aggression Flashcards
what did early discussion of aggression suggest?
Hobbes suggested that extreme levels of aggression are natural for humans
what do definitions of aggression have in common?
the intent to harm (Carlson et al, 1989)
what are examples of ways in which we measure aggression?
eg) punching the inflatable Bobo doll (Bandura et al, 1963), observations from teachers and colleagues, self reports of aggressive behaviour
what happened in Chermack, Berman and Taylor’s study into aggression?
subjects competed against an opponent in a reaction trial game
after each trial, the loser received a shock
2 conditions: low provocation where shocks stayed at setting 2, high provocation where shocks gradually increased from 2 to 9 (here they gave more shocks back to the other person)
who suggested there is a relationship between videogames and aggression?
some evidence of a link between gaming and aggression (Anderson and Bushman, 2001) but the effect is very small
what evidence suggests there is no relationship between gaming and aggression?
engagement with gaming has increased whereas crime has fallen
one issue is not standardising aggression measures
what other effects can gaming have on emotional behaviour?
emotion induced blindness= Kennedy et al (2014) found that people who frequently played violent games were less distracted by violent images in other contexts
what are the two main types of theories of aggression?
innate theories of aggression
social theories of aggression (including learnt)
what are the innate theories of aggression?
aggression is unlearned and universal
if it is not released, it builds up until it explodes
what are the social theories of aggression?
the social context can explain aggression
how does Freud’s psychodynamic theory explain aggression?
Thanatos= innate death instinct
Thanatos theorised anger is initially directed at self-destruction, but as we develop it becomes directed towards others
aggression naturally builds up and must be released
what is the issue with Freud’s psychodynamic theory to explain aggression?
limited evidence- only uses case studies
what is the ethological perspective to aggression?
Lorenz (1966)
aggression has a ‘survival’ value
Dual Factor Theory
1) innate urge to aggress
2) aggressive behaviour is elicited by environmental stimuli
what is the issue with the ecological perspective of aggression?
fails to explain the functional value of aggression in humans
society seems to manage aggression in humans, otherwise it leads to punishment
what is the evolutionary explanation of aggression?
social behaviour is adaptive, and helps the individual/kin/species to survive
aggressive behaviour evolved to allow procreation and the ability to pass on genes
social and economic advantage
what is the issue with the evolutionary explanation of aggression?
limited empirical evidence
uses circular reasoning
how does social learning theory explain aggression?
learn by observational learning, modelling and vicarious experience
Bandura, Ross and Ross (1961)= children watched adults play with a Bobo doll, 3 conditions: observed an aggressive model/non-aggressive model and a control group with no model
children exposed to the aggressive model displayed significantly more aggression
how does the frustration aggression hypothesis (Dollard et al, 1939) explain aggression?
aggressive behaviour always requires the existence of frustration, and the existence of frustration always leads to aggression
frustration= interference with the occurence of an instigated goal-response at its proper time in the behaviour sequence
aggression results as a disruption of an individual’s goals
if target is too powerful, unavailable, or not a person, displace aggression onto an alternative target= scapegoat
how does Barker et al (1941) support the frustration aggression hypothesis?
children were shown a room full of toys
were initially not allowed to play with them or were allowed to play without waiting
assessed how the children played with the toys
the frustrated group acted more aggressively
how suggested frustration doesn’t always lead to aggression?
Berkowitz (1962)
how does excitation transfer from Zillman (1979) explain aggression?
aggression is a function of 3 factors:
-learnt aggressive behaviour
-arosual or excitation from another source
-person’s interpretation of the arosual response- so an aggressive response seems appropriate
how does a type A personality influence aggression?
type A personality is characterised by striving to achieve, time urgency, competitive, hostile
conflict with peers and subordinates but not superiors
what are other theories of personality relating to aggression?
psychoticism, low agreeableness, frustration and provocation sensitivity
how does heat influence aggression?
Bushman et al (2005)= research shows a link between temperature and aggressive acts, but this is an inverted U relationship
how does weapon presence influence aggression?
Klinesmith et al (2006)= men held a gun or child’s toy, measured aggression (how much hot sauce for the next person)
holding a gun increased aggression
Berkowitz and LePage (1967)= when angered, participants gave more electric shocks in weapon presence
how does alcohol influence aggression?
Miller and Parrott (2010)= intoxicated participants behaved more aggressively and responded to provocations more strongly
low aggressors became more aggressive when intoxicated, whereas high aggressors did not
how does narcissism influence aggression?
Bushman and Baumeister (1998)- participants wrote a pro-life or pro-choice essay on abortion
some were given negative feedback
asked to deliver blasts of noise to another person
narcissistic ppts gave the person who they thought criticised their essay the louder bursts, not the other participants
what is the general aggression model?
comprehensive, intergrative framework for understanding human aggression
considers social/cognitive/developmental/biological factors
