Psychology 9-1 GCSE -

6.2.1 - Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961) Transmission of Aggression through Imitation of Aggressive Models:

Aims - 

To investigate if social behaviour can be acquired by observation and imitation.

Procedures - 

There was a control group with no model shown, a group with an aggressive model, and one with a non-aggressive model. Each group had 24 children in it. 12 boys and 12 girls.

Results - 

Children who observed in the aggressive model were a lot more likely to imitate aggressive responses. Boys were more likely to imitate same sex models than girls. Boys were more physically aggressive than girls. Girls showed more physical aggression if the model was male, but more verbal if they were female.

Conclusions - 

The findings support Bandura's social learning theory. Children learn social behaviour such as aggression through the process of observational learning.

Strengths - 

• It allows for precise control of variables, such as the gender.
• Standard procedures were used, so the experiment can easily be replicated.

Weaknesses - 

• It has low ecological validity as it was done in a laboratory.
• The children and the model were strangers.
• Demonstrations were measured immediately, so can not account for long term effects.
• The experiment is somewhat unethical.