Chapter 11: Part 3 Flashcards
explain the complexities of punishment
studies have shown that the threat of relatively severe punishment for committing a transgression does not make th transgression less appealing to the child. But the threat of a MILD PUNISHMENT- of a degree just powerful enough to get the child to cease the undesired activity temporarily, leads the child to justify his or her restraint and can make the behaviour less appealing.
in adults, experiments indicate that punishmentt can act as a deterrent but only if two conditions are met:
1) the punishment must be both prompt and certain
2) it must be unavoidable.
this rarely happens in our justice system because court cases take months, and sentences can be skirted, so therefore, severe punishment is unlikely to have the kin of deterrent effect it does in the laboratory.
T/F: after abolishing the death penalty, many states have witnessed an increase in crime
false. there is evidence that severe punishment does not do much to deter violent crimes.
even with th death penalty for murder,there is a higher rate of homicide than many other industrial countries.
american states that have abolished the death penalty have not experienced the increase in crimes.
____ and ___ of punishment were far more effective deterrents of violent behaviour than was severe punishment
consistency and certainty of punishment.
catharsis
blowing off steam by performing an aggressive act, watching others engage in aggressive behaviour, or engaging in a fantasy of aggression– relieves built-up aggressive energies and hence reduces the likelihood of further aggressive behaviour
hydraulic idea of aggressive impulses
he believe that unless people were allowed to express their aggression in realitvley harmless ways, the aggressive energy would be dammed up, pressure would build, and the energy would seek an outlet.
T/F playing competitive games often make participants and observers more aggressive
true. in one demonstration of this fact, the hostility levels of high school football players were measured one week before the football season began and one week after it ended. if the intense competitivenesss and aggressive behaviour that are playing football serve to reduce the tension caused by pent up aggression, the players would be expected to show a decline in hostility over he course of the season.
instead, the results showed that feelings of hostility increased significantly.
t/f catharsis and venting helps with preventing aggression
false. to turns out that participants who read the pro-catharsis article and who were angered wanted to play more violent video games and were more likely to be angry or want to shock the confederate OR even an innocent person
T/F; in an alternative catharsis hypothesis, it is believed that watching competitive/aggressive games is a safer way to get rid of our aggressive impulses .
FALSE. as with participating in an aggressive sport, watching one also increases aggressive behaviour.
ex/ spectators become increasingly belligerent at sports games
does direct aggression against the source of your anger reduce further aggression?
no. when people commit acts of aggression, such acts simply increase the tendency toward future aggression.
in a study, students who had previously delivered shocks to the confederate expressed even greater aggression when given the subsequent opportunity o attack him. If a cathartic effect were to actually be operating, we would expect the students who had previously given shock s to the confederate to administer fewer and weaker shocks the second time
T/F when people brood and ruminate about their anger, talk to others incessantly about how angry they are, or ventilate their feelings in hostile acts, theyr blood pressure shoots up, they often feel angrier and the behave MORE aggressively layter
true. conversely when people learn to control their tempers and express anger constructively, they usually feel better not worse.
why do we blame the victim of our aggression?
to reduce cognitive dissonance. We tend to self justify
actively enabling
a means of controlling our anger by actively enabling it to dissipate. Uses techniques like taking deep breaths are good ways of actively enabling the anger to fade away.
When feelings of anger are expressed in a___, ___,____ manner, the result can be greater mutual understanding and a strengthening of a relationship
When feelings of anger are expressed in a clear, open, non punitive manner, the result can be greater mutual understanding and a strengthening of a relationship
T/F: formal training in communication and problem solving can be an effective means of reducing aggression
true
