What experimental design did Bandura employ in his study?

In Bandura's study, he utilized an independent measures design, which involves different participants being assigned to different conditions or groups, ensuring that each participant experiences only one condition of the experiment. This design is particularly effective in minimizing the effects of practice or fatigue, as participants do not repeatedly engage with the same situation, which could influence their behavior.

Bandura's research involved observing children's reactions to a model demonstrating aggressive and non-aggressive behavior. By employing an independent measures design, the researchers were able to compare groups of children exposed to different types of modeled behavior without the confounding variable of prior exposure affecting their responses. This structure allowed for a clearer interpretation of whether the modeled behavior influenced the children's actions, thereby providing robust evidence regarding observational learning.

In contrast, other experimental designs such as longitudinal studies involve the same group of participants over an extended period, which was not applicable in this situation. A case study focuses on an in-depth analysis of a single individual or group, and a repeated measures design would have required the same participants to be tested across multiple conditions, contrary to the approach Bandura adopted. Thus, the independent measures design was the most appropriate choice for Bandura's study, given its aim to evaluate the effects of different modeled behaviors on independent groups of