Aggression Flashcards
1
Q
Limbic system
A
- comprised of subcortical structure in the brain, including the hypothalamus and amygdala
- involved in the processing of emotional responses and behaviour regulation
2
Q
Amygdala
A
- the most important factor in aggression, nicknamed the aggression centre
- stimulation of cat amygdala led to snarling and aggressive posture even with no threat present
- lesioning/subduing of the amygdala led to no response to anger provoking stimuli/fear
3
Q
Kluver and Bucy (1937)
A
- removed the amygdala and part of temporal lobes in the dominant monkeys of a hierarchy
- when challenged by other monkeys they didn’t fight back and ended up being demoted
- they also became hypersexual and perved on the female monkeys
4
Q
Gospic et Al (2011)
A
- discovered that amygdala activity increased in response to a game in which ppts had to decide how to split money with a confederate
- if both agree to share the money, it is split between them but if they ppt refused the offer, they both left with nothing
- more activity was seen in the amygdala via fMRI when the confederate made an unfair offer
- taking benzos (which reduce amygdala activity) lowered aggression by half
5
Q
Charles Whitman case study (the Texas Sniper)
A
- murdered his wife and his mother and then shot 45 people, killing 13.
- in his suicide note he requested an autopsy as he couldn’t pinpoint the reason for why he felt the way he did
- the post-mortem of his brain found a tumour the size of a walnut pressing on his amygdala
- it’s thought that this was the cause of his sudden extreme violence
6
Q
The serotonin deficiency hypothesis
A
- serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter
- low levels of serotonin have been associated with impulsive and aggressive behaviour
- serotonin normally has an inhibitory effect on the brain, so when it is lacking the amygdala is more active when stimulated by external events, making people more likely to act on their impulses and making aggression more likely
7
Q
Role of testosterone
A
- thought to increase levels of aggression from young adulthood onwards.
- plays an important role in the arousal of areas of the brain that control behavioral reactions, such as the amygdala and the hypothalamus.
- high levels of testosterone seem to affect serotonergic synapses and lower the amount of serotonin available
8
Q
Kreuz and Rose (1972)
A
- studied the correlation between testosterone levels, aggressive behaviours in prison and criminal history in 21 young white male prisoners.
- found that the group with more violent criminal histories had significantly higher testosterone levels compared to the group without violent criminal histories.
9
Q
MAOA gene
A
- found in 1 in 3 people in the X chromosome (inherited from the mother)
- having the mutant gene can lead to insensitivity to serotonin and the loss of the calming effect it has –> impulsivity and aggressive behaviour
- also associated with decreased volume and activity in the limbic system and therefore less regulation of aggressive behaviour
10
Q
Brunner et Al
A
- studied a large Dutch family in which all males had both a criminal record and the MAOA-L variant. They were also all retarded with low IQs
- they reacted aggressively when angry, fearful, or frustrated – suggesting that abnormal MAOA activity is associated with aggression
11
Q
AO3 Brunner et Al
A
- all male sample size and all from Holland
- they were all from the same family which means that the nature/nurture debate comes in
12
Q
Moffitt et Al
A
- longitudinal study on 442 Kiwi males from 0-26 years
- they recorded which ppts as children suffered abuse and what level of activity of the MAOA gene the ppts had
- found that those had suffered abuse and had the MAOA-L mutant of the gene were 9 times more likely to show aggression
- ppts that suffered abuse but had the MAOA-H gene were no more likely than those who didn’t suffer abuse to show antisocial behaviour
- shows that MAOA gene is involved in aggressive behaviour, but is sensitive to social experiences early in development
13
Q
AO3 Moffitt et Al
A
- shows that the MAOA gene variant has no effect, but if males who carry it were abused as children, there is a greatly increased chance of them committing violent crime.
- better to take an interactionist approach when explaining aggression
- being a longitudinal study means that there are many uncontrolled variables
14
Q
Ethology
A
the study of animal behaviour in natural settings
15
Q
What do ethologists say about aggression?
A
- Lorenz, the founder of ethology defined aggression as “the fighting instinct in beast and man which is directed against members of the same species”.
- aggression is an innate instinct which occurs in all members of a species without having to be learnt
- it is mostly genetically determined
16
Q
Innate releasing mechanism
A
a biological structure or process in the brain which is activated by an external stimulus that in turn triggers a fixed action pattern
17
Q
Fixed action pattern
A
a sequence of stereotyped pre-programmed behaviours triggers by an innate releasing mechanism
18
Q
FAPs are SUUBSS (mneumonic)
A
Stereotyped (unchanging sequence of behaviour)
Universal (found in every animal of that species)
Unaffected (by learning or individual experiences)
Ballistic (once the behaviour is triggered, it follows a predicted course and cannot be altered before it is complete)
Single purpose (only occurs in a specific situation)
Specific stimulus (occurs in response to a specific stimulus or signal)
19
Q
Tinbergen (1947)
A
- investigated the territorial and aggressive male stickleback fish
- in the mating season they develop a red spot on their underside
- tinbergen observed that at this time, male sticklebacks will attack another male stickleback that enters their territory
- the red spot on their underside acted as an innate releasing mechanism - when one stickleback observed another stickleback with this red spot they would initiate the aggressive attack behaviour (FAP)
- he presented male sticklebacks with a wooden model; if the wooden model had a red spot, then the male stickleback would attack
- no red underbelly = no aggression
20
Q
Goodall (2010)
A
- the ethological explanation of aggression claims that species have instinctive inhibitions that prevent them from killing other members of their species as this doesn’t serve the survival of their species, but this isn’t always the case
- primatologist Goodall observed a chimpanzee war in which the two opposing tribes slaughtered each other
- shows that aggression is real rather than ritualistic like the ethological explanation claims
21
Q
Nisbett (1996)
A
- found in a lab experiment that when white South American males were insulted, they were more likely to respond aggressively than white North American males under the same conditions
- this shows that FAPs are not ‘universal’, and that culture differences can have an effect
22
Q
AO3 Ethological explanation
A
- biologically reductionist
- based on animal research so questionable if we can generalise to humans
+ research support (Tinbergen) - alternative explanations, eg. MAOA gene and F-A hypothesis
23
Q
Frustration-aggression hypothesis
A
- Dollard et Al. argued that anger, hostility, and violence is always the outcome when we are prevented from reaching our goals
- based on the psychodynamic concept of catharsis: aggression is a biological ‘drive’ from the id that happens when we are prevented from achieving our goals
24
Q
Our frustration increases when…
A
- our motivation to reach a goal is very strong
- we expect gratification
- there is nothing we can do about it
25
Q
Brown et Al (2001)
A
- surveyed British holidaymakers who were prevented from travelling by ferry to France because French fishing boats blocked the way
- found an increase in hostile attitudes toward the French because of passengers’ frustration
26
Q
Green (1968) procedure
A
- asked male undergraduate students to do a jigsaw puzzle
- organised three different conditions that were designed to raise levels of frustration in the participants
- impossible time limit to complete the jigsaw
- jigsaw was impossible to complete
- a confederate issued derogatory remarks to the students as they failed to complete the study
- in the second part of the study, participants had the opportunity to give shocks to the confederate if he answered incorrectly on another task
27
Q
Green (1968) findings
A
- the group of ppts who had experienced insults from the confederate gave the highest levels of shocks
- all three groups gave more shocks than a control group who had not experienced any frustration conditions
- supports the frustration-aggression hypothesis
28
Q
Berkowitz (1969) Revised FAH
A
- argued that frustration isn’t the only thing that can lead to aggression
- he stated that aggression would only occur in the presence of certain cues, eg. in the presence of weapons
29
Q
Research support for the revised FAH
A
- ppts were first angered by a confederate
- ppts were then seated at a table that had a shotgun and a revolver on it or badminton racquets and shuttlecocks (control condition)
- ppts were deceived into thinking the items were part of another experiment that the researcher had forgotten to put away
- the ppt was supposed to decide what level of electric shock to deliver to the confederate who had angered them, and the electric shocks were used to measure aggression
- ppts who saw the guns were more aggressive than were participants who saw the sports items (weapons effect)
- research also shows that drivers with guns in their cars more likely to drive aggressively
30
Q
AO3 FAH (Sports Violence)
A
- real life evidence to support it from a study of violent behaviour in Swedish football fans
- it was found that when a team performed worse than the fans expected, supporters threw more things into the pitch, like missiles and fireworks
- they were also more likely to fight with opposition supporters
- however, these findings are limited as they only account for Swedish fans and not those of other countries
- therefore, it has low population validity and cannot be used to explain aggression in other countries.
31
Q
AO3 FAH (Reifman et Al)
A
- frustration is only one of many factors that can lead to aggression
- studied baseball games and found that when temperature increased, so did the likelihood that pitchers showed aggressive behaviours towards batters, with balls thrown at 90mph to their heads
- does however support the revised hypothesis (temperature is an aversive stimuli that makes people angry and leads to aggression)
32
Q
AO3 FAH (Individual differences)
A
- doesn’t account for individual differences
- e.g. some people will become angry when frustrated while other people will retreat or not react at all which means that the theory takes a nomothetic approach. – an idiographic approach which aims to understand individual behaviour, could be more meaningful when applied to the FAH.
33
Q
AO3 FAH (Reductionist)
A
- an alternative cause of aggression may be genetic factors, such as the MAOA gene
- the MAOA gene predisposes an individual to impulsive and aggressive behaviour without the need for an obstacle to a goal
- therefore using frustration as a sole explanation for aggression is reductionist
34
Q
SLT of Aggression - Observation
A
- children learn their aggressive behaviours through observing the behaviour of role models and then imitating them
- they learn the consequences of aggressive behaviour by watching others at home, school, and on TV being reinforced and punished (vicarious reinforcement)
- by observing the consequences of aggressive behaviour, children learn what is considered appropriate
- they therefore learn the behaviours through observation, and learn when and whether they are worth repeating through vicarious reinforcement
35
Q
SLT of Aggression - Mental representation
A
- for social learning to take place, the child must form mental representations of events in their social environment
- the child must also represent possible rewards and punishments for their aggressive behaviour
36
Q
SLT of Aggression - Production of behaviour
A
- if a child is rewarded for an aggressive behaviour (eg. successfully bullying other children), they will come to attach considerable value to aggression and continue the behaviour
- self efficacy: children also develop confidence in their ability to carry out aggression behaviours
- if they haven’t been good at it in the past and have a lower sense of self-efficacy, they will be more likely to resort to other means than aggression to resolve conflicts
37
Q
Bandura et Al (1961)
A
- showed children an adult being aggressive towards a Bobo doll (punching and kicking it)
- they were then prevented from playing with toys, to create frustration and a readiness for aggression
- when left alone in a room with the Bobo doll, the children copied the aggressive acts they had seen, including the language
- some used a toy gun to ‘threaten’ the doll (even though the adult hadn’t used any guns)
- in a control group, which did not observe aggressive behaviour, almost no aggression was shown towards the doll
38
Q
AO3 Bandura - Artificial
A
- lab experiment/ carried out in an artificial setting
- artificial task to measure aggression, bobo doll bounces back when hit and encourages you to continue whereas if you behave aggressively to human they would retaliate and be serious consequences, making behaviour less likely
- bandura’s study lacks ecological validity and therefore results not generalisable to real life examples of aggression in humans
- however, bandura countered this by showing the children an adult woman attacked another adult dressed as a clown –> when an actor in a clown costume entered the observation room, the children used plastic mallets on him
39
Q
AO3 Bandura - Ethical issues
A
- the children may have been traumatised from watching the aggressive behaviour, and the aggressive behaviour learnt may have stayed with them
- ppts are supposed to leave a study in the same state they entered it, which may not have happened here.
- only presumptive consent was given, and the children could not withdraw from the study
- no effort seems to have been made to debrief them afterwards (by explaining that the aggressive adults were only pretending)
40
Q
AO3 SLT of Aggression - Alternative explanations
A
- the SLT approach to aggression is environmentally reductionist as it assumes that all aggressive behaviour is learnt based on observation and imitation
- doesn’t take into consideration biological factors like the MAOA gene which have lots of empirical and scientific research support
- therefore, the SLT of aggression is limited because it can be better explained by other explanations
41
Q
AO3 SLT of Aggression - High internal validity
A
- lab experiment –> high internal validity and all variables were highly controlled
- supports psychology as a science
42
Q
Deindividuation
A
- the loss of a person’s sense of individuality and personal responsibility
- you get trapped in the moment, perception of time is distorted, and you are unable to consider consequences
43
Q
What are the two main ways in which deindividuation can happen?
A
- becoming part of a crowd
- identifying with a particular role (often aided by wearing uniform or a mask)
44
Q
Diener (1980)
A
Deindividuation occurs when self-awareness is blocked by environmental events
- strong feelings of group membership
- increased levels of arousal
- feeling of anonymity
- influence of alcohol or drugs
45
Q
Prentice-Dunn & Rogers 1982
A
- modified Diener’s theory to distinguish between
public self-awareness and
private self-awareness - reduction in either can result in aggressive behavior, but only reduction in private self-awareness can lead to genuine deindividuation.
46
Q
Public self-awareness
A
concern over the impression of yourself you are presenting to others when you are aware of being judged
47
Q
Private self-awareness
A
your sense of self, consisting of thoughts, feelings, values, and internal standards of behavior
48
Q
The evolutionary explanation of aggression
A
- argues that men are aggressive towards women in relationships due to evolution/competition among ancestral mails
49
Q
Physical evolutionary traits of aggression
A
- men have thicker jawbones, brow bones, and skulls than women (presumably to take punches from competing males in the olden days)
- men have 75% more muscle mass than women
- men and more aggressive than women and more likely to die a violent death
50
Q
Cuckoldry
A
- men can never be truly sure that the child they are raising is their own and are scared they are wasting their resources on another man’s child
- paternity uncertainty
51
Q
Male retention strategies
A
- strategies men adopt to stop their partners from cheating or leaving them
- often early warning signs for future physical violence towards partners
52
Q
Direct guarding
A
- isolation from friends and family
- financial control
53
Q
Negative inducements
A
- threats of suicide
- controlling clothes and social media
54
Q
Shackelford et Al (2005)
A
- men and women in 107 married couples completed different questionnaires.
- males completed ‘mate retention inventory’ which assessed mate retention strategies
- women completed the ‘spouse influence report’, which measured the extent of their partner’s violence in their relationship.
- strong positive correlation between mate retention strategies, reports of their partners’ physical violence, and sexual jealousy
55
Q
AO3 Shackelford et Al - Useful application
A
- found that retention strategies reliably predicted physical violence against women
- this can help draw attention to warning signs of domestic violence and help women that suffer
56
Q
Evolutionary explanation case study - Thai University lecturer
A
- found guilty of battering his wife to death in a jealous rage after finding out she had visited a former sweetheart.
- he was charged only with a 2 year sentence
- one consideration was that the attack had been caused by jealousy (which apparently justified the act)
- culture dependent, a ruling this surely wouldn’t happen in the UK
57
Q
Evolutionary explanation research - violence towards women
A
Burch and Gallup (2004)
- frequency of violent acts toward pregnant partners was roughly double that directed towards partners who were not pregnant
Valladares et Al
- a Nicaraguan study found that half of a sample of pregnant women physically abused by their partners had suffered from blows directed at their abdomen
- could be explained by cuckoldry and paternity uncertainty, men were violent towards their pregnant partners due to fear of raising a child that wasn’t theirs
58
Q
AO3 Evolutionary explanation - Gender bias
A
- biggest flaw of evol. expl. is that it makes no effort to explain female violence towards men
59
Q
AO3 Evolutionary explanation - Biologically reductionist and deterministic
A
- according to the evol. expl., all men would be aggressive towards their female partners due to the way men have evolved
- this is definitely not the case as not all relationships see aggression
- some men that suspected infidelity/cuckoldry may simply break up with their partner or express their concerns in a conversation rather than resorting to violence
- both deterministic and reductionist, can’t account for individual differences
60
Q
AO3 Evolutionary explanation - Cultural differences
A
- evol. expl. claims that aggression is present in all cultures as it is a mechanism to increase survival chances and greater reproductive success
- the Kung San people discourage aggression in childhood, and aggressive individuals lose status
- the Yanomamo people of Venezuela on the other hand, encourage aggression to gain status in their society
- shows that aggression is not universal as the evolutionary theory argues
- better to create theories based on cultural relativism
61
Q
AO3 Deindividuation - Abu Ghraib
A
- the prisoner abuse and torture of Abu Ghraib serves as real life support for the deindividuation theory
- the soldiers suffered a loss of personal identity due to their uniforms and orders from higher-ups
- the extent the soldiers went with the abuse (sexual abuse, beating, humiliating) shows how far they moved away from an autonomous state
- deindividuation has strong explanatory power
62
Q
AO3 Deindividuation -Douglas and McGarty (Chatrooms)
A
- looked at aggression in chat rooms and instant messages
- found a strong correlation was found between anonymity and flaming
- most aggressive messages were sent by those who hid their identity
- supports the idea that aggression/ deindividuation is more likely when someone is anonymous
63
Q
AO3 Deindividuation - Zimbardo
A
- the ppts assigned role of prison guard in Zimbardo’s study were given glasses and uniforms that concealed their identity
- the prison guard ppts end up being extremely violent towards the prisoner ppts
- this can be explained by their lowered sense of autonomy due to deindividuation caused by their lowered sense of anonymity
- however, Zimbardo’s study had extremely low populatoin validity so we must be cautious when applying it to wider populations
