The Bandura’s bobo doll experiment

This experiments presented evidence that appeared in the early 1960s to be conclusive regarding children and aggression (Gelso, 2006). However, as the questions involved point out, what are the limitations (Cheek, 2017)? The limitations of this sequence of experiments are as difficult to understand as the equation parameters of the Milgram Studies (NICHOLSON, I. A tale of two methods: Gustave Gilbert, Stanley Milgram, and the “Mysterious Nazi Mind” (1945–1965).

The Scientific Method is a wonderful tool when used correctly, it is one of the worst things invented when it is used wrong. The Bobo doll experiments are a really good example of how the scientific method was used wrong (Toomey, T., Richardson, D., & Hammock, G. 2017). The stress and tensions in western culture at the time were literally tearing the culture itself apart. Politicians were making decisions that were having extremely detrimental effects on the citizens. The military were in the middle of extreme power and political grabs. The children of the War Generation were starting to become teenagers, and being difficult for the culture to deal with. All those factors and enumerable more were not part of the experiment. Kids respond with their “best behavior” till they are allowed to “let their stress out through play”. Some kids deal with stress better than others. Some parents deal with stress better than others.

In Clinical, as I understand it, everything about an experiment is about determining how to take actions and turn those actions into variables (Laureate Education. (Producer). (2015). Then record a certain number of participants responses, how do their responses change according to various stimulations. However if you do not take into account the stressors and violence taking place outside of the laboratory; you have no way to determine what is human nature and what is children trying to come to grips with concepts well beyond their experiences to deal with.

The parameters of the equations, themselves are very limited, and draw conclusions in the equation which do not exist in reality. Forcing square pegs into round holes, the outcome is not actually determinable. Example if the peg is 1 cm wide, but the whole is 5 cm’s wide; the size and shape of the peg is completely irrelevant. Cultural bias is built in. We assume as adults that the peg and hole are relatively the same size. However this is the same assumption equation error found in Milgram.

Just because you can get people to “kill” someone else does not actually bring to a conclusion what the equation points to. Yes, you can convince people/children to perform certain duties, hitting bobo, or electrical shocking; are not that different from a variable’s perspective.

This is similar to the concept and structure of the IQ test, their basic mathematics are all based on the same exact parameters. The Prussians and the French demanded to know who in their populations would be best suited for what factory or support jobs. Who would be good at sweeping the floor, working the line, supervising small portions of the line, supervision areas, etc. up to the CEO. Which also includes support personnel who bring in supplies and take the created products out. The basic mathematics of all three have huge flaws in the Bobo experiment have not been addressed by later studies.

The bobo experiments are an extremely good example of how to use the Scientific Method wrong. Lead the experiment parameters with assumptions and force the results to match and assumptions going in. The results will show exactly what you want them to, instead of what is actually happening.

Milgram on the other hand is not an example of the scientific method being used wrong, it is an example of the culture not ready to accept its own mistakes. The data was not understood correctly. Of course, the acceptance of both Milgram and Bobo have the same western culture built in bias. The War between Jesus and Paul is being carried out at the base of both experiments. Not theology, more how each culture’s rules of acceptable behavior play out in the individuals. Some things with culture X are fine and dandy, some things with culture Y are fine and dandy. However if you do not take into account in a wide experiments which culture each person comes from x, y, z, a, b, c, etc. then what is acceptable to one or two is a huge problem for the others. Those cultural rules of order are higher up the behavior order of operations than is accounted for in any of the three experiments mentioned.

References

Gelso, C. (2006). Applying theories to research: The interplay of theory and research in science. In F. Leong & J. Austin, The psychology research handbook: A guide for graduate students and research assistants (pp. 455-464). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications. doi:10.4135/9781412976626.n32 Note: Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. 

Kretchmar, J. (2017). Social Learning Theory. Salem Press Encyclopedia. Retrieved from https://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=89164452&site=eds-live&scope=site 

Walden University Center for Research Quality (Producer). (2015) Theory [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Cheek, N. N. (2017). Scholarly merit in a global context: The nation gap in psychological science. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(6), 1133–1137. doi:10.1177/1745691617708233

Toomey, T., Richardson, D., & Hammock, G. (2017). Introductory psychology: How student experiences relate to their understanding of psychological science. Teaching of Psychology, 44(3), 246–249.

Laureate Education. (Producer). (2015). How to read research articles [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

NICHOLSON, I. A tale of two methods: Gustave Gilbert, Stanley Milgram, and the “Mysterious Nazi Mind” (1945–1965). Qualitative Psychology, Using Personal Documentary Sources in Psychological Research: 1940–1970. [s. l.], v. 6, n. 1, Using Personal Documentary Sources in Psychological Research: 1940–1970, p. 99–115, 2019. Disponível em: <https://ezp.waldenulibrary.org/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=pdh&AN=2018-12833-001&site=eds-live&scope=site>. Acesso em: 7 mar. 2019.