frustration aggression hypothesis and social learning theory Flashcards
what is the frustration-aggression hypothesis based on?
- based on the psychodynamic explanation of catharsis, freud said the drive for aggression was innate, the only way to reduce aggression is to engage in an activity to release it
what causes aggression?
- if we experience frustration, this will cause aggression (aggression is the cathartic release of a build-up of frustration)
- if we are prevented from achieving a goal by external forces, this leads to frustration which causes aggression
- aggression cannot always be directed at the source if it is non-abstract, too strong or unavailable. it may then be redirected to another source
ego defence mechanisms
we have defence mechanisms to protect ourselves, such as:
- sublimation: using aggression in acceptable activities
- displacement: directing aggression outwards onto someone or something else
berkowitz’s (1969) revised frustration-aggression hypothesis
- he argued that frustration doesn’t always lead to aggression
- aggression only occurs in the presence of certain cues, such as weapons
give a strength of the frustration-aggression hypothesis
russell green (1968) asked male undergrads to complete a jigsaw puzzle with 3 separate conditions. these were designed to cause frustration by either giving them an unattainable time limit, making the puzzle impossible or getting a confederate to give derogatory remarks as they failed to complete it. when given a chance to shock the confederates, those who were insulted gave the highest level of shock, and all 3 groups gave higher levels than those who experienced no frustration. supporting the idea that frustration leads to aggression
give a strength of the frustration-aggression hypothesis
berkowitz (1967) conducted a study where participants were given the chance to shock a confederate who previously angered them, using 3 conditions: one with an aggressive cue, one with a non-aggressive cue and one with no cue. he found that those in the presence of the aggressive cue gave higher levels of shocks than the other groups. this is the weapons focus effect and supports the idea that the presence of aggressive cues increases the chance of aggression
give a limitation of the frustration-aggression hypothesis
research has come primarily from lab studies, so there are issues of ecological validity. due to the artificial nature of the studies, we cannot conclude that people would carry out actual aggression in real life when faced with an external stimulus
what does the social learning theory suggest aggression is due to?
- aggression is learnt via a mix of direct and indirect reinforcement
directly learning aggression
- operant conditioning, involving positive and negative reinforcement and punishment
- a person is more likely to repeat a behaviour (aggression) if they are rewarded for it, and less likely to carry it out if they are punished
indirectly learning aggression
- learning through observing and imitating aggressive role models
- a person is more likely to imitate a behaviour if they see a role model being rewarded for it (vicarious reinforcement), and less likely if the role model is punished for it (vicarious punishment)
- parents are the primary role models
- role models in the media can also be a source of vicarious reinforcement
factors that mediate aggressive behaviour
bandura proposed 5 factors of the modelling process:
- attention: the person must pay attention to the act
- retention: the person must remember the behaviour
- production: the person needs to be able to reproduce the behaviour
- motivation: the person must expect to receive positive reinforcement for the behaviour
- self-efficacy: the person must have confidence in their ability to carry out the behaviour
give a strength of the social learning theory
bandura’s bobo doll experiment supports the role of social learning in aggression. his study had 3 experimental conditions: one with a filmed aggressive model, one with a cartoon aggressive model, and one with a real aggressive model. he also had a control group with no aggressive model. children aged 3-5 were allowed to play with a bobo doll, and their aggressive acts were counted. he found that those with the cartoon model produced the most aggressive acts (mean of 99). he concluded that the viewing of the aggression led to the modelling of the behaviour, supporting the social learning explanation of aggression
give a limitation of the social learning theory
christianson (2006) studied the kung san people of the kalahari desert and found that aggression was very rare. parents do not use physical punishment and no value is placed on aggression, children do not display aggression and there are no cultural norms for it. this highlights the complexity for social learning, suggesting it may only be applicable in western cultures in terms of aggression. this suggests there may be a level of cultural bias in the social learning theory
give a limitation of the social learning theory
although social learning can explain some forms of aggression, it is harder to use to explain reactive aggression. when aggression is carried out as a reaction to an external stimulus, this may be better explained by the frustration-aggression hypothesis rather than the idea of observational learning as slt proposes
