Promoting Prosocial Behavior Notes

Bandura, Ross, and Ross (1961)

Aim:
To investigate whether observing an adult model behaving aggressively toward a Bobo doll would increase aggressive behaviors in children.

Method:
Laboratory experiment with structured observation. The independent variable (IV) was the type of model behavior (aggressive, non-aggressive, or no model). The dependent variable (DV) was the children's subsequent behavior.

Participants:
72 children (36 boys, 36 girls), aged 3–6 years.

Procedure:

1. Stage 1:
   Children were randomly assigned to one of three groups:
   • Aggressive model group: The model acted aggressively toward the Bobo doll, using physical and verbal aggression.
   • Non-aggressive model group: The model played calmly with toys.
   • Control group: No model was shown.
2. Stage 2:
   Each child was taken to a new room and exposed to a frustrating situation (denied access to attractive toys).
3. Stage 3:
   In the final room, children had access to toys, including a smaller Bobo doll. Their behavior was observed through a one-way mirror for 20 minutes.

Results:

• Children exposed to the aggressive model exhibited significantly more aggressive behaviors than other groups.
• Same-sex models led to higher imitation rates.
• Boys were more likely to imitate physical aggression, while girls imitated verbal aggression.

Conclusion:
The study supports observational learning, showing that children can acquire new behaviors by watching others.

Evaluation:

• The study used a laboratory setting with standardized procedures. This strengthens the internal validity.
• Findings have implications for media influence on children's behavior.
• The study has low ecological validity, as the lab environment and the Bobo doll do not reflect real-world aggression.
• Exposing children to aggressive behavior raises ethical issues.
• The study did not measure long-term behavioral changes.
• 72 children from one nursery school may not be representative of wider populations.

Hutcherson et al. (2008)

Aim:
To investigate whether individuals can self-generate feelings of social connection and positivity toward others through loving-kindness meditation.

Participants:
93 volunteers who rarely or never meditated in daily life.

Procedure:

• Participants were randomly assigned to two groups:
  • Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM) Group: Guided through a 7-minute loving-kindness meditation.
  • Neutral Imagery Group: Guided through a neutral imagery induction.
• Participants evaluated six pictures, including:
  • Themselves
  • A close person
  • Three neutral strangers
  • A non-social object
• Each picture was presented 18 times in random order.
• Each image was followed by a positive word or a negative word.
• Participants had to quickly categorize the word as positive or negative.
• Faster reaction to positive words → Indicates a more positive implicit bias.
• Participants rated how connected and positive they felt toward the subject on a 7-point scale.

Results:

• Participants in the Loving-Kindness Meditation group showed increased feelings of social connection and positivity, both explicitly and implicitly.
• This suggests that even a brief meditation session can enhance prosocial emotions and empathy towards both known and unknown individuals.

Conclusion:
Loving-kindness meditation has an effect on prosocial behavior and may help reduce social isolation.

Evaluation:

• Clear manipulation of independent variable creates a controlled environment.
• Measured both explicit and implicit responses, increasing the validity of findings.
• Findings suggest a simple intervention that could promote prosocial behavior.
• Conducted in a lab setting with artificial tasks that may not reflect real-world behavior.
• Only short-term effects evaluated.