Aggression Flashcards
what is aggression according to Hobbes (1651)?
- extreme levels of aggression = natural for human beings
define aggression
- behaviour with the intention to hurt someone
how did Bandura investigate aggression?
- punching an inflatable bobo doll
how did Eron investigate aggression?
- observations from teachers and colleagues
how did Leyens investigate aggression?
- self-reports
how did Green investigate aggression?
- self-report of willingness to use violence in lab
how did Lieberman investigate aggression?
- selecting spiciness of hot sauce for someone else who does not like spice
outline Chermack, Berman & Taylor (1997) study into measuring aggression
(reaction time game with opponent)
- ppts competed against an ‘opponent’ in reaction time game
- after each trial, loser of reaction time game received shock
there were two conditions
1/ loser received consistently low level shocks (low provocation)
2/ loser received increasingly high level shocks (high provocation)
RESULTS
- ppts who received the shocks consistently stayed the same in the shocks they gave the other person
- those who received stronger shocks, individuals gave more shocks back to other person
explain what the hypodermic needle model is
- idea that media we consume is injected into those who engage with it
- for aggression, aggressive behaviour is injected into the people that engage with it
what does Anderson & Bushman (2001) suggest about gaming and aggression?
- believes there is some evidence of a link between gaming and aggression
what does Ferguson (2007) suggest about gaming and aggression?
- there is evidence for link but the effect gaming has on aggression = small
what did Kennedy et al. (2014) find in video gaming and and aggression?
- found that those who frequently played violent video games = less distracted by violent images in other contexts
- researchers labelled this ‘emotion-induced blindness’
identify 2 theories of aggression
- innate theories of aggression
- social theories of aggression (including learnt)
explain what the innate theories of aggression looks at to explain aggression
- suggests aggression is unlearned and universal
- if aggression not released, it builds up until explodes
explain what the social theories of aggression (including learnt) looks at to explain aggression
- looks at the social context in which we exist as an explanation for aggressive behaviour
how is aggression explained by Freud’s Psychodynamic theory?
- suggests aggression = innate
- aggression is a ‘death instinct’
- death instinct = Thanatos
- initially, aggression = directed towards the self
- overtime, aggression starts to be directed towards other people
- aggression builds up naturally and MUST be released
how is aggression explained by the Ethological perspective (Lorenz)?
- aggression = survival value
- aggression is seen as functional
explain the dual factor theory
(Lorenz, ethological perspective of aggression)
1/ we have innate urge to be aggressive (inevitable)
2/ aggressive behaviour elicited by environmental stimuli (releasers)
as energy builds up, we need to release this aggressive energy onto another environmental stimuli
explain the evolutionary explanation for aggression
- social behaviour = adaptive
- it helps individual, species survive
- aggressive behaviour = evolved to allow to procreate and pass genes on to next generation
- aggression has social and economic advantage
EXAMPLE:
- high-flying execs may use aggressive behaviour to fight off colleagues for promotion
identify weakness of psychodynamic explanation
- limited evidence
identify weakness of ethological approach
- struggles to explain functional value of aggression in humans
- aggressors usually end up punished and excluded in group for being aggressive rather than accepted
identify weakness of evolutionary explanation
- takes limited empirical evidence
- claims to use circular reasoning
explain the SLT of aggression
- aggressive behaviour learnt through observational learning
- modelling parents/role models
- learning behaviour vicariously
outline Bandura, Ross & Ross (1961) study into SLT and aggression
- studied children
- had children observe adult play with ‘Bobo’ doll in 3 conditions
1/ observed real-life aggressive model (kicking, hitting Bobo doll)
2/ observed non-aggressive model (role model played nicely with Bobo doll
3/ control group (children didn’t observe a role model)
FINDINGS
- children exposed to aggressive model displayed significantly more aggression
explain the frustration-aggression hypothesis
- idea that the existence of frustration always leads to aggression
- frustration and aggression are always linked with each other
- aggression results from having one’s goals blocked
- if target is too powerful, stopping the goal then aggression is displaced onto alternative target (scapegoat)
outline Barker et al. (1941) study into the frustration-aggression hypothesis
- children shown a room full of toys
- initially, children not allowed to play with toys OR they were allowed to play without waiting
- researchers studied how children played with toys
- children that were in the frustrated group (had to wait to play) acted more aggressively
- smashing toys on floor
- threw toys against wall
- general destructive behaviour
outline evidence against the frustration-aggression hypothesis (Berkowitz, 1962, 1989)
- suggested frustration does not always lead to aggression
- aversive events (events that create strong dislike) creates feeling of negativity (negative affect)
- the feeling of negativity (could be frustration) is what elicits a range of behaviours
- this feeling interacts with situational cues
explain the excitation transfer (Zillman, 1979, 1988)
- idea that the expression of anger is a function of 3 factors
1/ learnt aggressive behaviour
- watching other people act angry
2/ arousal or excitation from another source
- innate part
- something to do with our body
- we are feeling something in the moment
3/ the person’s interpretation of the arousal state (such that an aggressive response seems appropriate)
- the persons understanding of how they are feeling
give example of excitation transfer model
- exercising at the gym
- high level of excitation
(arousal in body) - someone takes last parking space
(because you have this arousal in body and something external then happens, interpreting how you are feeling about something may lead to aggression)
identify factors influencing aggression
- type A personality
- other theories of personality
- frustration and provocation sensitivity
- heat
- presence of a weapon
- alcohol
- narcissism
explain type A personality as a factor influencing aggression
- those that are striving to achieve, time urgency, competitive
- those who score highly in these regards are more likely to be aggressive
- also more likely to have more conflict with peers but not superiors
explain other theories of personality as a factor influencing aggression
- those who are low agreeable more likely to have aggressive response
explain frustration and provocation sensitivity as a factor influencing aggression
- those that are sensitive to frustration more likely to behave aggressively
explain heat as a factor influencing aggression
- research shown link between temperature and aggressive acts
- aggression and temperature show inverted-U relationship
- as temperature increases, so does aggression
- until certain point
explain presence of a weapon as a factor influencing aggression
- men took part and help gun or child’s toy
- measured aggressive behaviour (done by how much hot sauce to give the next person)
- found that holding a gun increased aggression
- in another study, angered ppts gave more electric shocks in presence of a weapon
explain alcohol as a factor influencing aggression
- intoxicated ppts behave more aggressively
- also respond to provocation more strongly
- low aggressors became more aggressive when intoxicated whereas high aggressors did not
explain narcissism as a factor influencing aggression
- ppts wrote a pro-life or pro-choice essay on abortion
- some were given negative feedback
- then they were asked to deliver blasts of noises to another ppts (they could determine the level)
FOUND
- narcissistic ppts gave the person who they thought had criticised their essay louder ear bursts
- but not other ppts
- directed aggression to those who threaten their self-image
outline the General Aggression Model (GAM)
- model that considers role of social, cognitive developmental and biological factors of aggression
1/
- looks at how biological and environmental modifiers impact personality
2/
- looks at how personality effects the person (personality) and situation (whats evoking person)
3/
- looks at how this impacts you
- looks at arousal, frustration, your affect, how you feel
- looks at your cognition, how you are thinking which impacts how you respond
