Aggression: Explanations of Group Display in Humans Flashcards
Discuss Xenophobia in Sports
Xenophobia is often present in sports events, with racist chants and signals often exhibited in the crowds of football matches. Shaw and Wong argued that natural selection has favoured the genes which cause humans to be altruistic towards members of their own group but intolerant towards outsiders. This may be because it would have prompted our ancestors to be suspicious towards strangers, helping them to avoid attack.
Discuss Territoriality in Sport
Another explanation for the evolution of group displays in sport is based on territoriality, the protective response to an invasion of one’s territory. Huntingford and Turner found that territorial behaviour is common in many animal species which typically show threat displays toward outsiders, and attack with greater vigour when defending a home territory. This form of territorial display is the equivalent that simulate (e.g. the All Blacks Haka). Studies have shown how sports players feel a greater burden in matches when ‘defending the home territory’, and some teams use aggressive displays to intimidate their opponents. Such displays may have been adaptive for our ancestors because they allowed groups to defend valuable resources associated with their territory.
Discuss sexual selection in warfare
Divale and Harris argued that warfare is another aggressive display that may be explained in terms of evolution. In societies that experience frequent warfare, males are more likely than females to escape infanticide due to their potential usefulness in battle. As a result, there are more women than there are men. Men must compete with each other for mates, and those who do well in battle gain access to female mate. This because displays of aggressiveness and bravery are attractive to females.
Discuss signals of commitment in warfare
Another evolutionary explanation for warfare is that it promotes group solidarity. Irons claims that the costliness of permanent displays such as scars and mutilation serve as signals of commitment to the group. These permanent displays also minimise the ability of males to defect to another group, again increasing their commitment to the group of which they are a member.
Name Research support for xenophobic displays in Sport
Foldesi
Discuss Foldesi’s findings
Foldesi has provided evidence to support the link between xenophobia and violent displays among Hungarian football crowds. He found that the racist conduct of a core of extremist supporters led to an increase in spectators’ violence in general.
Name Research that goes against Territoriality in Sport
Lewis et al.
Discuss Lewis et al.’s findings
Lewis et al. found that, among football crowds, crowd support was rated as the most significant factor contributing to a home advantage. Through their displays of support, fans felt responsible for inspiring their team to victory and took credit for distracting opponents. However the precise way in which displays of support have an effect has been difficult to pinpoint. For example, Pollard and Pollard found the relationship with crowd size is unclear as the advantage has been shown to operate even with very small crowds. This all suggests that the original adaptive function of such displays may no longer be relevant.
Name Research support for Sexual selection in Warfare
Leunissen and Van Vugt
Discuss Leunissen and Van Vugt’s findings
Research has supported the importance of aggressive displays in determining the sexual attractiveness of male warriors. Leunissen and Van Vugt found that military men have greater sex appeal, but only if they have been observed showing bravery in combat.
Name Research support for War is not in the genes
LeBlanc and Register
Discuss LeBlanc and Register’s findings
LeBlanc and Register argued that aggressive displays are not due to biological compulsions but are due to environmental changes. War emerged when humans shifted from a nomadic existence to a settled one where they were tied to agriculture or fishing sites. Because of this, people had to fight in order to protect these sites. So rather than being an evolutionary adaptation, warfare may have emerged as a rational response to a changing lifestyle.
AID: Real World Application
There are real-world applications of research into the link between sports and xenophobia. Many football teams have taken step to minimise xenophobia within sports. Some football teams have also made contributions to local ethnic communities and have donated to anti-racism charities. For example, the UK Government invest £200,000 into an Anti-Racism football charity “GIve Racism the Ref Card”.
