Dse141_Tma_01

TMA01 – Part 1 Write a short piece summarising and interpreting the information presented in the table below (200 words). A Reflection of Aggression in Studies of Children. The following table summarises the findings by Bandura, Ross and Ross (1963), on whether participants would imitate aggressive behaviour when viewed. Condition |Types of aggression |Live model |Film model |Cartoon Model |Control (no model)| |Imitative aggression |21.3 |16.4 |12.0 |2.9 | |Partial imitative aggression |20.1 |26.4 |24.7 |13.3 | |(mallet use) | | | | | |Non-imitative aggression |34.2 |34.2 |49.7 |29.1 | |Total aggression |75.6 |77.0 |86.4 |45.3 | When conducting this experiment, all of the participants experienced the same event; the same room, people and toys. Bandura and colleagues changed one element; how much violence each of the participants were exposed to. The experiment used a number of toys; a Bobo doll and peg board. A selection of 'Non-aggressive' toys were also used: a tea set and crayons. Three groups were exposed to 'experimental conditions', i.e. A live model, film model and cartoon model behaving aggressively. The model repeatedly hit the doll; saying things like 'sock him in the nose' and 'kick him'. In the fourth group, the 'control condition', participants were not exposed to aggressive behaviour. As summarised in the table, overall the total aggression (combination of all types of aggression) was highest in the cartoon group. 'Non-imitative' aggression was the most common type of response across all groups. The fewest acts of aggression came from the control group (i.e. no exposure to any aggressiveness at all), concluding that exposure to aggression of any type does influence behaviour. Page 1 Reference: Bandura et al. (1963) experiment, in Brace, N and Byford, J (eds) Investigating Psychology, Oxford, Oxford University Press / Milton Keynes, The Open University. Word Count: 200 (Not including table, references, page numbers, PI Number, Question and assessment TMA01). Page 2 TMA01 – Part 2 You have been asked to prepare a two-page report in the form of a handout for a group of primary school teachers. Drawing on Chapter 3 and other relevant material that you have studied in weeks 6 and 7, prepare an account of how and why research by Bandura and colleagues on social learning and aggression has contributed to our understanding of children’s behaviour. You should assume that the primary school teachers have not studied psychology. Note that you are required to produce a two-page report in the form of a handout that should not exceed 800 words in length. Please use single spacing and a font size no small than 11-point. Note also that the reference list is not included in the word count, but in-text citations and tables are. The reference list should fit on the second page of the report. What is Psychology' Psychology is the scientific study of the human mind and behaviour. It is relevant to every aspect of human life and used on a daily basis. Who Uses Psychology' People over a variety of professions use Psychology every day, sometimes without noticing; From General Practitioners to Builders. For example; a general practitioner may use psychology when assessing a mental disorder such as Schizophrenia and Bipolar disorder. How is Psychology Measured' Adorno and colleagues began measuring psychology by looking at people’s attitudes. They believed that a person’s attitude was a reflection of their underlying personality characteristics. It is claimed that no two people have the same personality. Adorno et al also used the F-Scale to measure authoritarian personality. The F stands for ‘fascist’. How Does Social Learning Influence a Child’s Behaviour' Social learning is the theory of learning based on observing and imitating the behaviours of others. News articles and television programmes can also be considered to influence a person’s behaviour. Children now have access to a variety of technologies which has opened up new possibilities; networking sites have now become available, such as Facebook and Twitter which allow you to look another person’s every day activities. Children and adults can now engage in online games, play in imaginary words and chat with each other via chat rooms. This can also be a cause for concern; accessing violent material has become very easy. It has also become a lot easier to bully people, even when within your own home. Child Aggression Studies; The following table was created after Bandura and colleagues devised an experiment; The Bandura et al (1963) experiment. |Types of aggression |Live model |Film model |Cartoon Model |Control (no model) | |Imitative aggression |21.3 |16.4 |12.0 |2.9 | |Partial imitative aggression |20.1 |26.4 |24.7 |13.3 | |(mallet use) | | | | | |Non-imitative aggression |34.2 |34.2 |49.7 |29.1 | |Total aggression |75.6 |77.0 |86.4 |45.3 | Condition Children were exposed to another person (referred to as models, both male and female) behaving aggressively. Group 1 watched a live model repeatedly hit a bobo doll; using phrases such as ‘hit him in the nose’ and ‘pow’. Group 2 observed a film model was seen to be behaving aggressively on television. Group 3 watched footage of the same set of aggressive actions with the Bobo doll, but performed by a cartoon model dressed as a black cat. Group 4, the control condition did not observe any aggressive behaviour. Page 1 Bandura and colleagues carefully planned this experiment. All participants experienced the same surroundings, toys and people. However, he changed one major detail; known as the independent variable. This means that Bandura manipulated one element in the ‘conditions’ to see what effect this had on the participants behaviour, in this case, how much violence the groups were exposed to. After all 4 groups had completed the ‘model’ phase, they were placed into rooms with a selection of toys; a bobo doll, a teddy bear, crayons and a hanging punch ball (to name a few) and left to play for 20 minutes. Bandura and colleagues observed each group and their behaviour through a one-way mirror which was recorded. They carefully analysed the footage and coded the behaviour each child displayed. This provided an accurate amount of aggressive behaviour that the child displayed. In more than 90 percent of the codings, (independently made by two observers) both parties agreed so this was deemed as a reliable way to ‘code’ aggressive behaviour. The Findings The amount of aggressive acts for each child was known as the dependent variable; a variable that is expected to change as a result of manipulation of the independent variable by the experimenter. As seen in the table above, it is clear to see that the most aggressive acts were performed by the group watching the cartoon model, using non-imitative aggression. The fewest acts of aggression performed were from those in the control group using imitative aggression. The table also shows that children in groups 1 – 3 scored higher in the amount of aggressive acts performed, unlike group 4 who witnessed no aggressiveness at all. This shows that when a child is exposed to aggressive behaviour, the numbers of aggressive acts increase. Conclusion: Bandura et al and colleagues were able to successfully prove what they had predicted; social learning has a very big effect on the outcome of what children deem right and wrong. When exposed to acts of aggressiveness and violence, whether it is by a live model, film model or cartoon model, the number of aggressive acts increased. Therefore the children found that it was acceptable to imitate these ‘acts’ and that it was part of normal behaviour when left to their own devices. References: Bandura et al. (1963) experiment, in Brace, N and Byford, J (eds) Investigating Psychology, Oxford, Oxford University Press / Milton Keynes, The Open University. McLeod, S. A. (2011). What is Psychology' Wikipedia [online] http://www.simplypsychology.org/whatispsychology.html, 4/07/2012 Page 1