Chapter 13 Aggression Flashcards
What is the general aggression model about?
Studying how three kinds of forces – situational, construal, and cultural/evolutionary help us understand the causes of aggression.
Behavi or that is motivated by feelings of anger and hositility, where the primary aim is to harm another person, either physically or psychologically, is called what kind of aggression?
Hostile aggression
How do you define instrumental aggression?
Behavior that is intended to harm another person in the service of motives other than pure hostility. e.g., to gain status, to acquire wealth, to advance political casuse
What is the relationship between hot weather and aggression?
Higher-than-normal temperatures play a causal role in the increase of violent crime
Hot months of summer make people more aggressive, and the climate is changing globally these years
explanation: people’s attributions for their discomfort. e.g., attribute the arousal caused by heat to partner’s critical comment, and therefore lead to aggression
What is the relationship between media violence and people’s aggression?
- exposure to media violence makes people more aggressive
- the studies have limitations though: 1. short-term exposure to violent media does not equal to enduring effects 2. no ecological validity, lab is not the real world
What is the relationship between violent video games and aggression?
Playing violent video games does shift our thoughts and emotions in ways that might increase the likelihood of less extreme forms of aggression.
(1) increase aggressive behavior, such as giving more intense punishment to confederates in a study; (2) reduce prosocial behavior; (3) increase aggressive thoughts, such as that the world is a hostile place or that some people are deserving of aggression; (4) increase aggressive emotions, especially anger; and (5) increase blood pressure and heart rate, two physiological responses associated with aggression.
What is the relationship between social rejection and aggression?
Social rejection activates a “threat defense system” that involves cardiovascular arousal, the stress hormone cortisol, feelings of distress, and associated fight-or-flight tendencies
people who feel rejected report higher levels of chronic physical pain, increased blood pressure or higher levels of cortisol (dorsal anterior cingulate cortex)
What’s the relationship between income inequality and aggression?
Homicides are more likely to occur in countries where there is greater income inequality between the rich and the poor.
The average citizen is much more likely to be murdered, assaulted, or raped in countries characterized by high economic inequality
Possible explanation:
1. the powerful feelings of social rejection that those at the bottom experience in unequal societies can trigger violence
2. inequality undermines feelings of trust and goodwill among people, which can give rise to frustration, anger, and ultimately aggression
Can green spaces and access to nature improve aggression?
- a walk in the woods (as opposed to a walk through a town) enables adults to perform better on a measure of concentrated attention
- experiences in nature are the best predictor, compared with other recreational activities, of calming people down from the stress of work
- immersion in nature benefits happiness and almost every health condition, from cardiovascular problems to diabetes and depression
- the likelihood of violent crime was lower near apartments surrounded by green spaces.
What is the role of construal in the relationship between anger and aggression?
The presence of weapons will lead to aggression only when combined with experiences of anger.
Hunters don’t become more aggressive when presented with images of guns, probably because they construe guns as objects for recreation and fun rather than for violence
What is the attribution of nonhuman characteristics and the denial of human qualities to other people called?
Dehumanization
it’s easier to harm people when they seem less human and less like ourselves
loyalty to valued social groups may increase the dehumanization of outgroup members. Feeling socially connected brings people closer to their groups, which creates greater distance from those who are seen as different from the group. This can make dehumanization more likely.
How can we distance ourselves from the causes of aggression?
- think of the frustrating event as just one moment in time, as a single episode within a much longer relationship, or even as if it were part of a movie or novel.
- when asking people why they are upset, referring to them in the third person rather than the second person evokes less negative emotion.
- looking at conflicts from a more distant perspective by imagining what the situation will be like a year from now can lead people to blame others less and are more forgiving
What is a culture of honor?
Prevalent in the U.S. South, where men tend to be especially concerned with their reputation for toughness, machismo, and willingness and ability to avenge a wrong or insult
Arugument-related murders are much more common in the US South and Southwest
What does the term “rape-prone cultures” mean?
Men used rape as an act of war against enemy women; as a ritual act, such as part of a wedding ceremony or an adolescent male’s rite of passage to adulthood; or as a threat against women to keep them subservient to men.
These cultures are defined by two qualities:
1. rape-prone cultures were more likely to have high levels of violence, a history of frequent warfare, and an emphasis on machismo and male toughness.
2. stereotypes and biases relegated women to a lower status in society (extreme gender inequality)
What is inclusive fitness?
An individual’s reproductive success, which ensures the transmission of an individual’s genes to future generations (evolutionary perspective)
Stepparents don’t usually share genes with their stepchildren, so their inclusive fitness (reproductive success of the individual, plus that of their children and other offspring) is not enhanced by taking care of stepchildren.
