Aggression descriptions

Question 1

Aggression

Answer 1

-an act carried out with the intention to harm another person

Question 2

Biological explanations of aggression

Answer 2

Neural mechanisms:
-limbic system
-serotonin
-testosterone
-cortisol

Question 3

Limbic system

Answer 3

-area of brain which co-ordinates behaviour that satisfy emotional urges like fear/ aggression
-amygdala- evaluates emotional importance of sensory information and prompting and appropriate response. If certain areas are stimulated, aggressive acts may be carried out. Narabayashi found 43 out of 51 patients aggression reduced after removing amygdala
-hippocampus- involved in formation of long term memories meaning we can compare conditions of current threat to past experiences to make an appropriate response. Impaired hippocampal function causes amygdala to respond inappropriately to sensory stimuli causing aggression. Boccardi found habitually violent offenders exhibit abnormalities in hippocampal functioning

Question 4

Serotonin

Answer 4

-neurotransmitter that has an inhibitory effect
-low levels of serotonin in orbitofrontal cortex removes the inhibitory effect causing individuals to be less able to control their aggressive responses
-Mann et al gave 35 pps drugs that deplete serotonin. Completed a questionnaire and found the drugs caused males to have a higher aggressive score

Question 5

Hormonal factors in aggression

Answer 5

Testosterone
-high conc. in males than females
-testosterone levels peak in young adult males, causing increase in male-on-male aggressive behaviour
-testosterone increases reactivity of amygdala during the processing of threat eg. angry facial expressions
Cortisol
-Van Goozen suggests link between cortisol levels and aggression
-produced by adrenal medulla and important for reaction to stress
-inverse correlation, low level cortisol, high level aggression
-when cortisol is high, it blocks testosterones influence on aggression

Question 6

Genetic factors in aggression

Answer 6

Twin studies
-compare concordance rates for MZ and DZ twins
eg. Coccaro et al, adult male MZ and DZ twins. Concordance rates for direct physical assault MZ= 50%, DZ= 19% suggesting biology plays a role but isn’t the only factor causing aggression
Adoption studies
-untangle contributions of environment and genetics in aggression
-if correlation found between aggression in child and biological parents it indicates aggression is due to DNA
-eg. Hutchings + Mednick Denmark found significant no. of adopted boys with criminal convictions had biological parents with convictions of violence
MAOA/ warrior gene
-MAOA is enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters after impulse is sent eg. serotonin
-MAOA enzyme is produced by MAOA gene
-disfunction in gene causes abnormal activity of MAOA enzyme, affecting serotonin levels
eg. Brunner, 28 males of Dutch family who were involved in violent behaviours. Found low levels of MAOA enzyme in brain and low activity version of MAOA gene

Question 7

Ethological explanation

Answer 7

-main function of aggression is adaptive, establish hierarchies
-innate behaviour of animals
-innate releasing mechanisms
-fixed action pattern
-Tinbergen research
-ritualistic aggression

Question 8

Innate releasing mechanism-

Answer 8

-built in physiological process that is triggered by a sign stimulus, releasing sequence of behaviours

Question 9

Fixed action patterns

Answer 9

-the sequence of behaviours caused by triggering the IRM
Lea suggested 6 main features of FAP:
1. stereotyped/ unchanging sequence of behaviour
2.universal, same behaviour in each individual of species
3.unaffected by learning
4.ballistic- once triggered it follows inevitable course, can’t be stopped
5.single purpose, behaviour only occurs in a specific situation
6. response to identifiable specific sign stimulus/ communication between members of same species
eg. Tinbergen researched sticklebacks, male produce sequence of behaviours when another male enters territory. The stimulus is a red underbelly and when seen, triggers aggression due to FAP

Question 10

Ritualistic aggression

Answer 10

-not all aggression involves fighting but some involve threat displays
-these help assess relative strength before wasting energy/ getting injured
-this means dangerous/ deadly aggression is less likely
eg. male gorillas pound their chest to intimidate opponents

Question 11

Evolutionary explanation

Answer 11

-aggression effective for solving adaptive problems eg. gaining resources, intimidating rivals etc
-these aggressive traits enhanced survival so advantageous genes passed to next gen.
-Sexual competition
-Sexual jealousy
-Aggression in warfare

Question 12

Sexual competition

Answer 12

-ancestral males seeking females had to fight other males
-aggression eliminates competition
-more aggressive= more successful at acquiring mates so passed their genes on
-Puts argues male traits imply competition with other males did take place eg. men have 75% more muscle mass than females. Males have thicker jawbones which Puts suggested was due to men hitting each other and those who survived passed on their genes

Question 13

Sexual jealousy

Answer 13

-aggression can also occur due to parental uncertainty
-men never sure if baby is 100% theirs
-always risk of cuckoldry where they’re bringing up someone elses baby
-therefore aggression deters mate from cheating to prevent cuckoldry
Buss suggested strategies to prevent a ate from cheating:
-direct guarding- monitor partners behaviour
-negative inducement- threats

Question 14

Aggression in warfare

Answer 14

-displays of aggression are thought to be attractive to females
eg. male warriors in traditional societies tend to have more sexual partners and more offspring
-aggression in conflict also increases status and gains respect from other males

Question 15

Social psychological explanations

Answer 15

-aggression is a result of an interaction between an individuals characteristics and the situation
1. Frustration-aggression hypothesis
2.SLT
3. Deindividuation

Question 16

Frustration-aggression hypothesis

Answer 16

Dollard et al.
-all aggression as a result of frustration
-carthartic- aggression created and frustration is satisfied, which reduces the aggressive drive making aggression less likely
-aggression not always directed at source of frustration because:
1.cause is abstract eg. government
2.cause is too powerful so risk punishment eg. showing aggression to a teacher who gave a low grade
3.cause unavailable at the time eg.teacher left before you realised the grade
-in these cases aggression is displaced as in order to feel catharsis a scapegoat is needed
-importance of enviro cues research (different flashcard)

Question 17

Importance of environmental cues research
(frustration-aggression hypothesis)

Answer 17

-Berkowitz +LePage
-students given shock in a lab to create frustration
-individual who gave shocks was confederate
-pps then could give shocks to conf.
-number of shock given was dependent on presence of weapons in lab.
-guns on table gave average of 6 shocks
-no guns present average of 4 shocks
-suggests presence of environmental cues stimulates aggression

Question 18

Social learning theory

Answer 18

-suggests behaviour is learnt via imitation of role model
-role model more likely to be: someone who cares for child, authority figure, someone who is similar to the child, celebrity
-children observe behaviour and consequences which determines if behaviour is performed.
-aggressive behaviour rewarded child learns aggression is effective in getting what they want (vicarious reinforcement)
-Bandura, 4 cognitive factors needed for observational learning: attention, retention, reproduction, motivation
-first 2 are learning, w2nd are performing behaviour, so is possible for the behaviour to be performed at a later date when it’s suitable. Could have schemas of how and when to be aggressive
-bandura study (next flashcard)

Question 19

Bandura

Answer 19

-tested aggression in children
-pps ages 3-5
-half exposed to aggressive models to a bobo doll, half exposed to non aggressive
-found those who witnessed aggressive behaviour were more likely to be aggressive, more likely to imitate if role model same sex

-another study where mode was rewarded, punished or received no consequences
-found those who saw the model be punished were less likely to be aggressive

Question 20

Deindividuation

Answer 20

-explains behaviour in crowds
-more aggressive in crowds as not identifiable as an individual
-when in crowd, we don’t feel responsibility for behaviour as is shared throughout the crowd
-experience less personal guilt, lose self awareness
-anonymity increases aggression as when not recognisable, takes away responsibility eg. uniform, masks
-Reduced self awareness (next flashcard)

Question 21

Reduced self awareness

Answer 21

Prentice-Dunn + Rogers
-consequences of anonymity influence aggression
2 types self-awareness
1. Private self-awareness - when in crowd, individual not capable of making rational decisions, lose internal standards, so if crowd becomes violent, more likely to be violent
2. Public self-awareness- deindividuation causes low self-evaluation which causes increased aggression as no longer inhibited by personal or social norms

Question 22

2 explanations for institutional aggression

Answer 22

-dispositional- aggressive behaviour due to characteristics of individuals
-situational- factors present in social situations can cause aggression. This suggests a person that isn’t normally aggressive can be made aggressive during to factors in the institution

Question 23

Dispositional explanation- importation model

Answer 23

Irwin and Cressey
-inmates bring violent pasts into prison
-violence in prison to settle disputes reflects their life outside
-aggressive to establish power, status, influences and access to resources
-certain characteristics relate to aggression eg those who displayed anger, anti social personality or impulsivity

Question 24

Situational explanation- deprivation model

Answer 24

Clemmer
-suggests aggression due to the prison environment such as harsh conditions which are stressful for inmates
-they cope by being aggressive
-deprivation of goods increases competition amongst inmates causing more rivalries
-prison regime is unpredictable creating frustration

Question 25

Interactionist model

Answer 25

Jiang and Fisher- importation model explains aggression towards inmates, deprivation model explains aggression towards prison staff
Dobbs and Waid- interactionist model. Inmate’s experience deprivation which can cause aggression if combined with correct individual characteristics

Question 26

Media influences on aggression

Answer 26

-effects of computer games
-role of desensitisation, disinhibition and cognitive priming

Question 27

Effects of computer games

Answer 27

-Porter and Starcevic- interactive violence on games have more influence than TV as player plays an active role
-in games, aggression is rewarded and portrayed as appropriate and effective
-3 methodologies: experimental (lab, short term), correlational (short or longitudinal and investigate real life variables) or meta analysis (gives overall judgement)

Question 28

Experimental studies on effects of games on aggression

Answer 28

Bartholow + Anderson
-lab study
-students played violent or non violent game for 10 mins
-after carried out Taylor Competitive Reaction Time Task (standard lab measure for aggression)
-students who played the violent game selected significantly higher white noise levels (6 decibels) compared to those who played the non violent game (4.60 decibels)

Question 29

Correlational studies on effects of games on aggression

Answer 29

DeLisi
-227 juvenile offenders, with histories of serious aggressive behaviours
-structured interview to gain data on measures of aggression and violent game playing
-found aggressive behaviour significantly correlated with time spent playing violent computer games

Question 30

Longitudinal studies in effect of games on aggression

Answer 30

Anderson
-surveyed 340 children between 7 and 9 at 2 points throughout school year
-children who had high exposure to violent games became more physically and verbally aggressive
-rated by themselves, peers and teachers

Question 31

Desensitisation

Answer 31

-assumes under normal conditions, anxiety inhibits aggression
-more people view aggressive behaviour, they are more likely to be aggressive by removing anxiety
-aggressive behaviour becomes more acceptable as perceived as normal
-result of numerous repeated exposures
Indications desensitisation has occurred:
-less likely to notice violence
-less sympathy for victims
-less negative attitudes towards violence
-reduction in physiological arousal

Question 32

Disinhibition

Answer 32

-social norm that aggression is antisocial and harmful creates social and psychological inhibitions against aggression
-learned directly and indirectly by SLT
-after exposure, usual restraints are loosened
-games show aggression as rewarded and consequences minimised/ ignored
-creates new social norms for viewer
-prolonged exposure, violence = normal response

Question 33

Cognitive priming

Answer 33

Berkowitz
-explain short term effects of media violence
-priming- temporary increase in accessibility of thoughts or ideas
-exposure activates thoughts about violence which in turn activate aggressive thoughts though association in memory
-violent media temporarily lowers activation threshold for aggressive thoughts, making them more accessible for a short time
-more accessible the thought, the more likely it is to be used
-frequent activation= lowered activation threshold, so accessed more readily