Bandura, Ross, & Ross (1961). Transmission of Aggression through Imitation of Aggressive Models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63[3], 575-582
Arhe Vaninetti
Research Methods & Statistics, PSY301, Pacific University, Oregon
February 27, 2023
The study conducted by Bandura, Ross, & Ross (1961) was the keystone to assessing the transmission and incidental learning of aggressive behavior in children aged 37 to 69 months old (or around 3 to 5 years old). The 72 children (36 male and 36 female) were divided into the following groups: the control group (24 children), the aggressive group (24 children), and the nonaggressive group (24 children). It is noted in the study that in each group, both control and experimental, half of the children were male and half were female.
Within the aggressive and nonaggressive groups, half of the children were exposed to a same-sex model (12 children), and half were exposed to a different-sex model (12 children). The groups were assigned by rating the child’s aggression levels on four 5-point scales, and then the children were randomly assigned to a condition.
Once the groups were established, the experiment began with the nonaggressive group. The children were led into a playroom with various toys. The model first played with some colorful toys in one corner of the room with the child before they transitioned to the other corner that had a bobo doll, a mallet, and some tinker toys. The model in this group would simply play with the tinker toys while the child watched. The model would then leave and the child would be invited to play with the toys while the experimenters recorded the child’s behaviors. After 10 minutes, the experiment concluded.
In the aggressive group, the child would play with the model in one corner before they went to the corner with the bobo doll. The model would play with the tinker toys for one minute before they would turn to the bobo doll and begin attacking it while saying various phrases like, “Kick him,” and “Pow!” Once the child watched the behavior, and was invited to play, the experimenters would record the behavior. After 10 minutes, the experiment concluded.
In the control group, the children had no exposure to the models, and were left to play in each room freely.
In testing for delayed imitation, the experimenters brought the children to another room that included several nonaggressive toys as well as a bobo doll, a mallet, and a tetherball with a face on it. It was here that the children were allowed to play for 20 minutes while the observers watched behavior.
The results of the study concluded that the direct social imitation of aggressive behaviors had a large effect size when compared to the nonaggressive setting (p = <0.001). Furthermore, the effect size was found to be larger when the children had a male model in both the aggressive experimental condition and the nonaggressive condition. Simply, having a male model was indicative of behavior, and seemed to be valued more by both the male and female children, but especially by the male children.
Due to this study being conducted in 1961, the 1976 Belmont Report on human experimentation had not been published yet, which explains the lack of parental consent for the parents of the children. Due to the nature of the study—exposing children to fictional violence in the aggressive experimental group—there are long-lasting behavior concerns for the children involved in the research. Finally, due to the method of the study, this could likely not be replicated in the present era, which leaves this study as a relic of psychology’s past.
One interesting outcome of this study is the effect of the model’s gender on the prevalence of imitative violence in the children. While this study may not be conducted in the current age, it brought revelations to the field of social psychology and to the subject of gender roles and violence. The study, in my experience, is not often cited for the imitation effects of violence, but because of research in the field of feminist theory. If this study could be revived in an ethical manner, then the research would likely focus on the aspect of violence and gender instead of childhood violence imitation.