Lecture 12

Question 1

What is aggression defined as?

Answer 1

Behaviour intended to cause physical or psychological harm to another person

Question 2

What is instrumental aggression?

Answer 2

Aggression as a means to a goal other than causing harm e.g. running towards the emergency exit

Question 3

What is hostile aggression?

Answer 3

Behaviour aimed at inflicting harm

Question 4

What did Hobbes and Freud believe about aggression?

Answer 4

That people are aggressive by nature. Freud theorised the death instinct

Question 5

What did Lorenz believe about aggression?

Answer 5

Aggression is elicited by environmental signals and works as a mechanism for reproductive fitness

Question 6

What did Darwin say about aggression?

Answer 6

That aggression is an adaptation for when we are acquiring resources or things that affect reproductive fitness

Question 7

What is the effect of anonymity?

Answer 7

When people’s identity is concealed the don’t hold to social norms

Question 8

In an anonymity experiment what was the effect of groups and dress up with young children?

Answer 8

• Children who’s identity was masked by costumes were more likely to steal
• Children were more likely to steal when in a group

Question 9

Describe deindividuation

Answer 9

• A loss of self awareness

- Don’t see yourself as an individual, absorbed into group behaviour

Question 10

(Violence in the media)

What is the effect of ‘numbing’?

Answer 10

The more violence you see, the more immune you become to it. Aren’t as bothered by it

Question 11

(Violence in the media)

What is the effect of priming?

Answer 11

Primes people of how to act in certain situations

Question 12

(Violence in the media)

What is the effect of conformity?

Answer 12

People use others in ambiguous situations to understand what to do

Question 13

(Violence in the media)

What is the effect of an interaction with pre-existing violent tendencies?

Answer 13

Cues and circumstances can influence aggressive behaviour

Question 14

What proportion of men and women have had a homicidal fantasy and where were the majority of their ideas from?

Answer 14

• 2/3 men
• 1/3 women
• From media sources like TV, movie, books, news stories

Question 15

What is the frustration aggression hypothesis?

Answer 15

• Theories that aggression is a consequence of thwarted goals
• Frustration creates a build up of aggressive energy and release of aggressive behaviour will decrease feelings of aggression

Question 16

What was the revised frustration aggression hypothesis?

Answer 16

That frustration and other negative states creates a predisposition to act aggressively

• > heat/anger can create states of frustration
• > need a cue to prime of cause the aggressive behaviour e.g. presence of a weapon