aggression Flashcards
what is aggression
physical or verbal behaviour intended to hurt someone
can be physical, social, emotional, cultural
what was Rousseau’s view on aggression?
human nature is gentle, but agriculture, technology and urbanisation fuel violence
what was Hobbes’ view on aggression
human nature is vicious, curbed by modern society
what did Gomez et al find?
found we are violent as a species
what did Steven Pinker argue
we are currently in the least violent period in history or prehistory
believed we evolved to be aggressive, but to have empathy, and civilisation is getting better at fostering our prosocial side
what is a limitation of pinker’s argument
across over 100 studies, empathetic people are only very weakly less aggressive
what was Lorenz’ early theory of aggression
aggression is a biologically adaptive energy that continually builds up and eventually needs to be released
1) human aggression is inevitable, caused by biological factors
2) people whose aggressive energy has built up will go out and find ways to aggress
Russian silver fox experiment
showed you can breed out aggression from wild foxes
what did Raine find (twin study)
studied twin siblings of convicts
half of monozygotic twins had criminal records as well
1/5 of dizygotic twins had criminal records
biological influences on aggression
twin studies - half monozygotic twins of convicts had criminal records as well
MAO-A gene, associated with more aggression by switching off neurotransmitters which control aspects of mood
Delgado - ‘remote controlled’ animals, could turn off aggression with devices attached to electrodes in brain
serotonin - PPs who took drug that activates serotonin activity less likely to administer severest possible shock to confederate who had shocked them
alcohol - in bloodstreams of 50% of offenders in rape, violent crimes, and 65% of murders, however seems to be a large placebo effect
sociocultural factors of aggression
culture of honour - violence seen as a justified means of defending one’s honour - tends to be more common in southern US
what is the frustration aggression hypothesis
when goals are blocked, we become frustrated, which facilities aggression
the blocking of goal is uncontrollable
what is the cognitive neo-association model
aversive conditions will trigger aggression when they make people angry
anger associated with aggression in people’s minds
aggression can be seen as a script
what is a limitation of bandura bobo doll study
children may have only engaged in harmless play - if they did not intend to cause harm, was it aggressive?
media effects on violence
meta analytic studies , observed link between media violence and aggression is two to three times as strong as the link between homework and academic achievement
sport and aggression
Cardiff hospital admissions increase after games, especially after home team wins
domestic violence calls to police and admissions of women spike after Super Bowl final
winning makes home team fans feel more aggressive, which was correlated with their intention to go out drinking
example of intergroup violence
the more people who attended lynchings, the more horrific the violence
