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Aggression

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Aggression:
Social Learning Theory:
Gabriel Tarde 1912:
Characteristics of imitation: * Behaviour of role model * Copying of behaviour * Degree of contact w/ role model * Degree of understanding behaviour
These are ways in which our social behaviour and responses could be shaped by the actions of others
Bandura’s SLT:
Behaviour is motivated by inherited psychological factors and socio-environmental factors
Believed there were four basic processes: * Attention * Retention * Reproduction * Motivation
STUDY: Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961)
Aim: to find out if human behaviour is shaped by sociocultural processes of social learning
Process: 72 children (36 f/m) * Bench mark for comparisons= teachers rated children’s level of aggressiveness * Child and adult enter room with toys * Agg = mallet and gun * Non agg = construction set * Agg = plays aggressively with bobo doll using physical and verbal violence * Non agg = didn’t interact with doll * To create frustration child was taken to a room w/ better toys and told they couldn’t play w/ them * Then taken to a room with similar toys to first room
Findings: Children who witnessed the aggressive model were more likely to act aggressively * Boys were more aggressive if their role model was same sex * Girls had similar trend but was weaker * The girls in the aggressive model condition showed more physical aggressive responses if the model was male, but more verbal aggressive responses if the model was female. * Opposite if they punched the bobo doll * Boys imitated more physically aggressive acts than girls. There was little difference in the verbal aggression between boys and girls.
AO2:
(+) environmental continuity- all children experience same conditions
(-) lacks ecological validity- most of the time children won’t experience aggressive behaviour life that first hand
(-) Cumberbatch (1990) - children who had not played with a Bobo Doll before were five times more likely to imitate the aggressive behaviour than those who were familiar with it; he claims that the novelty value of the doll makes it more likely that children will imitate the behaviour
(-) Demand characteristics- children may have acted that way to please the adults as they believe the aggressive behaviour was expected of them
(-) Snap shot study and it isn’t clear of the long term effects of such behaviour
(-) Bobo doll was originally intended for punch which may have influenced the child’s behaviour
(-) Confidentially was not kept as videos were leaked online
(-) lacks population validity- only American participants were used
AO2 of Bandura’s SLT:
(+) has face validity- James Bulger who was murdered by 2 boys (aged 10/11) and prior to it they watched child play 3
(+) can account for differences in aggressive and non-aggressive behaviour- people learn that such behaviour is rewarded in some situations (militarily)
(+) can account for cultural differences- The Kung San tribe of the Kalahari desert are seen to have extremely low levels of aggression and violence among their people. Social learning can explain through their child rearing practices as they have been observed to not reinforce any aggressive behaviours in children instead opting to distract them. Also aggression is frowned upon in the culture further and with an absence of any role model for people to learn it, this may explain the low levels of aggression which is in line with social learning theory predictions.
(+) can be applied to anti-social behaviour – deviancy
(-) imposed etic where western ideas imposed on other cultures
(-) deterministic and avoids biological explanations

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