Chapter 1. MODELING: LEARNING BY OBSERVATION

Synopsis

Human Development Video Activity

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You must read each slide, and complete any questions on the slide, in sequence.

MODELING:

LEARNING BY OBSERVATION

Drawing of the Bobo doll – a clown drawn on an inflatable doll with sand at the bottom.

Author

Thomas E. Ludwig, Hope College

Synopsis

More than four decades ago, Albert Bandura and his colleagues conducted their now-classic experiments on observational learning and aggression. In this activity, you will view video clips from Bandura’s original Bobo experiments that show a model engaged in aggressive actions and children imitating the model. After observing the children’s behavior, you will identify the specific aggressive actions imitated by the children. The activity concludes with a discussion of Bandura’s findings on the general arousing effect of viewing aggression.

REFERENCES

Bandura, A., Ross, D., & Ross, S. A. (1961). Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63, 575–582.

Bandura, A., Ross, D., & Ross, S. A. (1963). Imitation of film-mediated aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 66, 3–11.

Introduction

A flow chart summaries the results of Bandura’s experiment. The experimental group watched the adult model act aggressively toward the doll, then experienced frustration, and were placed in a room with the Bobo doll. The children in the experimental group displayed highly aggressive behavior that imitated the model’s actions. The control group did not watch the adult model act aggressively toward the doll, then experienced frustration, and were placed in a room with the Bobo doll. The children in the control group displayed less aggression, and their aggression was mainly limited to punching the doll with their fists.

More than four decades ago, Albert Bandura and his colleagues conducted their now-classic experiments on observational learning and aggression. These experiments used Bobo dolls—large inflatable dolls weighted with sand at the bottom—as the targets of aggression

In Bandura’s initial experiment, some young children watched an adult model hit the Bobo doll in a variety of ways and make aggressive remarks to the doll. Other young children saw the doll but were not exposed to the model’s aggressive behavior. Later, the researchers intentionally frustrated the children by removing the toys that they had been playing with. The researchers then left the frustrated children alone with the Bobo doll and filmed their behavior through a one-way mirror.

Click to enlarge the following flow chart, which summarizes the results of Bandura's experiment.

Results from Bandura’s Experiment

Can you guess what happened? Those children who had seen the model act aggressively (the experimental group) were much more likely to display aggressive behaviors toward the doll than were the other children (the control group). Even more interesting, the two groups differed in the type of aggression that they displayed. When children in the control group acted aggressively, they usually hit or punched the doll with their fists. When the children in the experimental group showed aggression, they often imitated the model’s specific aggressive remarks as well as the model’s specific and unusual aggressive behaviors.

These results show that direct rewards and punishments are not necessary for learning. Children can learn from modeling—that is, they learn to act aggressively just by watching another person’s behavior and can even learn specific novel behaviors from the model.

Click to enlarge the following flow chart, which summarizes the results of Bandura's experiment.

A Closer Look at Bandura’s Experiment

Play the video clip as often as you want, and then type your list of the model's behaviors into these response fields. When you have finished your list, move to the next page.

A Closer Look at Bandura's Experiment (continued)

Adult model hitting the Bobo doll with a hammer

Hitting the doll with a hammer

Pushing and punching the doll with 1 or 2 fists

Throwing the doll into the air

Sitting astride the doll while punching it

Kicking the doll

Here is the list of behaviors that you observed:

1.) No response entered.

2.) No response entered.

3.) No response entered.

4.) No response entered.

5.) No response entered.

How well did you do? Did you notice each of the specific actions illustrated?

Observing the Children Who Observed the Model

Play the video clip as often as you want, and then type your list of the boy’s behaviors into these response fields. When you have finished your list, move to the next page.

You have seen the model's actions. Now let’s see how the children interacted with the Bobo doll after watching the model.

The next video shows more of the original video footage from Bandura's research. In this clip, you will see a young boy who participated in the experimental condition (exposed to the aggressive model). Pay close attention to his specific behaviors, and then list those behaviors in the response fields below.

Be sure to enter one behavior in each of the five answer boxes.

Question 1.1

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false

The Boy’s Actions

Hitting the doll with a hammer

Punching the doll with 1 or 2 fists

Throwing the doll into the air

Sitting astride the doll while hitting it with a hammer

Kicking the doll

Here is the list of behaviors that you observed:

1.) No response entered.

2.) No response entered.

3.) No response entered.

4.) No response entered.

5.) No response entered.

How well did you do? Did you notice each of the specific actions illustrated?

Observing Another Child

Play the video clip as often as you want, and then type your list of the girl’s behaviors into these response fields. When you have finished your list, move to the next page.

Perhaps you were not surprised that the little boy imitated Bandura’s aggressive model, but would little girls do the same when put into a room with the Bobo doll? The next video clip, also from Bandura’s original footage, shows a young girl who participated in the experimental condition. Pay close attention to her specific behaviors, and then list those behaviors in the response fields below.

Be sure to enter one behavior in each of the five answer boxes.

Question 1.2

The Girl’s Actions

Hitting the doll with a hammer

A young girl is punching the doll with her fist.

Punching the doll with a fist

Throwing the doll into the air

Hitting the doll with a smaller doll

Pushing and holding doll down

Holding the doll down and hitting it with a hammer

Here is the list of behaviors that you observed:

1.) No response entered.

2.) No response entered.

3.) No response entered.

4.) No response entered.

5.) No response entered.

How well did you do? Did you notice each of the specific actions illustrated?

Inventing Novel Behaviors

It was clear from Bandura’s initial experiment that children could learn specific aggressive behaviors by watching a model, but Bandura also demonstrated that exposure to an aggressive model has a general arousing effect on the child leading the child to invent his or her own novel forms of violent behavior and display actions that go beyond mere imitation of the model.

In this final video, you will see one more clip of Bandura’s original video footage of children in the experimental group. Pay close attention to their specific behaviors.

These children did not see a model throw an object at the doll or point a gun at the doll. Nevertheless, the model’s aggression stimulated the children to initiate these new forms of violence on their own. Bandura concluded that children learn at least two things from observing an aggressive model: (1) how to perform the specific actions demonstrated by the model, and (2) the general point that aggression is an acceptable (and perhaps even enjoyable) form of behavior.

Assessment: Check Your Understanding

Question 1.3

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Correct. This statement is true. If the two groups differed in any other ways, we could not be sure that the differences in aggressive behavior were caused by viewing the model.

Incorrect. This statement is true. If the two groups differed in any other ways, we could not be sure that the differences in aggressive behavior were caused by viewing the model.

Assessment: Check Your Understanding

Question 1.4

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Correct. This statement is true. The children in the experimental group who had viewed the model behaving aggressively were more likely to hit the doll and engage in other forms of aggression.

Incorrect. This statement is true. The children in the experimental group who had viewed the model behaving aggressively were more likely to hit the doll and engage in other forms of aggression.

Assessment: Check Your Understanding

Question 1.5

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Correct. This statement is false. The children in the experimental group who had viewed the model behaving aggressively were more likely to display both verbal and physical aggression toward the doll.

Incorrect. This statement is false. The children in the experimental group who had viewed the model behaving aggressively were more likely to display both verbal and physical aggression toward the doll.

Assessment: Check Your Understanding

Question 1.6

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Correct. This statement is true. This was a surprising finding because it demonstrated that children can learn specific actions through observation without being directly rewarded for those actions.

Incorrect. This statement is true. This was a surprising finding because it demonstrated that children can learn specific actions through observation without being directly rewarded for those actions.

Assessment: Check Your Understanding

Question 1.7

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Your examples should specify situations in which a model (preferably an attractive or high-status model) demonstrates a particular behavior, and another person imitates the model. Common examples might include:
1.) an athletic aerobics instructor leads a class in an exercise routine;
2.) a teen accompanies her parents to an expensive restaurant and watches others to see which fork or spoon to use for each course;
3.) a young boy practices wrestling moves that he learned by watching professional wrestlers on television.

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