However, both boys and girls imitated male
   models aggression more than female models
   aggression.
4. Boys did display more physical aggression than
   girls.

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Controls

• Adults
• One male and one female served the role of model.
• One experimenter conducted the study of 72
  children.
• Toys
• All toys in stage 3 were arranged in a fixed
  order.
• Observation
• Inter-rater reliability of observers was checked
  by correlation.
• There was a one-way mirror.
• Blind condition observers didnt know the
  condition the child was in (apart from male model
  in cases where he was model).