Social Learning Report: Exploring Aggression Through Observation

This report delves into Bandura's social learning theory, specifically examining how children acquire behaviors through observation and imitation. It begins with an introduction to Bandura's classic experiments, including the Bobo doll study, and highlights the significance of observational learning. The report then develops a research question exploring the impact of violent video games on children's social behavior, particularly in terms of aggression. The methodology section outlines a proposed study involving two groups of children, one exposed to constructive video games and the other to violent video games. The study design includes observation, interviews, and the use of a Likert scale to assess the children's behavior and attitudes. The report also discusses the importance of parental consent and the ethical considerations involved in the research, while the report concludes with the null and alternative hypotheses regarding the effect of violent video games on children's behavior. The report also includes a discussion of the experimental design, the mixed-method approach, and the sampling method.

Running head: social learning
Social learning
Name of the student
Name of the author
Authors note

Running head: social learning
INTRODUCTION
Bandura’s social learning experiment aimed to investigate, whether social behaviour can be
acquired by observation and imitating. The experiment constituted of Bobbo doll and
children with mild aggressive behaviour (Bandura & Huston 1961). After stimulating the
children, it was noticed that the children were responding to the aggressive behaviour, both
physical and verbal. Bandura studied the behaviours of the children and watched how they
learn new kinds of behaviour. By this experiment, he could support his social leering theory,
because it enabled him to show people not only learn by sanction f reward ad punishment
(Bandura & Huston 1961). They also leant by just mere observation, thus it could be
concluded that human being learn by mere observing the behaviours of others. This
experiment helped us to comprehend how our unconscious mind can effectively work to
make us adapt to work or act in a certain way. His experiment open up vista of newer
dimension of social leaning theory. For example, Cooley’s analysis of Looking Glass Self,
Mead’s theorization of Mind, Self and Society, explored oh how human makes meaning from
the social world. How ad to what extent behaviour can get influences, whether there is core
self, or the nature of self is inorganic. Thus, his experiment served a crucial point of reference
for social and well as psychological theories.
With the constant development of technology and science, there are now various media
through which the children can be influenced. For instance, the video gaming, which can also
be accessible in mobile phone, Television, and other internet channels. The aim for my
hypothesis is to explore if gaming in the virtual world can affect the children or reduce their
active participation in the social activities. This kind of experiment is important because it
provides significant light on the notion of work and play (Bandura Ross & Ross 1963). Either
gaming can help the children to imbibe to the working condition or it can create social
isolation. The hypotheses is to see whether games based on violence affect the children to act

Running head: social learning
violently. Here the dependent variable s the behaviour of the children and the independent
variable is video games. The aims to observe the children behaviour will include the use of
likert scale and a constant monitoring of their actives with the aid of video camera will also
be incorporated in the research. Not only the physical aggression but also the verbal
aggression will be recorded to understand how or in what was the children are learning and
modifying their behaviour with this kind research will also throw light on the unconscious
process of learning or adapting to the environment (Bandura & McDonald 1963). Before
experimenting, it is important to understand, that video-gaming has sense, one where the
children will consider gaming as vehicle of learning and the other where gaming itself will be
considered as play. These themes are important and studying the children in such artificial
environment will also the researcher to understand the way, children learn. Therefore it is
important to conduct such research.
The null hypotheses for this research, is violent video gaming affects the children’s learning
behaviour and the alternative hypotheses is violent gaming effects do not affect the children’s
behaviour.
METHOD
This experiment will be premised on the age group of 4 to 6 years. Before doing the
experiment, consent will be taken from their parent. The kind of that will be done on their,
will be explained to their parent in detail fashion. The sample size will be 20, where boys and
girl will be equally represented, the background of these children will also be studied. This
research will aim to select the children whose social background are similar. The total
amount of time taken for this experiment will be 8 hours. The children will be divided in to
two groups. One group containing five boys and five girls will be allowed to play video
games which are most constructive and other group will be provided to game with destructive
games. The gaming time will be fixed for each group. After the gaming time, their behaviours

Running head: social learning
will be observed and how they interact, will their immediate environment. Both the control
group and the experimental group will be observed in a scientifically-mediated environment.
Along with the observation, individual opinion will also be taken through a process of
interview. This experiment will also include the opinion of the parents because the nature of
Verbal Reponses are important and it shows the way the children are modifying their identity
process. These identity that the children are developing are related with the relationship with
the others. Based on the likert scale, the opinion of the children will also be included, the
likes and silks of the children are important to know. This because it reflects the unconscious
process in which they start to develop a particular kind of self-autonomy. While the
experiment is being conducted to the children, they must remain open to other media
channels. This experiment is going to take place in their school environment. Once a week
these children will be encouraged to play some physical activities. The responses so on will
be also taken down.
The research design will be based of mixed method approach; this is because the
research design is artificially created. It will follow an experimental research model, however
it will also incorporate the interpretative approach. This is because both the participants and
the parents of the participants will be interviewed regularly. Therefore, along with the
quantitative approach the qualitative approach will also be explored. The sampling method is
non-probable sampling design. The independent variable being the behaviour of the student
and the depended variable video gaming. The samples are selected based on the purposive
sampling method so that the social background remains the same.

Running head: social learning
References
Bandura, A., & Huston, A. C. (1961). Identification as a process of incidental learning. The
Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63(2), 311.
Bandura, A., & McDonald, F. J. (1963). Influence of social reinforcement and the behavior of
models in shaping children's moral judgment. The Journal of Abnormal and Social
Psychology, 67(3), 274.
Bandura, A., Ross, D., & Ross, S. A. (1963). Imitation of film-mediated aggressive
models. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 66(1), 3.