Paper 2 Terms: Origins of Conflict

Question 1

Cikara et al. (2011)

Answer 1

Using self-reporting and fMRI’s, they measured the affective and neural responses of die-hard baseball fans (Yankees or Red Sox) while the fans were observing plays that were considered positive, negative, and neutral for their team; when observing a result positive to their team, fans would respond with positive emotion, but when they experienced a result that was negative for their team, they would respond with a negative emotion and a willingness to cause harm to an outgroup member.

Question 2

Frustration-aggression Hypothesis

Answer 2

Aggressive behavior results from frustration caused when something or someone obstructs us from fulfilling a need or a desired goal. This frustration must be released and in the absence of a more productive release, such as sport or consensual sexual contact, violence and, therefore, conflict may occur. Researchers argued that weaker or minority groups are often targeted.