Case study 1: Human aggression

Question 1

What is the difference between anger and aggression?

Answer 1

anger- emotion

aggression- behaviour

Question 2

What is aggression?

Answer 2

‘any behavior directed toward another individual that is carried out with the immediate intent to cause harm’
-the target must be motivated to avoid the behaviour

Question 3

What is violence?

Answer 3

violence is aggression that has extreme harm as its goal

-all violence is aggression, but not all aggression is violence

Question 4

Discuss aggression in animal behaviour

Answer 4

• male animals more aggressive, more likely to attack/fight

- Hydraulic hypothesis

Question 5

What did Lorenz say about aggression?

Answer 5

• studied in animals
• aggression instinctual
• not caused by the environment but released or unlocked in certain circumstances
• according to the hydraulic model it needs to be released or it pents up

Question 6

What is a problem with studying animals re aggression?

Answer 6

problems with generalizing it to humans

Question 7

What are some disorders associated with aggression?

Answer 7

anti-social, narcissism, borderline, psychosis
intermittent explosive disorder
adjustment disorder with conduct disturbance

Question 8

Discuss Len’s theory cognitive neo-association theory re aggression

Answer 8

• the person has developed a neural network re aggression
• when one part of this network is activated (the part of the brain that registers frustration), the linked parts also become activates

Question 9

Discuss what happens in unpleasant or threatening situations cognitive neo-association theory

Answer 9

arouse negative feelings, which stimulates various thoughts, memories and physiological responses

Question 10

What emotions are aroused during fight and flight tendencies

Answer 10

fight- anger

flight- fear

Question 11

What is the script theory?

Answer 11

aggressive episodes run like a movie script
- when a situation is very familiar we tend to play things out in a similar way most times until the response becomes automatic whenever the situation arises

Question 12

Discuss aggression re developmental psych

Answer 12

-development of aggression over the lifespan
large longtintudinal studies
-constancy of trait aggression across lifespan
influence of parents, media, environment
-gene-environment interactions
-hostile attribution basis

Question 13

What generally happens across the lifespan re aggression- developmental psych?

Answer 13

aggression generally goes down across the lifespan

Question 14

What are some feelings that are often associated with aggression?

Answer 14

• anger and aggression
• shame and aggression
• humiliation and aggression
• jealousy and aggression

Question 15

What is the frustration-aggression hypothesis and who came up with it?

Answer 15

• Dollard et al (1938)
• All frustration leads to aggression
• frustration > anger > aggression

Question 16

Discuss aggression re evolutionary psychology

Answer 16

• aggression ‘hard wired’
• strong links with animal work
• reproductive success/survival of the fittest- getting a mate, defending territory, getting food

Question 17

Discuss aggression re health psychology

Answer 17

• concerned with links b/w physical health and psychological phenomena
• anger and hypertension

Question 18

What are the three explanations of aggression re learning psychology

Answer 18

• classical conditioning
• instrumental learning
• social learning

Question 19

Discuss aggression re social learning theory

Answer 19

• Bandura
• people acquire aggressive tendencies through direct experience (being rewarded for aggressive behavior) or through observing and copying the behavior of aggressive role models
• bobo doll

Question 20

Discuss neurological/biological approaches to aggression

Answer 20

`-16/17 genes linked to aggressive behavior, but not directly

• serotonin deficits linked to aggression (impulse control)
• dopamine
• high gaba levels

Question 21

Discuss hormones and aggression

Answer 21

-high testosterone linked to aggression

Question 22

What does the general model of aggression always start off with?

Answer 22

person variables- increase/decrease the need to aggress re trigger in the environment

Question 23

In the general model of aggression, what three things can be activated upon a trigger?

Answer 23

cognitions (scripts, beliefs, attitudes, biases), feelings or physiological arousal

Question 24

In the general model of aggression, what are the ways that some people might react?

Answer 24

-reappraisal (controlled evaluation), but if they don’t have the resources to do this it may result in an impulsive action (aggressive response)