1 Bandura describes how he extended modelling theory to explain the influence of the symbolic environment as opposed to the physical environment. He suggests that communication technologies have allowed us to transcend our physical environment and model new behaviours through the symbolic environment, for example in media, language and communication. Can you think of something you have learned through a symbolic rather than a physical environment (e.g. learning how to argue from reading Twitter arguments)?
2 Bandura goes on to describe why he designed his Bobo doll studies as a reaction to growing public concern about gratuitous violence on television and the possible effects of this on viewers’ behaviours. He describes the existing research at that time as ‘largely descriptive and correlational’. How would his more experimental approach add scientific credibility to this area? (Hint: what have you learned about the advantages of experiments over correlation? Apply this to the impact of the media on aggression.)
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