Bandura’s theory- How children imitate aggressive behaviour
The report aims to:
• Summarise the findings of Bandura et al (1963) on how children imitate aggressive behaviour that they have observed by another person in real life or in the media.
• Give advice to parents of children on how violence observed by children in real-life or in the media can affect how children imitate this aggressive behaviour and how they should protect their children from such behaviour.
Background
Bandura et al (1963) carried out a research study with the aim of exploring the extent to which children imitate aggressive behaviour that they have observed carried out by another person (a model) in real life or in a film. Ninety-six children (equal number of boys and girls) aged between 3 and 6 years old were divided into four equal groups:
Group 1 Each child was individually exposed to a real life person behaving aggressively towards a Bobo doll. Half of group one saw a male model and the other half a female model.
Group 2 Exposed to a real life person behaving aggressively towards a Bobo doll through a film. Half of the group saw a male model and the other a female model.
Group 3 Exposed to a film of a cartoon behaving aggressively towards the Bobo doll. The model in the cartoon was not gender specific, so could have been male or female.
Group 4 Not exposed to any aggressive behaviour towards the Bobo doll.
The children in all four groups were then put in a room with both aggressive and non-aggressive toys. They researchers observed each child individually to see how many aggressive acts they carried out after observing the aggressive behaviour of another person and in the case of the fourth group no aggressive behaviour at all.
The effects of aggressive behaviour observed by children:
The findings of Bandura et al (1963)
The research study carried out by Bandura et al (1963) had the following findings:
• Both boys and girls in the three groups that were exposed to aggressive behaviour carried out more acts
• Summarise the findings of Bandura et al (1963) on how children imitate aggressive behaviour that they have observed by another person in real life or in the media.
• Give advice to parents of children on how violence observed by children in real-life or in the media can affect how children imitate this aggressive behaviour and how they should protect their children from such behaviour.
Background
Bandura et al (1963) carried out a research study with the aim of exploring the extent to which children imitate aggressive behaviour that they have observed carried out by another person (a model) in real life or in a film. Ninety-six children (equal number of boys and girls) aged between 3 and 6 years old were divided into four equal groups:
Group 1 Each child was individually exposed to a real life person behaving aggressively towards a Bobo doll. Half of group one saw a male model and the other half a female model.
Group 2 Exposed to a real life person behaving aggressively towards a Bobo doll through a film. Half of the group saw a male model and the other a female model.
Group 3 Exposed to a film of a cartoon behaving aggressively towards the Bobo doll. The model in the cartoon was not gender specific, so could have been male or female.
Group 4 Not exposed to any aggressive behaviour towards the Bobo doll.
The children in all four groups were then put in a room with both aggressive and non-aggressive toys. They researchers observed each child individually to see how many aggressive acts they carried out after observing the aggressive behaviour of another person and in the case of the fourth group no aggressive behaviour at all.
The effects of aggressive behaviour observed by children:
The findings of Bandura et al (1963)
The research study carried out by Bandura et al (1963) had the following findings:
• Both boys and girls in the three groups that were exposed to aggressive behaviour carried out more acts