Definitions
Aggression
Aggression is any form of behavior directed toward the goal of harming or injuring another living being who is motivated to avoid such treatment.
Social Learning Theory
A theory of learning process and social behavior proposed by Albert Bandura, which posits that new behaviors can be acquired by observing and imitating others.
Modeling
The process of learning behaviors through the observation of others and the reproduction of those behaviors in similar situations.
Imitation
The action of using someone or something as a model and trying to replicate their behavior or actions.
The Study's Objective
The 1961 study by Bandura, Ross, and Ross aimed to investigate whether aggression could be learned through observation and imitation, as suggested by the Social Learning Theory. This study was particularly interested in understanding if children would imitate aggressive behaviors observed in a model, and if so, whether this imitation was influenced by the model's gender.
Methodology and Participants
The study involved 72 children (36 boys and 36 girls) from the Stanford University Nursery School, aged between 3 and 6 years old. The experiment was conducted in a controlled environment to ensure the reliability of the observations.
The study featured three groups. One group of children was exposed to an aggressive model interacting with a large inflatable Bobo doll, another group observed a non-aggressive model, and the last group served as a control group with no model exposure.
Procedure
Each child in the experimental groups watched an adult model behaving either aggressively or non-aggressively towards the Bobo doll. The aggressive actions included hitting the doll with a mallet, throwing it in the air, and yelling verbal aggression such as 'sock him.' After observation, the children were taken to another room filled with attractive toys, which they were not allowed to play with, creating frustration.
Following this, each child was taken to an adjacent room containing both aggressive (e.g., mallets, Bobo doll) and non-aggressive toys (e.g., tea set, crayons), and their behavior was recorded by experimenters observing through a one-way mirror.
Findings
The results of the study indicated that children exposed to the aggressive model were more likely to exhibit aggressive behaviors themselves, compared to those who observed the non-aggressive model or were part of the control group. Boys exhibited more aggressive responses than girls, particularly when they watched an aggressive male model. The study also found that children were more likely to imitate same-gender models.
Conclusions
Bandura et al. (1961) concluded that social behaviors, such as aggression, can be acquired by observing and imitating others, supporting the Social Learning Theory. This study highlighted the role of reciprocal determinism, where behavior both influences and is influenced by personal factors and the social environment, in the learning of aggressive conducts.
To remember :
Bandura et al.'s 1961 study demonstrated that aggressive behavior can be acquired through the observation and imitation of models, supporting the Social Learning Theory. The research methodology underscored how environmental, cognitive, and behavioral influences interact in learning processes. Furthermore, it revealed that factors like model similarity (e.g., gender) could affect the likelihood of behavior imitation. This study has had profound implications on our understanding of behavior acquisition, and underscores the potential impact of observed behaviors in media and peer interactions during childhood development.
