Social Psychological Explanations For Human Aggression

Question 1

What is the frustration hypothesis and who creates the idea?

Answer 1

• Dollard (1939)

- believed aggression is the consequence of the feeling of frustration.

Question 2

Define frustration. And why does it create aggression?

Answer 2

• frustration is working towards something ie a goal and being slowed down or stopped by a real or imaginary barrier.
• frustration is an unpleasant feeling and to be relieved.
• it is relived by aggression

Question 3

What are the two reason why aggression occurs through frustration?

Answer 3

1. Proximity to the goal

2. Whether the aggression will remove the barrier causing the Frustration.

Question 4

What is the idea of proximity to the goal?

Answer 4

• the idea that you will become more frustrated the closer you are to achieving the goal and will be more aggressive. Compared to being a far away from achieving the goal.

Question 5

What is the idea behind whether aggression will remove the barrier that is causing the aggression?

Answer 5

• if the aggression is unlikely to remove the barrier of frustration, aggression is less likely to happen
• ie being aggressive to a machine that has broken - won’t help
• however If a bloke is coming to fix the machine and is being slow, being aggressive may speed him up. Therefore aggression would occur.

Question 6

Name a piece of research into the frustration hypothesis.

Answer 6

Harris (1974)

• he tested proximity to the goal by having someone push in a queue.
• he found people for more aggressive when they pushed in near the front and less aggressive at the back.
• proving being closer to the goal makes you more aggressive.

Question 7

Name two pieces of evaluation into the frustration hypothesis.

Answer 7

❌ reductionist- reduces aggression to just frustration - doesn’t consider aggression for protection and murderers and psychopaths which is premeditated.

❌ lacks predictive validity - the fear has is mostly hypothetical scenarios so most people say how they think they would react when they may react in a completely different way.

Question 8

What is the social learning theory?

Answer 8

• believes people learn behaviour from role models and experiences as they try and imitate them.
• no one is born a certain way - ie aggressive.

Question 9

What type of reinforcement is likely to create imitation? And why?

Answer 9

• positive reinforcement

- die to there being a reward the behaviour is more likely to be imitated.

Question 10

What is the reinforcement called when you see someone else do the behaviour? And what is it?

Answer 10

Vicarious reinforcement

• seeing someone perform a behaviour and gaining a reward= more likely to imitate.
• example: bully uses aggression to get money (reward) individual sees this and wants the same reward.

Question 11

What are the 4 cognitive processes needed for behaviour to be learned?

Answer 11

1. Attention
2. Retention
3. Motivation
4. Reproduction

Question 12

What is the attention phase in the cognitive processing?

Answer 12

Attention is where the behaviour is first noticed. Aggressive behaviour in this case.

Question 13

What is the retention stage in the cognitive process?

Answer 13

Retention is the stage where if the behaviour is memorable it will be stored and remembered, it is not the behaviour won’t be remembered.

• aggressive behaviour normally remember because it activates a lot of emotions.

Question 14

What is the reproduction stage in the cognitive process?

Answer 14

Reproduction is the stage where the individual must be able to reproduce the behaviour.

• if they aren’t strong or big enough the behaviour won’t be reproducible and the behaviour won’t be repeated.

Question 15

What is the motivation stage in the cognitive process?

Answer 15

Motivation is the stage where the person WANTS to perform the behaviour.

• if they weren’t happy about the aggressive act the first 3 stages could be met but won’t perform the behaviour because they don’t want to do it. - proof of individual differences.

Question 16

What research is used to test the effectiveness of these 4 processes?

Answer 16

Bandura and Ross and Ross

36 boys. 36 girls ages 3 - 5 years old

2 adults ( 1 male + 1 female)

Spilt into groups and adult performs actions on dolls/toys and shouts noises such as ‘bang’ to see if the children tried to
Imitate their behaviour.

Found same sex groups imitated more.

Proving that the 4 stages are key

Question 17

Name a piece of research for the influence from the media?

Answer 17

Mota Motas

• found that aggressive behaviour seen on televisions was identified by Portuguese students and made them aggressive . Backs SLT

Question 18

Name a piece of research for the influence from the environment.

Answer 18

• guerro
• wanted to know if being exposed to street violence would make the indivual more aggressive.
• tested 5 - 12 year old -4,500 of them.
• found that exposure the street violence did make children more aggressive. ✅SLT

Question 19

Name two pieces of research for the SLT in regards aggression.

Answer 19

✅ explains why people only get aggressive in certain situations and not anywhere, which is what the biological approach suggests.

❌ no longitudinal studies only shows short term affects doesn’t see if imitation lasts.

Question 20

When does de - individualisation occur?

Answer 20

• when in a group or a crowd.

Question 21

Why does being in a group or a crowd increase the likely hood of aggression?

Answer 21

• when in a group/crowd your sense of identity is lost.
• own morals and beliefs are loosened and you adapt the groups morals.
• you feel less guilt as you share the blame between the crowd/group.

Question 22

What can affect the likelyhood of de- individualisation?

Answer 22

• larger crowd = more chance of losing identity ( greater distribution of responsibility
• drugs/alcohol lose sense of responsibility easily persuaded to adapt your own morals.
• self - awareness reduced in a group - lots of environmental stimulus = uncharacteristic behaviour.

Question 23

What are the two types of self awareness?

Answer 23

1. Public self- awareness

2. Private self - awareness

Question 24

What is public self - awareness? And what influences it?

Answer 24

• the appraisal of others

- in a group the appraisal is multiplied massively = more likely to change to the groups morals for appraisal.

Question 25

What is private self - awareness? What happens to this in a group?

Answer 25

• your own thoughts

- distracted by environmental stimuluses can’t listen to own morals.

Question 26

Name a Piece of research into de - individualisation.

Answer 26

Postman +spears

Meta analysis of 60 studies

Found weak evidence supporting de - individualisation

Not widespread across all groups

Question 27

Name two pieces of evaluation for de -individualisation.

Answer 27

✅ practical applications - darkness increases loss of identity so having mor elite areas reduced antisocial behaviour as people will feel more accountable.

❌ narrow application as only explains aggression in specific contexts when aggression occurs in many other circumstances.