The Social Learning Theory of Aggression

This social learning theory is presented by Alfred Bandura. According to Bandura, Ross, & Ross (1961), children view adults as role models. So, if an adult engages in aggressive behavior, the child will engage in the same aggressive manner because the child feels that it is "okay" because the "positive role model is doing it. In Bandura, Ross, & Ross's study (1961), a number of children were shown a film of a model beating up a bobo doll, this displayed aggression. A number of children were also in a control group in which they watched a film of a model playing with other toys, in a quiet manner, and ignoring the bobo doll. This model displayed nonaggression to the children.

Graphic of Model and Children Beating Up Bobo Doll

Bandura et. al. (1961), found that when the model left the room, and the children in the experimental group were allowed to play with the toys, they chose to beat up on the bobo doll. They copied the model that they had viewed on the film. They hit, punched, kicked, and yelled at the bobo doll the same way the model did. The children in the control group did not display aggressive behavior after they viewed the film of the model playing in a quiet manner with the toys. They played in a collective, quiet manner with the other toys, and ignored the bobo doll.

Bandura et. al. (1961), concluded that their prediction that exposure of subjects to aggressive models increases the probability that they will display aggressive behavior as a result proved to be true. This study proves that children learn aggressive behaviors through modeling. However, this study only concludes that children learn aggressive behaviors through the modeling of adult humans. It does not conclude that children learn aggressive behaviors through the modeling of non-humans, such as cartoons.

Many of us probably don't think that cartoons show aggressive acts. We think that they are funny and are pleasurable to watch. We don't think that children learn aggressive acts from cartoons because they are not real people. According to Dr. Joyce Brothers (cited in Hudis, 1993), violent cartoons affect little kids strongly, even though they are not going to buy a gun to kill someone, it raises their levels of aggression. In cartoons such as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Bevis and butthead there are a number of fighting scenes in which aggression is displayed in physical fighting, as well as verbal fighting. There has been a number of studies and a great deal of research done on the cartoon the Mighty Morphin Power Rangersto conclude that this program does raise aggression levels in children. According to Kiesewetter (cited in Boyatzis, Matillo, & Nesbitt, 1995), the National Coalition on Television Violence has stated that "The Power Rangers" is the most violent children's program it has ever studied, averaging 211 violent acts per hour. Huesmann et al. (cited in Boyatzis, Matillo, & Nesbitt, 1995), states that aggression may be a likely result after viewing the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers even though the program offers some moral, prosocial, messages because visual presentations of aggressive acts, independent of plot and dialogue, may be sufficient to engender aggression. A study by Huesmann and Eron (cited in Heburn, 1995), found that after showing a clip, to a group of children, from the television show the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the children acted out the violent acts that they viewed on the program.

Bevis and Butthead is another cartoon that displays acts of aggression. This cartoon has received much attention because of a child who viewed the show, and set his house on fire. He viewed Bevis and Butthead setting a fire, so he copied the behavior. According to Charren (cited in Hudis, 1993), the problem with Bevis & Butthead is that it's a cartoon and you have to make sure that irresponsible behavior in a cartoon can't be easily copied. Starting a fire is a copyable behavior. So the producers of Bevis & Butthead should keep in mind that children may be viewing this program, and acts such as starting a fire should not be allowed in the program.