Aggression

Question 1

What is aggression?

Answer 1

Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone or something (distinct from assertiveness)

Question 2

What are the types of aggression?

Answer 2

Hostile aggression: driven by negative emotion and performed as an end in itself
Instrumental aggression: aggression that is a means to achieve another goal

Question 3

What is the frustration-aggression-hypothesis?

Answer 3

Frustration always leads to aggression, and aggression is always the result of frustration

Question 4

What is frustration?

Answer 4

The response to having a goal blocked

Question 5

What are the 5 factors that increase frustration (and thus aggression)?

Answer 5

Greater anticipated satisfaction from original goal
Proximity to goal completion prior to frustration
More complete goal blocking (blocked vs. slowed-down)
More frequent goal blocking
Blameworthiness of goal blocking (i.e. someone driving poorly vs. bad weather)

Question 6

What is learned helplessness and how is it related to the frustration-aggression-hypothesis?

Answer 6

Repeated uncontrollable negative outcomes leads people to give up trying to avoid them → frustration doesn’t always lead to aggression

Question 7

What is the Berkowitz (1989) updated aggression theory?

Answer 7

Arousal → interpretation → anger = aggression

Question 8

What is the weapons effect?

Answer 8

The mere presence of weapons leads to more aggressive behavior (particularly salient if already angry)

Question 9

What are other situational factors that influence aggression?

Answer 9

Pain, heat, and social rejection increase aggression

Question 10

What are the findings of correlational research on the role of media in aggression?

Answer 10

Kids that watch more violent media → more violent themselves
22 yr long study: violent media as a child → more violent acts as a teenager

Question 11

What are the findings of experimental research on the role of media in aggression?

Answer 11

Bandura: kids watched videos of adults hitting Bobo doll → hit doll themselves
More likely that violence is exhibited by those already violent

Question 12

What are the reasons for media’s effect on aggression?

Answer 12

Increased arousal
Situational cues
Imitation (social learning theory → watching violence teaches violent responses)
Perceived norms (frequency of violence overestimated)
Desensitization (diminishing emotional response to a stimulus after repeated exposure)

Question 13

How can we reduce aggression?

Answer 13

Catharsis? (doesn’t always work)
Punishment? (doesn’t always work)
Early intervention (teach non-aggressive values, use non-aggressive models, and develop empathy)
Mindfulness practice (works)