See Aggression... Do Aggression

by Appi and Ian

Background• Albert Bandura, Dorothea Ross

and Sheila Ross.• Wanted to test the idea of learning

being the primary factor shaping personality.

• Four hypotheses regarding imitating aggression, imitating non-aggression, imitating same-sex adults, and males being predisposed to higher aggression.

Methods

• 36 boys and 36 girls (3-6 yrs) individually watch a male or female adult model either beat up and yell at a Bobo doll in anger, or do nothing.

• Children are placed in a similar room with the same toys and are angered.

• The experimenters watch and rate the children in terms of aggression.

Conclusions

• Children imitated the acts of aggression they saw almost identically.

• Children who were given non-aggressive models showed much less aggression.

• Same-sex models had a greater influence on the aggression of boys than it did on girls.

• Boys were significantly more aggressive than girls.

Historical Significance

• Demonstrated how children can acquire new behaviors by observation of adults.o Social learning theorists say

that most behaviors relating to personality are formed through this process.

• Foundation for countless later studies about the influence of viewing violence in the media and in person on children.

CritiquesCritics:

Bobo Doll = Real Person?

Fake aggression = Real aggression?

Hanratty, O'Neil, & Sulzer, 1972:Children exposed to aggression to dolls later often aggressed against live people, even if the person wasn't the source of frustration.

Recent ApplicationsViolence in the media:

• U.S. Congress has held hearings on media violence.

• Further research shows that effects of seeing media violence as a child last into adulthood.

• Broadcasters have tried to put parental advisory ratings or lower media violence.