Lecture 11: Chapter 13: Aggression and Conflict Flashcards
What was the Robbers Cave experiment (Sherif)?
Field study of integroup conflict. 2 groups of boys took part in separate activities to promote group cohesion. Each group had their own norms and leaders.
After a week the groups started to share playgrounds, which resulted in competition. A tournament was held where there was one winner.
The experiment had transformed normal boys into two gangs of troublemakers
The goal of the study was to understand development of intergroup hostility and how it can be resolved
What is aggression?
Behavior intended to harm someone else, by exposing them to aversive stimuli which they are motivated to escape/avoid
What is a conflict?
Perceived incompatibility of goals between 2 or more parties
What are the 2 types of aggression and what’s the difference between them?
- Instrumental/cold = serving mastery needs, used to control other people or obtain valuable resources (thieves using aggression during robbery)
- Hostile/hot = aggression driven by anger due to insult, disrespect or other threats to self-esteem or social identity (punching someone who pushed you)
What is intergroup aggression?
Any behavior intended to harm another person because he/she is a member of an out-group. The behavior is viewed as undesirable by its target
What is the criticism on the dichotomy of hostile and instrumental aggression?
Most aggressive acts are combination of both
What are 2 operationalizations of aggression?
- Hot sauce paradigm: participants are asked to give hot sauce to someone who dislikes it and will have to eat it as part of taste test. More aggression = more hot sauce
- Competitive reaction time task: participants play competitive game against another participant. They compete on who reacts the fastest. The loser is punished with a loud noise, the intensity is chosen by the winner. Higher intensity = more aggression
Why is it so hard to measure aggression with e.g. hot sauce paradigm?
The unit of measurement isn’t standardized. You measure mL which doesn’t correspond 1 on 1 to amount of aggression
What was Lorenz’s view on the biological basis of aggression?
Man is an animal that benefits from having a fighting instinct. So aggression is a basic biological motive like hunger/thirst.
He thinks aggression is a necessary consequence of evolution
What is the current perspective on the origin of aggression? What is evidence for this?
Aggression is one means of competition that might help secure important outcomes (food, mating)
When mating-goal is made salient, men are more aggressive towards other men, but nog towards other women. The effect disappears when this dominance can be confirmed in another way
Aggression is not the only way to gain status and resources
What is catharsis and does it work?
Aggressive feelings are drained off through violent action
It doesn’t work. Aggression causes more aggression and anger. There is less arousal, but still as much motivation for aggression
What is evidence for a hereditary base of aggression?
The MAO-A gene: 42-78% heritability. It’s related to aggression and delinquency in teenagers with history of childhood abuse
However, environmental influences aren’t ruled out
How does the MAO-A gene work?
It’s related to the production of serotonin. Serotonin is negatively related to aggressive behavior
Deprivation of serotonin sources, leads to increase in aggressive behavior
What is the influence of testosterone on aggression in animals and humans?
More aggression in animals
Effect is less obvious in humans. No effect when administering testosterone vs placebo to men
What is a biochemical explanation of aggression?
Serotonin deprivation and testosterone increase (not very obvious in humans)
How would you explain the relationship between alcohol consumption and aggression? (3)
-Alcohol myopia: alcohol hinders the assessment of the consequences of behavior
-Focus on direct cues, no complex consideration
-Reduced functionality of PFC
What is meant with the influence of alcohol is also partly explained by the influence of expectations?
What people think they are drinking also predicts aggression in a lab setting
Why is research on aggression so difficult?
It’s unethical to provoke aggression and people may not be willing to act in an aggressive way when they know they’re being watched
What are the fundamental motives of aggression (2)?
- Mastery of resources
- Respect and connectedness
How is construct validity of aggression sort of assured in research?
People who are highly aggressive outside the lab also score highest on laboratory measures, so the lab results must have some construct validity
What’s the difference between interpersonal and intergroup aggression?
Interpersonal is directed at one person
Intergroup is directed at an out-group
What is the frustration aggression theory?
Any frustration inevitably triggers aggression, especially when goal was in reach, but now is unattainable
What are the 2 factors that contribute to interpersonal aggression?
- Counting rewards and costs: people are more aggressive when there are high rewards and low costs for that behavior
–> Important for instrumental aggression - Responding to threats: aggression often happens as a response to a perceived threat to a person’s self-esteem or social identity
What is the link between self-esteem and aggression?
People with low self esteem might lack resources to cope with frustration
People with high, but unstable self esteem are more likely to respond to social rejection with aggression
What factor is important in the cost-benefit equation of aggression?
The aggressor’s personal abilities, such as muscularity, education level, unemployed etc.
Which 2 cues make thoughts of aggression more accessible?
- Seeing other people’s aggressive actions
- Specific cues, such as presence of weapons
What are the 2 fundamental driving forces behind interpersonal aggression?
- Potential rewards
- Negative emotions
What is the place of negative emotions in the frustration-aggression theory?
Perception one’s goals are blocked, leads to negative emotions, which provoke aggression
When people experience negative emotions, they’re more likely to be aggressive
How can models promote aggression?
We look at people in our environment to determine what behavior is appropriate. When there are aggressive models, that’s perceived as appropriate behavior.
Exposure to aggressive films/games can increase aggressiveness
What are learned cues to aggression? What is some evidence on this?
Aspects of our environment that activate the idea of aggression, such as knives and guns
Cues make aggression more likely to happen
Evidence: people stopped in traffic by police with visible gun are more aggressive
When are people less likely to behave aggressively?
When they have the motivation and ability to think systematically about the situation
