With their gravity-defying wall-runs and acrobatic battles, the animated characters in the hit streaming series 'Aero-Acrobats' have captured the imagination of primary school children. However, headteachers and parents are voicing serious concerns that the show is driving an increase in dangerous mimicry. Many report that young children are copying the complex acrobatic stunts performed by these animated heroes, leading to a rise in playground accidents and fractured wrists. Several schools have recently banned roleplay activities linked to the series.
One father detailed his alarm when his six-year-old daughter attempted to dive-roll down a concrete flight of steps, shouting the lead character’s catchphrase: 'Aero-boost, take flight!'. Another parent described her son trying to execute 'spin-sweeps' on the family pet, directly mirroring the martial arts moves used by the show's main protagonist, Captain Aero.
Child psychologist Dr. Marcus Thorne commented on the developmental drivers behind this imitation: "Young children’s neurological systems for risk assessment are still maturing. When they witness stylized, highly-rewarded media models performing dangerous physical exploits with zero negative consequences, they readily encode these sequences. Because these models are portrayed as powerful and successful, children are highly motivated to replicate the behaviors directly in their physical environments."
Briefly outline one piece of psychological research and explain how it could relate to the issue of media-induced imitation identified in Source A.
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.