Bandura carried out three experiments in relation to SLT.
The first was carried out in 1961 with Ross and Ross.
The aim of this study was to see whether young children will imitate behaviour they have seen.
The first hypotheses of this study was that children shown aggresive models will show more imitative aggressive behaviour than thoose shown non-agrressive or no models
The second hypotheses of this study was that children shown non-aggressive models will show less aggressive behaviour than thoose shown aggressive or no models
The third hypotheses of this study was that children would imitate behvaiour of same-sex model more than an opposite sex model and that boys would show more initative agression than girls, especcially with a male model.
The sample was made up of 72 children, 24 in the control, 24 with the aggressive model and 24 with a non aggressive model. Within the two model groups there were 12 males and females, the 12 was then divided in half again with 2 of the groups having the same sex model and 6 having an opposite sex model.
The study was conducted at stanford university.
The procedure: The children were playing in a room when the model (an adult) entered the room and behaved either aggressively or not.
The children were then made in a slightly aggressive state by being denied the right to play with the toys.
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Bandura's Studies (1961) cont.
The child was then given access to the Bobo doll and their behaviour was observed for 20 minutes through a one way mirror
The observers looked for three measures of imitation:
Imitaitions of physical aggression (Measured by what they did to the doll)
Imitations of verbal aggression (Words used against the doll)
Imitations of non-aggressive verbal responses
Results:
Watching an aggressive role model had a greater effect on boys than girls, especially when observing a same sex model
Children exposed to an aggrerssive model displayed more aggression than thoose not exposed to aggression. Some children even used tools like hammers and guns to inflict aggression on the doll even though this was not modelled.
In general the male model had more influence on behaviour than the female model
Both boys and girls displayed more non-imitative aggression after the aggressive role model.
The effect was stronger after watching the same sex model. This means they were more aggressive but not in the exact ways the models were.
Boys more likley to imitate same sex models than girls.
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Bandura's Studies (1961) cont.
Conclusions - The study shows hat not all behaviour is shaped by reward and punishment, but instead some is learnt through observation which is later reproduced.
Observing oher aggrerssive behaviour may lower social inhibitors especially if the behaviour is performed by adults and observed by children, this is because they are seen as role models and thoose who know right from wrong
This study is valuable because it did not involve reinforcement of the modelled behaviour and yet was still imitated.
Evaluation:
Controlled experiment with cause and effect conclusions
High reliability due to inter-rater observation by judges
Practical applications of TV viewing
Limited sample
Situation not valid beacuse of unrealistic situation
Children may have thought they needed to hit the doll as that is what the toy was intended for
Ethical issues as children were made to which physical nad verbal violence and were not debreifed at the nd.
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