StrikeZone is an immersive virtual reality game designed for pre-school children where players navigate a digital playground. In the standard version of the game, players watch non-player characters (NPCs) resolve conflicts by physically striking or verbally insulting an inflatable toy character ("Boffo the Clown"). A series of observational studies monitored children aged 4 to 6 who engaged with StrikeZone. The researchers noted that children who observed the aggressive NPC models subsequently displayed a significant increase in physical and verbal aggression toward a physical "Boffo" toy placed in their real-world waiting room. This effect was particularly pronounced when the aggressive NPC was of the same gender as the child, and when the NPC was shown receiving in-game rewards (such as "power-ups") for their aggressive behavior. Conversely, children who observed a non-aggressive model who calmly played with building blocks in the virtual playground showed very low levels of hostile behavior.
Evaluate the psychological explanations of aggression (such as observational learning, imitation of same-sex models, and vicarious reinforcement) that can account for the transmission of aggressive behavior in children. Refer to the StrikeZone research and classic research into the transmission of aggression (such as Bandura et al., 1961) in your answer.
152 exam-style questions on OCR A Level Psychology External influences on children's behaviour, covering Bandura et al. (1961): Transmission of aggression and Chaney et al. (2004): Funhaller study. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.