chap 12: aggression Flashcards
According to most social psychologists, aggression is defined as
a. the intention to cause harm to or pain in another.
b. the infliction of harm or pain on another.
c. the intention to relieve frustration by harming another.
d. any action that results in physical or psychological pain in another.
a
According to the social-psychological definition of “aggression,” which of the behaviors below is the best example of aggression?
a. Donald is not paying attention and runs over the neighbor’s bicycle as he backs out of the driveway.
b. Amanda asserts herself with her boss and makes a spirited argument for a raise.
c. A child throws a temper tantrum and tries to hit his father.
d. One basketball player fouls another when he is trying to shoot.
c
Which of the following is the best example of hostile aggression?
a. Bernie is angry at his mother and screams at her, “I hate you!”
b. Angela threatens her younger brother to force him to give up a toy that belongs to her.
c. A lineman sacks a quarterback to put him out of the game.
d. An angry driver loses control and runs his car into a ditch.
a
________ aggression is an act that stems from feelings of anger, and that is aimed at inflicting pain.
a. Misplaced
b. Hostile
c. Instrumental
d. Malicious
b
________ aggression is an act in the service of a goal that does not involve the infliction of pain.
a. Misplaced
b. Hostile
c. Instrumental
d. Oblique
c
Which of the following is the best example of instrumental aggression?
a. Scott has a quick temper and gets into fights at parties.
b. An assassin kills a leader to ensure the success of a coup.
c. Angry at her boyfriend, Liz destroys his stereo.
d. Karin runs over her neighbor’s cat.
b
Which of the following is an example of hostile rather than of instrumental aggression?
a. A farmer kills a pig for an Easter ham.
b. A teenager throws eggs at a homeless person.
c. A woman uses a fly swatter to kill a fly.
d. A soldier kills an enemy at war.
b
The goal of ________ aggression is to inflict pain; the goal of ________ aggression is to achieve some other outcome.
a. hostile; instrumental
b. hostile; functional
c. functional; instrumental
d. biological; evolutionary
a
Mr. Jenkins was backing out of his driveway and accidentally hit his neighbor (whom he dislikes) as he was biking by. Why isn’t this act aggressive?
a. Because no psychological harm was done.
b. Because Mr. Jenkins wasn’t angry at the time.
c. The neighbor was defenseless.
d. It was unintentional.
d
According to evolutionary theory, some psychologists argue that men are programmed to be aggressive. What is their explanation for this claim?
a. Men are stronger than women, thus more aggressive.
b. Men are socialized to be more aggressive.
c. Aggression may help men perpetuate their genes.
d. Acts of aggression and violence are attractive to many women.
c
Based on information presented in your text, what are the two evolutionary reasons why males are aggressive?
a. dominance and jealousy
b. hostility and instrumentality
c. jealousy and hostility
d. dominance and instrumentality
a
Shortly after Mary and Robert were married, he became somewhat aggressive to other men who showed an interest in his wife, and made claims like, “Anyone who lays a hand on my woman has to go through me first.” Such claims and aggression are explained by evolutionary theory as
a. displays of dominance.
b. acts of power.
c. domestic violence.
d. sexual jealousy.
d
Researchers have found that testosterone levels are significantly higher in men ________, suggesting a ________ contribution to aggression in humans.
a. from abusive homes; biological
b. convicted of violent crimes; biological
c. from lower socioeconomic backgrounds; social
d. convicted of property crimes; biological
b
Evolutionary explanations for behavior are controversial for several reasons. Nonetheless, how true are the evolutionary explanations for aggression?
a. Experiments have been conducted, so they are proven facts.
b. The theory has been supported by substantial experimental research.
c. All the research is correlational, so they are speculations.
d. There is no data to support evolutionary explanations, so they have been disproven.
c
A researcher (Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1963) raised rats in isolation. When other rats were finally introduced into their cages, rats raised alone ________, suggesting that ________.
a. could not defend themselves; aggression is learned
b. used the same aggressive behaviors as other rats; aggression need not be learned
c. did not aggress against them; instrumental aggression does not exist in nonhumans
d. fled from the new rats; aggression must be learned
b
How does female-dominated society lead bonobos to deal with conflict?
a. They diffuse tension by having sex.
b. There is aggressive conflict, but only among females.
c. There is aggressive conflict, but among both males and females in mixed sex combat.
d. They have a clear and unchallenged hierarchy with a female firmly in charge of the group.
a
According to research presented by the authors of your text, humans’ two closest primate relatives (sharing 98 percent of DNA with humans) are the ________, known for their aggressive nature, and the ________, known for their peaceful nature.
a. bonobos; chimpanzees
b. pygmy chimps; bonobos
c. chimpanzees; bonobos
d. bonobos; pygmy chimps
c
Bonobos are a close primate relative to humans, sharing 98 percent of human DNA. Bonobos are particularly interesting to use when studying aggression because they are
a. highly aggressive primates who are known to brutally attack one another.
b. led by a male hierarchy.
c. very peaceful and led by a female hierarchy.
d. the only other animal with the hormone testosterone.
c
According to your textbook, most social psychologists agree that aggression is a(n) ________ strategy.
a. inherited
b. uncontrollable
c. optional
d. inflexible
c
Most social psychologists regard aggressive behavior patterns as
a. infinitely modifiable and flexible.
b. completely due to culture, with no influence of biology.
c. inborn, but modifiable when threat is imminent.
d. expressing a limited range of responses to provocation.
a
Amu lives in an isolated area and very close-knit community. The community hunts and farms together and must do so to survive. If Amu suddenly becomes aggressive toward other community members, how is he likely to be treated?
a. He’ll be rewarded with a larger share of food.
b. He will be elected to a leadership position in the community.
c. He will be shunned and perhaps even cast out of the community.
d. His behavior will be ignored and won’t attract any attention.
c
Survey research by Nisbett (1993) has revealed that although southerners are no more likely than northerners to endorse aggression in general,
a. southerners are more prone to aggress in response to insults.
b. the availability of handguns in the South produces more homicides there.
c. the “culture of honor” in the North encourages alternatives to aggression.
d. southerners are less likely to endorse aggression at the service of self-protection.
a
Assume that Kyle grew up in the South, where a “culture of honor” predominates. Based on research presented in the text, Kyle would be more likely than a northerner to behave aggressively when
a. he feels his life is threatened.
b. someone insults him.
c. he has been drinking.
d. he has won a contest.
b
A study presented in the text demonstrated that when participants were first “accidentally” bumped, then called a disrespectful name, northerners tended to react ________ southerners.
a. more aggressively than
b. more assertively than
c. as aggressively as
d. less aggressively than
d
In romantic relationships, a study of nearly 500 first-year American college women reported that they were _______ likely to hit, slap, and throw objects as their boyfriends.
a. equally
b. less
c. more
d. not at all
a
Which of the following is false?
a. Across cultures, men have been found to be more aggressive than women in everyday life.
b. Gender differences exist in aggression, particularly in response to provocation (e.g., an insult).
c. When aggression is indirect (nonphysical), females may be as aggressive as males.
d. Females tend to feel more guilt and anxiety over aggressive behavior than males do.
b
Suzanne is a master of relationship aggression. Her tools for being aggressive would include
a. spreading rumors.
b. punching.
c. stealing.
d. hitting.
a
Based on the research presented in the text, if a group of 4-year-old girls wanted the play purse that another girl was given, what are they most likely to do?
a. Push her and take it.
b. Cry until she gives it to them.
c. Not play with her until she gives it to them.
d. Wait patiently for their turn to play with it.
c
Extrapolating from the research on relational aggression, which of the following would be the best thing a parent could teach a young girl?
a. Have a thick skin about what other people think, and work on developing a few good friends.
b. Practice running so you can be very fast.
c. Make sure that you always carry a cell phone.
d. Always keep your fists up to guard your face in a fight.
a
A little girl watches a television cartoon in which a woman yanks a child by the hair and screams at her. After seeing the cartoon, the little girl acts out this same interaction with her doll. This is an example of
a. catharsis.
b. imagined aggression.
c. social-cognitive learning.
d. the frustration-aggression link.
c
Based on social-cognitive learning theory, what is one reason why parents who were abused as children are more likely to abuse their own children in turn?
a. Aggression is inherited.
b. They are usually uneducated.
c. They learned that violence is acceptable.
d. They are pressured by the grandparents to use an iron fist.
c
Bushman and his colleagues (2007) found that the more respected a person or institution is, the greater their influence as a role model for aggression. They found this effect holds for
a. men but not women.
b. northerners and southerners.
c. nonreligious and religious people.
d. athletes and non-athletes.
c
A teacher at a preschool tries to show some rowdy children how to “play nice.” She shows them a doll hitting her, and her hugging the doll in response. The teacher’s behavior is an example of
a. modeling nonaggressive behavior.
b. training good communication skills.
c. teaching the children how to solve problems more effectively.
d. building empathy in the children.
a
Which statement below most accurately reflects the relationship between alcohol and aggression?
a. Alcohol makes all people more aggressive.
b. People who are prone to violence are most likely to be high alcohol consumers.
c. Alcohol interferes with our ability to attribute ambiguous behavior to situations.
d. Alcohol will not make violence-prone people more likely to aggress if they are in a situation where violence is condemned.
c
Gary, a northern male who has a reputation for violence, has been drinking with his friends. Stan approaches Gary and insults his girlfriend. Gary and Stan get into a fistfight. Which of the following best explains why Gary and Stan began to fight? Research suggests that
a. northern males are more prone to react to insults with aggression.
b. alcohol is especially likely to interact with testosterone to increase aggression.
c. alcohol lowers our social inhibitions and allows us to act impulsively.
d. people from different parts of the country hold different expectations about the effects of alcohol.
c
Jeff is participating in a research study where he is given several drinks. He is told that the goal is to get his blood alcohol level to a point just shy of the legal driving limit. However, he is really only getting a nonalcoholic mixer and fruit juice. How will Jeff behave toward another participant who just insulted his favorite sports team and manage to spill a drink on Jeff’s shoes, and why?
a. Jeff will most likely behave aggressively because he expects to be disinhibited by alcohol.
b. Jeff will most likely not behave aggressively because he is not being affected physiologically by the alcohol.
c. Jeff will most likely behave aggressively because he is being physiologically aroused by the alcohol.
d. Jeff will most likely not behave aggressively because his cognitive processes will be slowed by the alcohol
a
- Which research findings below provide the soundest evidence that excessive heat causes greater aggression?
a. In cities all over the country, riots are more likely to occur on hot days than on cold days.
b. In Phoenix, drivers without air conditioning are more likely to honk at others than are drivers with air conditioning.
c. Compared to students who took a test in a normal temperature room, test-taking students in a ninety-degree room were more likely to express hostility toward a stranger.
d. Throughout the history of the World Series, more batters have been hit by pitched balls on hot days than on cool days.
c
Citizens are outraged at an unpopular government policy, and in many parts of the country they have taken to the streets to protest. Results of research on the “long, hot summer” would lead you to predict that in the ________ would be LEAST likely to fill the streets in protest.
a. winter, residents of Minneapolis, Minnesota
b. fall, residents of Houston, Texas
c. summer, residents of Chicago, Illinois
d. winter, residents of Atlanta, Georgia
a
One problem with using archival data (e.g., existing records of disturbances) to demonstrate that exposure to uncomfortable levels of heat causes people to behave aggressively is that
a. it is difficult to access such records.
b. by definition, people who participate in disturbances are not a random sample.
c. more people might simply be outside on a warm day than on a cold day.
d. such disturbances do not involve the kind of aggression of interest to social psychologists.
c
