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This is a famous study by Dr. Albert Bandura about kids who mimic and modify aggressive behavior modeled by adults.  This study is often cited in the debate about simulated violence.

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So it's kind of common sense that you should watch the way you behave when you have little kids in your presence because the concern is that the little kids can pick up your bad behavior or maybe learn a choice word or two that they're not supposed to be using in preschool. The underlying concern in this is that children can observe your bad behavior and then learn through observing it. And there's a psychologist who studied this by the name of Albert Bandura. And this is actually a very famous psychological experiment known as the Bobo doll experiment. And the Bobo doll experiment is a pretty famous psychological research study that you hear cited sometimes when people are having the debate of whether or not they should ban violent video games. For those of you who don't know, a Bobo doll is basically a blow-up doll that you can punch. Now, I don't know if kids still play with these things these days since now they have Xboxes and all sorts of other fancy technology. But this experiment was back in 1965. And this is pretty much the cream of the crop when it came to toys back then. So this is an inflatable doll that people called Bobo doll because it has a clown on it. So the way the experiment worked was they had a group of children in a laboratory doing an arts-and-crafts project. That sounds nice enough. Except, in the middle of it, suddenly a man appeared and proceeded to start punching and hitting and kicking this inflatable doll. And not only was he being aggressive physically towards this doll, he was also shouting hit it, kick it. So he did this for 10 minutes straight, just pummeling this doll to a bloody pulp, if you could say that about an inflatable doll, all the while yelling hit it, kick it. And some of the children observed this behavior. And other ones, it didn't really phase them. They were just so into their arts-and-crafts project that I guess it really didn't matter much to them. So after the 10 minutes passed, the man left. And the next part of the experiment required the kids to feel frustrated. So the researchers were kind of mean about this. And what they did was they gave these kids an impossible puzzle to solve. In other words, they gave them a puzzle with some pieces missing. Imagine how frustrating that must be, that you can't put it together. So they knew that that would cause frustration. And what they did was the researchers observed through a one-way mirror how the kids reacted to this frustration. Now in this laboratory, they were brought to a room where it was filled with toys. So maybe here's a balloon, here's a cool teddy bear. And of course in the room was this Bobo doll, the very same one that that man had beat up for 10 minutes. And what the researchers observed was many of the children would actually come up to the doll and proceed to hit it. And not only were a lot of them hitting it, the ones that were hitting it were often yelling hit it, kick it, the very same words that that guy had said earlier. So what this revealed was that kids can learn through observing the way people behave. So as you might imagine, oftentimes you'll hear this Bobo doll experiment mentioned in the debate of whether or not they should ban violent video games or not let kids see violent movies because this experiment showed that children can indeed learn through observing behavior. But learning a behavior and performing a behavior are two separate topics. Many of the kids were aggressive towards the doll and yelled the same things that the man had yelled. And so you could say, all right, so the majority of kids, yes, were aggressive towards the doll. But not all of the kids were aggressive towards the doll. I mean all the kids didn't learn this aggressive behavior. So Bandura wanted to know, what's going on with these kids? How come they didn't behave the same way towards the doll? Did they maybe not learn that aggressive behavior? So they performed another experiment that was fairly similar to the one I just described. So in this next experiment, what they did was they set up a TV in a laboratory. And I don't know, I bet back then TVs had bunny ears. So on this TV, the kids saw a Bobo doll and someone being aggressive towards the Bobo doll, also yelling hit it, kick it. But the difference here was that the video showed afterwards that person being punished for acting that way towards the doll. They were spanked and told they were doing something wrong. So the children saw the consequence of that behavior. So after they watched the video, they were placed into a room again with toys. And some of the kids again walked up to the Bobo doll and started hitting it. And not only were they hitting it, they were also yelling hit it, kick it. So these kids did that. But what about these kids? Did they not learn that behavior? So what they did to find that out was the researchers basically bribed these kids and offered them stickers and juice, you know, things kids love, if they could imitate the behavior that they saw on TV. And what they found was that the kids were indeed able to imitate that behavior. And this is a concept known as learning-performance distinction. And what learning-performance distinction is that learning a behavior and performing the behavior are two different things. You can learn a behavior, but not perform the behavior. But what's important to take away from this is that not performing the behavior doesn't necessarily mean you didn't learn the behavior. So again, just because these kids initially didn't perform the behavior of acting aggressive towards this Bobo doll, that doesn't mean that they didn't learn it because it was clear once you bribe these kids with juice and stickers and things that they like, they were in fact able to perform that aggressive behavior. So they actually did learn, even though they didn't act that way. And again, this is what's important when you think of that classic debate of whether they should ban certain types of violent video games. Because you'll hear people who are against the censorship saying, well, my child plays violent video games and doesn't act aggressive. Or my child watches violent movies and doesn't act the way that those people do on TV. But that doesn't necessarily mean that just because they're not performing that behavior that they're seeing, that doesn't mean they're not learning that behavior. So it's a scary thought to think about, right? And when it comes to learning, Bandura devised his own theory, known as Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, talk about a mouthful. But it's pretty easy to remember if you ask yourself, am I motivated? So say that with me. Am I motivated to learn Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory? Are you motivated? Let's see. Let's write it out. Am I motivated? Well, I'm sure you are, if you're watching this video. But really this is a mnemonic that I came up with that might make it easier for you to remember it. The A stands for attention. The M stands for memory. The I stands for imitation. And motivated stands for motivation. So let's just remove these two letters, motivation. So this is Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory and the four components of it, attention, memory, imitation, and motivation. So let's use an example to illustrate what I'm talking about here. So let's say I want to teach you how to draw a star. So here we go. I want you to learn this. Did you see me draw it? OK, so in order to learn how to draw a star like I did-- of course, I don't know why you wouldn't know how to draw it anyway. But let's say that you've never seen this really interesting star before, OK? So you have to have an attention span long enough to watch me go through the movements of drawing the star. Not only do you have to have the attention span, you have to have a memory to remember me drawing the star. And what imitation means is you have to be able to imitate what I just did. So let's delete the star now. And if I were to ask you to draw it or imitate the way that I drew it, that would be imitation. And that would involve your memory and having an attention span long enough to do it. And then, of course, what it comes down to is motivation. If you're going to draw a star for me, you probably have the attention span long enough to watch me go through the movement. I'm sure your memory is good enough to remember me doing it. So I'm sure you're capable of imitating me drawing that star. But the question is are you motivated enough to do that? So if you were, you would do-- And that's Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory. So am I motivated? And if you just watched this whole video, I'm sure you are.

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Observational learning: Bobo doll experiment and social cognitive theory (video) | Khan Academy

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So it's kind of common sense that you should watch the way you behave when you have little kids in your presence because the concern is that the little kids can pick up your bad behavior or maybe learn a choice word or two that they're not supposed to be using in preschool.

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How Violence in Video Games and Media Harm Child Development

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How Violence in Video Games and Media Harm Child Development

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Source: Seattle Children's Hospital

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A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics calls for action to reduce children's exposure to violent video games and media. The report also calls on the gaming and media industries to create shows and games for children that do not contain violence.

"Children are not only viewing violence, but with virtual reality games they are actively engaging in a realistic and immersive violent experience," said Dr. Dimitri Christakis, the director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children's Research Institute and lead author of the new AAP policy. "A media diet is as important as a food diet. Pediatricians and families need to have thoughtful conversations about a child's media intake."

Virtual violence influences child development

Studies over decades have shown a link between exposure to media violence and aggressive behavior and thoughts.

"This is settled science-studies have shown a connection between virtual violence and real world aggression," Christakis said. "Often times when this issue is presented in media, we'll see one person on TV taking a different perspective. But the science is clear that there is a real world effect."

The report cites research that shows the typical child will have seen 8,000 murders and 100,000 other acts of violence, including rape and assault, before middle school. Studies have shown that exposure to violent content can lead to angry feelings and actual or observed aggression.

"The media and gaming industry needs to produce children's games and entertainment that do not contain violence," Christakis said. "To keep a game's appeal and adrenaline rush, game producers resort to intensifying violence and this is affecting our kids."

He points out that glamorized virtual violence does not show the consequences of real violence-victims who are injured or die as a result of violence and the devastating impact this has on the victims' families.

Christakis says the hopeful news is that when a child's media diet is changed to feature more positive content, the results are good.

"Research has shown that a child's aggressive behavior decreases when violent media is eliminated and replaced with positive content," he said.

Social media and violence

The report also raises concerns about how social media provides children with unsolicited exposure to acts of violence in the form of videos and photos, in many cases rapidly and in real-time. Some of the violent content comes from current events in war zones or protests.

Dr. Wendy Sue Swanson, executive director of Digital Health at Seattle Children's Hospital and author of an AAP commentary on social media, says while these videos may provide an opportunity for social engagement and activism in youth, they may also change a child or teen's sense of safety or anxiety in their community.

"We have to think carefully about how children are being exposed to ongoing violence online," Swanson said. "Parents should be co-viewing content with their children. We need to discuss the injustices we witness in virtual violence and acknowledge it may affect some children and teens differently if they identify with the victims of violence."

Report's recommendations

The AAP offers six specific recommendations as part of its policy:

Pediatricians should consider a child's "media diet" as a part of wellness exams, discussing not just the quantity of media but also the quality.

Parents should be mindful of their child's media consumption, and should co-view media and co-play games with their children.

Protect children under age 6 from all virtual violence, because they cannot always distinguish fantasy from reality.

Policy-makers should consider legislation to prohibit easy access to violent content for minors and should create a robust and useful "parent-centric" media rating system.

Pediatricians should advocate for and help create child-positive media, collaborating with the entertainment industry on shows and games that don't include violence as a central theme.

The entertainment industry should create content that doesn't glamorize guns or violence, doesn't use violence as a punch line and eliminates gratuitous portrayals of violence and hateful, misogynistic or homophobic language unless also portraying the impacts of these words and actions.

In video games, humans or living targets should never be shot for points.

The news media should acknowledge the proven scientific connection between virtual violence and real world aggression and stop portraying the link as controversial.

Resources

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How Violence in Video Games and Media Harm Child Development - On the Pulse

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A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics calls for action to reduce children's exposure to violent video games and media. The report also calls on the gaming and media industries to create shows and games for children that do not contain violence.

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Kids, Guns, and Violent Video Games: A Randomized Trial

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Kids, Guns, and Violent Video Games: A Randomized Trial

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Welcome to Impact Factor, your weekly shot of commentary on a new medical study. I'm Perry Wilson.

This week: a study testing whether violent video games can increase the chance that kids will play with guns. The study appeared in JAMA Network Open.

Here's the background: A fair amount of research suggests that kids who play violent video games or watch violent shows are more likely to engage in aggressive or violent behavior. But causality isn't entirely clear here. Maybe certain kids just like that stuff; behavioralists call it "trait aggression." Some kids gravitate to Call of Duty while others are more into Candy Crush.

To determine causality, researchers randomized 242 children aged 8-12 years to one of three scenarios in the popular game Minecraft.

In the first, the children played a character who would shoot monsters with guns. In the second, they would kill the monsters with swords. In the third, there were no weapons or monsters; they would just run around collecting gems.

After about 20 minutes of this, the kids were sent into a room to play with toys-Legos, board games, Nerf guns, and foam swords. And in the room was a cabinet containing two real guns that had been disabled.

The question: What would the kids do if they found the guns, and how would the type of video game they had just played influence those actions?

Well, first of all, almost every pair of kids found the guns. A mysterious cabinet in a lab does not stay closed for long. And, to shoot first and ask questions later, there was an effect that suggested that exposure to the more violent version of Minecraft led to more inappropriate behaviors with the gun.

Kids who played the gun version of Minecraft pulled the trigger more often, pulled the trigger more while pointing at themselves or their friend, and spent more time handling the gun.

But honestly, that's not what really disturbed me about the study. The disturbing thing was how these kids behaved after finding the gun.

Of 220 kids who found the gun, only 13 told an adult without touching it-the thing you want your kids to do in this situation. Thirty-five told an adult, but after touching it. Most kids never told an adult at all. Yikes.

But how influential was the violent version of the video game, really?

Digging into their regression results, you can see that although the violent video game condition had some effect, it was washed out by trait aggression, the natural aggressive tendency of the child. Children who played Minecraft with guns pulled the trigger about twice as often, but kids who were more aggressive at baseline pulled the trigger 13 times as often. This suggests that the arrow of causality goes from natural aggression to consumption of violent media, as opposed to the other way around.

Methodologically, I have only one major concern about the study. These are 8- to 12-year-olds. Do we think they might have caught on to what was happening? The authors state explicitly that at least some kids thought it unlikely that a real gun would be left in a scientific lab.

So the high rate of gun play may reflect the fact that the kids felt relatively safe. Of course, a similar situation can occur in a home where kids assume that a found gun is unloaded-and those miscalculations can be deadly.

The most important thing this study teaches us is that children are curious creatures who need to be reminded of what to do the moment they come across a gun in real life: Don't touch, and tell an adult.

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Kids, Guns, and Violent Video Games: A Randomized Trial

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Welcome to Impact Factor, your weekly shot of commentary on a new medical study. I'm Perry Wilson. This week: a study testing whether violent video games can increase the chance that kids will play with guns. The study appeared in JAMA Network Open.

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Are Video Games Really Making us More Violent?

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Are Video Games Really Making us More Violent?

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KQED

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We've all heard that violent video games make you violent, but is it true? Our host Myles Bess and PBS NewsHour Student Reporters from Etiwanda High School in Southern California dive deep into the research to get a better understanding of the debate.

TEACHERS: Guide your students to practice civil discourse about current topics and get practice writing CER (claim, evidence, reasoning) responses. Explore lesson supports.

Are violent videos to blame for mass shootings in America?
Often times after tragic mass shooting, we hear politicians turn the blame to violent video games, but the reality is that the research doesn't really support that claim. There's little scientific evidence to suggest that playing violent video games leads to mass homicide or violence in real life. Instead the debate in the research field is about the role violent video games plays on more minor levels of aggression.
Do violent video games increase aggression?
In 2015, the American Psychological Association did a huge review of the literature on violent video games and behavior, and concluded that violent video games is associated with increases in aggressive behavior and thoughts and decreases in prosocial behavior, empathy, and sensitivity to aggression. But there is considerable debate in the field about the influence violent video games has on different forms of aggression. And it's important to understand that there's a difference between violence and aggression.

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Are Video Games Really Making Us More Violent? | KQED

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We've all heard that violent video games make you violent, but is it true? Myles and PBS NewsHour Student Reporters from Etiwanda High School in Southern California dive deep into the research to get a better understanding of the debate.

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Study Suggests Video Games Can Help Mental Health

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Study Suggests Video Games Can Help Mental Health

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The future of video gaming unveiled atElectronic Entertainment Expo

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The future of video gaming unveiled atElectronic Entertainment Expo

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3 ways to boost your intelligence by playing video games

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3 ways to boost your intelligence by playing video games

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Do Games Like 'Grand Theft Auto V' Cause Real-World Violence?

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Do Games Like 'Grand Theft Auto V' Cause Real-World Violence?

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Violent Video Games and Bad Behavior: The Evidence Mounts

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Violent Video Games and Bad Behavior: The Evidence Mounts

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Violent video games may stop crime by keeping criminals busy playing violent video games

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Violent video games may stop crime by keeping criminals busy playing violent video games

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Essential Facts about Games and Violence

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Essential Facts about Games and Violence

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No evidence that violent video games are causing mass shootings, despite politicians’ claims

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No evidence that violent video games are causing mass shootings, despite politicians’ claims

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CNBC

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How Video Games Are Getting Inside Your Head— And Wallet

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How Video Games Are Getting Inside Your Head— And Wallet

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When Playing Video Games Means Sitting OnLife's Sidelines

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When Playing Video Games Means Sitting OnLife's Sidelines

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Video game violence linked to bad behavior

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Video game violence linked to bad behavior

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CBS

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A new study finds a link between violent video games and aggressive behavior in children. Dr. Harold Koplewicz, child psychiatrist, and president of the Child Mind Institute, talks about the study with the "CBS This Morning" co-hosts.

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Video game violence linked to bad behavior, study says

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A new study finds a link between violent video games and aggressive behavior in children. Dr. Harold Koplewicz, child psychiatrist, and president of the Child Mind Institute, talks about the study with the "CBS This Morning" co-hosts.

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Ishmael Beah comes to New York as a teenager after years of fighting as a child soldier in Sierra Leone and gets a second chance at childhood.

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Violent Video Games Do Not Cause Real-World Violence

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Violent Video Games Do Not Cause Real-World Violence

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Read and re-read this exemplar text to notice writer's craft and reasoning.

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S1 Exemplar Position Paper Letter to Bloomberg