Human Development Chap 6

Bandura's experiment showed that children will not only imitate the model's specific aggressive behaviors but will also invent novel aggressive actions in their own spontaneous play.

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.

I am the best employee at my job. I should be able to come to work late if I want to.

Externalizing

I just failed my statistics exam because my professor is a horrible teacher.

Externalizing

My husband and I often argue because he is hard to get along with.

Externalizing

We just lost the football game because my teammate fumbled the ball.

Externalizing

I try hard to be a good parent but I just can't.

INternalizing

10. I am overweight and there is nothing I can do about it.

Internalizing

I have poor social skills. That is why I don't have many friends.

Internalizing

I'm not very good at soccer because I run slowly

Internalizing

I got a failing grade on my homework because I'm too dumb to understand the material.

internalizing

I'm not smart enough to do well in college.

internalizing

MODELING: LEARNING BY OBSERVATION

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. 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. 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. Let's break Bandura's experiment into its components. First, you will examine the actions of the model in a video clip that is part of the original footage from Bandura's research. As you watch the video, pay close attention to the model's behavior. After watching the video, list the specific behaviors in the response fields below. Be sure to enter one behavior in each of the five answer boxes.

In Bandura's experiment, both groups of children were equally likely to make aggressive remarks toward the doll.

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.

In Bandura's experiment, the control group had exactly the same experiences as the experimental group except that the children in the control group did not observe the model hitting the Bobo doll and making aggressive remarks toward it.

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.

When the children in Bandura's experimental group were left alone with the doll, they were more likely to hit the doll than were the children in the control group.

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.

Can you think of any common "real-life" situations in which observational learning occurs? Provide several examples in the space below.

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.