Ethological Perspective Ethologists focus on the study of
animal behaviour as it occurs in the natural habitat (environment).
Founded by Konrad Lorenz who devoted many years to the research of
aggressive behaviour. Lorenz viewed aggression as an instinctive
behaviour. He defined aggression as a fighting instinct that is
directed against members of the same species. Lorenz asserts that
all humans have the same instinctual aggressive behaviour
regardless of culture and individual background. The aggression
instinct has evolved over many generations to help animals survive
in their natural environments and ensures the survival of the
species.
Slide 3
Aggressive Instinct Serves the purposes of: 1. Defending the
young. 2. Protecting resources and territories. 3. Establishing a
social hierarchy. Humans have no natural weapons to use in
aggression, so they have needed to use their high intelligence to
develop artificial weapons such as guns.
Slide 4
Ethological Perspective Lorenz agreed with the Psychodynamic
theory that aggression can be re-directed and released in socially
acceptable ways, such as competitive sport etc. However, there is
little scientific evidence in the field of Ethology and it does not
take into account the role of learning and cultural influences on
aggression.
Slide 5
Activity 1. Table Analysis Look at the Table on Page 441 of the
textbook which shows the frequency of murders across varying
countries. In your workbooks write an explanation as to why the
ethological perspective of aggression fails to address the
differences in committed murders between countries.
Slide 6
Social Learning Perspective on Aggression Chapter 10: pp.
445-446
Slide 7
Social Learning Perspective Focus on how we learn aggression
through our interactions with others in daily life. According to
the Social Learning Perspective, one of the main ways we learn
aggression is from watching other people being aggressive and then
copying their behaviour.
Slide 8
Observational Learning or Modelling Observational Learning
occurs by watching someone elses behaviour and the consequences of
their behaviour, then modelling or imitating the behaviour. The
people we observe and imitate are the models. E.g. Parents, TV
Characters etc.
Slide 9
Modelling Behaviour More likely to imitate the behaviour of
someone who matters to us or someone whom we can relate to. If we
observe positive, desirable consequences from our models behaviour
then we are more likely to imitate the behaviour. However, if we
observe negative, undesirable consequences, such as punishment then
we are less likely to imitate.
Slide 10
Activity 1.- Children See. Children Do. The Australian
Government supports the Social Learning Perspective on Aggressive
Behaviour, Used this to promote positive parenting. Australian
Government Children See. Children Do. Advertisement.
Slide 11
Albert Bandura (1977, 1973) Applied Social Learning theory and
Observational Learning to the explanation of human aggression. 4
Conditions necessary for Observational Learning to occur. 1. You
must pay Attention to the models behaviour. 2. You must Remember
the models behaviour. 3. You must have the ability to Reproduce, or
imitate the observed behaviour. 4. You must be Motivated to perform
the behaviour.
Slide 12
Banduras BoBo Doll Experiment (1965) Three groups of pre-school
children watched a film of an aggressive adult model who was
punching, hitting, kicking and verbally abusing an inflatable doll
named BoBo the Clown. In the first version the adult models
aggressive behaviour was rewarded with lollies, praise and soft
drink. In the second version the adult models aggressive behaviour
was punished with a spanking and being told off by another adult.
In the third version their were no consequences for the adult
models aggressive behaviour. The children were then placed
individually in a room with the inflatable doll and other toys and
they were observed through a one way mirror.
Slide 13
Activity 2. BoBo Doll Experiment
Slide 14
BoBo Doll Experiment Results: The children who observed the
model being rewarded for their aggressive behaviour were more
aggressive in their play that other children who had seen different
versions of the film. The children who had observed the adult model
being punished for their aggressive behaviour displayed less
aggression, but they had still learned something. Later, when these
children were offered rewards for all the aggressive acts they
could perform, these children performed as many aggressive acts as
the other children who had seen the adult models being rewarded for
aggressive behaviour. Bandura concluded that aggressive behaviour
can be learned through the process of observational learning.
Slide 15
Activity 4. Applying Banduras Theory A number of Children in
the Bandura (1965) experiment modelled aggressive behaviour.
Explain why this occurred in terms of Banduras 4 conditions that
are necessary for observational learning to occur.
Slide 16
Aggression and the Media Over 100 Psychological studies have
established a cause and effect relationship between observing
violence in the media (TV, Video Games, DVDs) and later performance
of violent acts. This may be because people who engage with violent
media types are more prone to violence or the individual background
and socio- cultural factors could increase the impact of media and
the performance of violent acts. Or it could be due to Social
Learning and Observational Learning theory.
Slide 17
Activity 3. The Dark Knight Rises Massacre Read through the
Dark Knight Rises Massacre as a class. Answer Key Questions in your
workbooks. Discuss answers as a class.
Slide 18
Reflections What are the major differences between the
Ethological and Social Learning Perspectives of aggression?