Method
- Sample: 48 girls, 48 boys aged 35 – 69 months (mean = 52 months)
- Group 1: watched real life male/female models be aggressive to Bobo doll
- Group 2: watched 10 minute film version of model be aggressive to doll
- Group 3: watched cartoon of female model dressed as a cat be aggressive to doll
- Control Group: not exposed to violence
Results
- Groups exposed to violence were nearly twice as likely to be aggressive compared to control group
- Boys exhibited more overall aggression than girls
- Boys displayed more total aggression, imitative aggression, aggressive gun play and non-imitative aggression than girls
- Boys were more aggressive when exposed to male model
- Girls were less aggressive with gun play when exposed to female models
- Boys shown female aggressive model were more likely to sit on the doll rather than punch it
- 1961 Results Table
- 1963 Results Table
Real-Life Aggression Human Film Aggress. Cartoon Aggression Control Group Aggress 83 92 99 54 Evaluation Summary
- G – low – from the same nursey – cannot be generalised to children from other backgrounds
- R – high – standardised procedure – easily replicable
- R – high (inter-rater) – 2 judges measuring DV – removing experimental bias
- A – yes – research led to watershed and age rating certificates – non-aggressive role models in media can encourage helpful behaviour
- V – low ecological – adult kicking doll was unnatural – children may believe that is the way you should respond to the doll
- V – high internal – room 2 meant all children were in the same emotional state entering room 3 – eliminates EV and establishes cause and effect
- V – low – may interpret the aggression as ‘playing’ – Cumberbatch (1990): children who were unfamiliar with the doll were 5 times more likely to imitate aggression than those who were familiar with it
- E – low – ambiguity of how permission was gained – unfair on children to try and evoke aggression as it may cause psychological harm