Ch 12. and 13 - Aggression & Prejudice Flashcards
Define Aggression
AGGRESSION: Intentional behavior to cause pain to people and animals
Describe the difference between Instrumental and Hostile Aggression.
Instrumental – intention to hurt someone, but not necessarily physical pain
Cyber bullying; starting rumors
Hostile – feelings of anger; specifically physical response to hurt someone
What are the gender differences when it comes to Aggression?
- Men – Genetic? Maybe because they’re pre-programmed to pass on genes:
- To establish dominance over other males
- To ensure their mates don’t copulate with others
Literature shows that they’re most violent during peak reproductive years; they’re also the most physically fit during that time, testosterone is higher. - Women – gender differences are smaller when people are provoked.
Girls engage in more relational and instrumental aggression (gossip)
What evidence is there that aggression is innate or learned?
(rats, primates, kittens, humans)
Additionally, what do scientists propose?
- Rats raised in isolation show the same aggression with others that learn aggression
- Primates – both aggressive and non-aggressive tendencies
Chimps are aggressive
Bonobos are non-aggressive - Kitten raised with rat won’t attack it
Early experiences affect aggression
> > Scientists believe Aggression is an OPTIONAL strategy.
- We learn inhibition; social situation and environment affects our aggression levels
- Innate aggression is important for survival
When do children learn to solve problems aggressively?
Give example from sports
When it’s viewed as rewarding, or socially sanctioned.
> Sports: the more aggressive players, the higher their salaries
Hockey players are rewarded (with fame and rich)
How does video games prime children?
> It Primes concept of violence; seeing violence shows that it’s an option during a situation
> Increases Physiological Arousal
> Primes scripts that violent behavior is appropriate
Describe in detail the physiological influences of aggression:
alcohol, pain, discomfort
- Alcohol
Can happen even when someone isn’t provoked
Someone who isn’t really aggressive sober, might be aggressive when drunk
Alcohol might affect our information processing – so they only respond to the initial and obvious moment
Ex) someone steps on your foot at a club
>you only notice the stepped on your foot… you don’t think about why they might have done that (accident)
- Pain
When someone’s in pain, more likely to respond aggressively
Immersing someone in ice water = more aggression - Discomfort
Temperature changes
Define frustration
Frustration is when we’re thwarted from our goal
What is goal proximity of frustration?
The closer we are to a goal, the more frustrated we are - so that slow ass person I’m behind before I exit the freeway
What’s unexpectedness of frustration?
Finding traffic at 11:30 when I didn’t expect it will piss me off more than if I knew there would be traffic during rush hour
What’s the most frequently occurring rape?
84% of all rapes or attempted rapes are acquaintance rape
- ___________ aggression stems from feelings of anger and is aimed at inflicting pain, whereas _________ aggression serves as a means to some goal other than pain.
a. hostile, instrumental
b. direct, passive
c. instrumental, hostile
d. passive, direct
a. hostile, instrumental
- Which of the following stated gender differences in aggression is false?
a. Young boys tend to be more physically aggressive than young girls.
b. Girls tend to express their aggressive feelings more covertly, such as by gossiping.
c. Gender differences in physical aggression shrink when men and women are subjected to frustration or insults.
d. Because violence is so rare in women, female suicide bombers are much crazier than males who carry out these attacks.
d. Because violence is so rare in women, female suicide bombers are much crazier than males who carry out these attacks.
- From a social-psychological perspective, which of the following is not a limitation of evolutionary theories of aggression?
a. They fail to account for female aggression.
b. They fail to account for different rates of aggression across cultures.
c. They fail to account for men’s sexual jealousy.
d. They fail to account for differences between bonobos and chimpanzees.
c. They fail to account for men’s sexual jealousy.
- Which of the following men is most likely to act aggressively toward someone who insults him?
a. Ray, who grew up in Minnesota.
b. Randy, who grew up in Louisiana.
c. Richard, who grew up in Massachusetts.
d. Ricky, who grew up in Maine.
b. Randy, who grew up in Louisiana.
- Under which of the following conditions is John least likely to be aggressive?
a. His boss tells him he isn’t going to get a raise he was promised.
b. He likes to look at nonviolent pornography.
c. He is driving to work in traffic, and another driver deliberately cuts in front of him.
d. He has consumed enough alcohol to make him legally drunk, and a stranger bumps into him in a crowded restaurant.
b. He likes to look at nonviolent pornography.
- Which of the following statements does not reflect the research on media violence and young children’s behavior?
a. Television advertising works better when it is shown during violent shows than nonviolent shows.
b. Watching violent shows increases aggressive thoughts and actions.
c. Playing violent video games may have a greater impact on children than watching TV violence does.
d. Viewing television violence can numb people’s response to violence in real life.
a. Television advertising works better when it is shown during violent shows than nonviolent shows.
- Jim has been convicted of assault and offers many reasons for his behavior. Which of the following of Jim’s arguments would a social psychologist find the least convincing (based upon research on aggression)?
a. “There was a gun in the room when it happened.”
b. “I used to watch my older brother beat up neighborhood kids.”
c. “I had just been fired from a job I really wanted.”
d. “I grew up in a very cold climate, in Minnesota.”
e. “I was justified—the other guy started it.”
d. “I grew up in a very cold climate, in Minnesota.”
- Tiffany is angry at Whitney for forgetting her birthday. To defuse her anger, Tiffany should
a. think about other times Whit annoyed her and then confront Whit with all the evidence of what a bad friend she is.
b. write about her feelings privately for 20 minutes a day for a few days, to get some perspective.
c. write about her feelings about Whit on her Facebook page.
d. get back at Whit by complaining about her to all their mutual friends.
b. write about her feelings privately for 20 minutes a day for a few days, to get some perspective.
- Tiffany finally decides she is ready to confront Whitney directly. How should she express her anger (assuming she wants to keep the friendship)?
a. She should “let it all out” so that she will feel better and Whit will know exactly how she feels.
b. She should invite Whitney to play a game of tennis and then really try to clobber her.
c. She should explain why she feels upset and hurt, as calmly as she can, without blame and accusation.
d. She should explain why she feels upset and hurt, but let Whit know that she blames her for her thoughtless behavior.
c. She should explain why she feels upset and hurt, as calmly as she can, without blame and accusation.
- Suppose you want to reduce the chances that your children will act in aggressive ways toward other people. Which of the following is least likely to work?
a. Be a good role model; do not yell, hit, or act in other aggressive ways.
b. Limit the time you let your children play violent video games.
c. Teach them how to feel empathy toward other
people.
d. Encourage them to play sports where they can vent their frustrations on the playing field.
d. Encourage them to play sports where they can vent their frustrations on the playing field.
For animals, how is aggression determined?
Aggression is determined by the animal’s previous social experiences as well as by the specific social context in which the animal finds itself.
Who is more likely to be aggressive: A southerner or northerner rural male?
Why?
Southerner - because they’re animal herders and they have a larger risk of theft vs. Northerners who have to work together for their agriculture.
Where are we more likely to find homicide:
Farming regions or Dry plains and hills?
Why?
More than twice as high in the hills and dry plains areas (where herding occurs) as in farming regions.
The emphasis on aggressiveness and vigilance in herding is the culture of honor.
When do gender differences for aggression become equal?
When provoked, either sex will be equally aggressive
What reason do female suicide bombers give for their attempts?
Loyalty to their country or religion, anger at being occupied by a foreign military, and revenge for loved ones killed by the enemy (O’Rourke, 2008).
What percentage of assault is committed by a family member?
How many of them were women?
How many men killed a family member?
49% were crimes against spouses
84% were women.
8 in 10 murderers who killed a family member were male.
What are the 4 reasons why I would be most frustrated?
- Closeness to my goal
- Unexpected event thwarting me from my goal
- Size of my opponent
- If something is unintentional
T or F: Frustration can lead to aggression
False - it can lead to READINESS to aggress
Which phrase seems to be more correct and why?
“Guns don’t kill; people do.”
“The finger pulls the trigger, but the trigger may
also be pulling the finger.”
“The finger pulls the trigger, but the trigger may
also be pulling the finger.”
Research showed that those in the presence of guns had higher testosterone levels and were more aggressive in administrating shocks
What do most experimental evidence demonstrate about watching violence?
Most of the experimental evidence demonstrates that watching violence does increase the frequency of aggressive behavior, angry emotions, and hostile thoughts; especially video games.
Exposure to media violence has these effects for three reasons:
Exposure to media violence has these effects for three reasons:
1) It increases physiological AROUSAL and excitement;
2) it TRIGGERS an automatic tendency to imitate the hostile or violent characters;
3) and it PRIMES existing aggressive ideas and expectations
What does video games encourage?
Dehumanization
What are the effects of males who watch violent porn?
The effects of watching violent pornography are strongest on men who already have high levels of hostility toward
women and are predisposed to commit violence against them
T or F: People who watch violent tv shows are better at remembering sponsored and advertised brands better than those who watch neutral shows.
False, those who watched neutral shows better remembered the advertisements.
What percentage of rapes/attempted rapes are acquaintances?
84%
How many percentage accounts for date rape?
50%
What is sexual scripts?
In America for young heterosexuals is that the female’s role is to resist the male’s sexual advances and the male’s role is to be persistent.
How does frustration interrupt cognition?
1
What works better to punish a violent child, harsh or mild punishment? And why?
Mild - they’re intrinsically motivated to self-justify their restraint and see violence less appealing
How can punishment work on violent adult criminals? Is it even possible for them to curb their violence?
Punishment must be both prompt and certain. It must follow quickly after the violence occurred, and it must be unavoidable. In the real world, these ideal conditions are almost never met - Given these realities, severe punishment is not likely to deter violent crime.
What can we do to deal with anger?
- Count down
- Tell the person we’re angry with how we feel
- Write in a journal
According to realistic conflict theory, prejudice and discrimination are likely to increase when
a. a country has a history of institutionalized racism.
b. the person who holds the stereotypes is frustrated.
c. people know that their close friends are prejudiced.
d. there is competition over jobs in a country.
e. prejudice is explicit rather than implicit.
d. there is competition over jobs in a country.
Rebecca is covering her college’s football game against its archrival for the school newspaper. At the game, she interviews several students from her college but decides she only needs to interview one or two students from the rival school to understand the general opinion of students at that school. Rebecca is demonstrating
a. in-group bias.
b. a perception of out-group homogeneity.
c. the ultimate attribution error.
d. blaming the victim.
b. a perception of out-group homogeneity.
Because the law has made most forms of direct prejudice and discrimination in the United States illegal, the expression of prejudice
a. has declined markedly.
b. is more likely to be revealed in microaggressions.
c. has not changed.
d. has less of an impact on minority group members.
c. has not changed.
Suppose you’re a bartender and observe occasional fights at your establishment. Although you don’t know very many people with visible tattoos, it seems to you that people with tattoos are more likely to get into fights than people without tattoos. But you are wrong; people with visible tattoos have not been more likely to get into fights. Based on the research discussed in this chapter, your faulty memory is most likely due to
a. illusory correlation.
b. the subliminal priming of stereotypic information.
c. automatic activation of your stereotype.
d. realistic conflict theory.
a. illusory correlation.
According to social psychological research, racism in America today
a. has almost completely disappeared.
b. results in low self-esteem for both the racists and those against whom they discriminate.
c. has decreased more at the controlled level than at the automatic level.
d. has remained the same at the controlled level.
c. has decreased more at the controlled level than at the automatic level.
At a party, Sam makes negative comments about gays and lesbians. According to research in social psychology, which of the following is least likely to explain Sam’s behavior?
a. Sam recently found out he had done poorly on an important test and was experiencing low self-esteem.
b. Sam’s friends often make similar comments and he conformed for normative reasons.
c. When Sam was growing up, his parents often made negative comments about gays and lesbians.
d. Sam had high self-esteem and felt very secure about his own sexuality.
e. Sam recently applied for a job, but he learned that an openly gay man got the job instead of him.
d. Sam had high self-esteem and felt very secure about his own sexuality.
Melissa, a high school senior, doesn’t get into the college she wants to attend. She blames this on affirmative action and starts to act aggressively toward the minority students at her school. Melissa’s aggression can best be explained by
a. out-group homogeneity.
b. the ultimate attribution error.
c. scapegoating.
d. the illusory correlation phenomenon.
c. scapegoating.
Which of the following is least true about race and stereotyping, from a social psychological perspective?
a. Evolutionary theory holds that different human races have different genetic makeups that cause them to adopt different social behaviors.
b. People often look for information that will allow them to convince themselves that there is a valid justification for holding a negative attitude toward a particular group.
c. Stereotype threat has been found to lower the performance of African Americans and women.
d. Categorizing people is a convenient way of learning about and remembering things about them.
a. Evolutionary theory holds that different human races have different genetic makeups that cause them to adopt different social behaviors.
According to social psychological research, which of the following is least likely to prevent Sam from making similar negative comments about gays and lesbians in the future?
a. A woman Sam likes tells him that she disapproves of his negative comments.
b. Sam finds out that a member of a rival fraternity is gay.
c. Bob, a close friend of Sam’s and a member of his fraternity, tells Sam that he (Bob) is gay.
d. Sam is assigned a lab partner in a biology class who is openly gay. In order to get a good grade in the class, Sam must cooperate with his partner.
b. Sam finds out that a member of a rival fraternity is gay.
Increasing contact between groups will reduce prejudice if all of the following conditions are met except one. Which
one?
a. Mutual interdependence
b. Higher status of the minority group
c. Multiple contacts
d. Informal, interpersonal contact
e. Social norms of equality
b. Higher status of the minority group
Define Prejudice
In this context, a prejudice is a hostile or negative attitude toward people in a distinguishable group, based solely on their membership in that group.
What is illusory correlation?
It’s when we expect two things to be related, we fool ourselves into believing that they are, even when they are completely unrelated
When is illusory correlation most likely to happen?
To people who don’t look run of the mill and are more unique in appearance (i.e., tattooed people)
What does research show when it comes to gender differences in Empathy?
The sexes do not differ in having feelings of empathy or in its expression
What’s the difference between hostile sexism and benevolent sexism?
Hostile = women are less than men
Benevolent = women are more nurturing, kinder; etc
Why is deep seeded prejudice so hard to change?
Because of the emotional/affective component
What is the following an example of:
A white professor compliments an Asian American graduate student on his “excellent English,” although the student has lived in the United States his whole life.
Microaggression - the slight put-downs
When do individuals have higher self-esteem when it comes to in-gorup bias?
Self-esteem will be enhanced only if the individual sees his or her group as superior to other groups.
What is the Ultimate Fundamental Error?
Our tendency to make dispositional attributions about an individual’s negative behavior and then generalize to their entire ethnic, religious, or racial group or gender
T or F: Once hostility and distrust is established, removing conflict and competition can immediately restore harmony.
False, In fact, bringing the two groups (Eagles and Rattlers) together in neutral situations actually increased their hostility and distrust.
What are the 6 conditions to reduce Prejudice?
- Mutual interdependence
- Common Goal
- Equal Status
- Friendly, Informal Setting
- Multiple out-group members should behave the same positive and friendly way
- Social Norm promoting Equality
What is the best way to measure implicit prejudice?
When someone is actually stressed, angry and suffering from low-self esteem. This is when their real colors show.
