Bandura & Ross (1961)

Uses: Social cognitive theory

Procedure:

• Three groups, control, expose to aggressive behaviour and expose to passive behaviour

• 36 boys, 36 girls, 37-69 months old, mean age is 52 months. One male adult and one female adult as role models

• 8 conditions within the aggressive and passive behaviour:

  • 6 boys, same-sex model, aggressive condition

  • 6 boys, opposite sex model, aggressive condition

  • 6 boys, same-sex model, non-aggressive condition

  • 6 boys, opposite sex model, non-aggressive condition

  • 6 girls, same sex model, aggressive condition

  • 6 girls, opposite sex model, aggressive condition

  • 6 girls, same-sex model, non-aggressive condition

  • 6 girls, opposite sex model, non-aggressive condition

• Pretesting accessing their aggressiveness, observed children in nursery and based their aggression on a 5 point scale. Rating accessed their physical and verbal aggression along with aggression toward inanimate objects.

• Matched pair design, similar levels of aggression

• The observers were the experimenter (female), a nursery school teacher (female) and the model for male aggression. The study reports that the first two observers were “well acquainted with the children”.

• Another inner-rater reliability test was done to test the reliability of the observers, they had an r=0.89 which is a high correlation, showing they are reliable.

• Tested individually.

• Stage 1: child and model taken into a room. In non-aggressive condition, the model plays with blocks; in aggressive condition, model first play with blocks then both physically and verbally assult the bobo dollt. This continues for 10 minutes

• Stage 2: child taken into a room full of toys, but later told they are not allowed to play as they are reserved for other children.

• Stage 3: child taken into a room with toys, which includes the bobo doll. Observed for 20 minutes.

• Measured in 3 criteria: imitative for physical aggression, imitative for verbal aggression and imitative non-aggressive verbal responses.

Results:

• Children who saw the aggressive model performed more aggressively.

• boys were more aggressive than girls.

• girls are more physically aggressive with male model and more verbally aggressive with female model.

• boys are more aggressive if the model was male than female.