Unit 1 - LAB Aggression Flashcards
Define Aggression
Behaviours that can result in psychological or physical harm to self,others or objects in the environment.
How many types of aggression are there? What are these called?
4 types : Hostile, Instrumental, Violent (physical), Verbal/non physical.
State what is meant by hostile aggression and provide an example.
Behaviour performed with the primary goal of intentional injury as a response to a previous event. For example, purposely bumping into someone because you’re having a bad day.
Outline what is meant by instrumental aggression and provide an example.
Behaviour that involves an action being carried out generally to achieve another goal. For example, calling your teacher a name to ‘show off’ in front of your peers to gain popularity.
Define violent/physical aggression and give an example.
Behaviour that involves physical force intended to hurt of damage others. For example, punching someone in the face.
Outline what is meant by verbal/non-physical aggression, provide an example.
Communication with an intention to harm an individual through words, tone or manner. For example, swearing
What is a cognitive script?
A way of dealing with a situationa set of instructions a person uses to understand how to navigate a social situation.
Provide an example of a cognitive script linked to aggression.
The media and violent computer games can provide individuals with mental instructions that influence their response when they perceive an environmental stimulus as aggressive.
What is a schema?
A mental framework that helps individuals process and store information in their environment.
Provide an example of a schema linked to aggression.
You have a schema of a group of ‘lads’ wearing hoodies, every time you see them you think they’re going to be aggressive.
Define priming
Exposure to one stimulus may influence a response to a subsequent stimulus. For example, if your friend told you they had just booked a holiday to Mexico, you go home and have tacos for tea.
Define hostile attribution bias
The extent to which an individual interprets the actions of others as hostile.
Provide an example of hostile attribution bias
If someone accidentally walked into you in the corridor, you assume they did it because they wanted to hurt you.
Describe the relationship between hostile attribution bias and aggression
- Ambiguous behaviour by others is perceived as aggressive.
- The person reacts with aggression to protect themselves.
- Hostile/aggressive schema is cued by the situation.
What are the findings of Harris et al. (2009) study?
Food advertisements prime eating behaviour and lead to children and adults eating more crackers.
Link the findings of Harris et al. (2009) study to aggression.
Environmental cues (e.g. violent media) could prime aggression. Making it easier to recall and utilise aggressive cognitive scripts.
What are the findings of Bartlett (1932) study?
He found that participants changed a story as they tried to remember, a process called distortion. This is based on schemas.
Link the findings of Bartlett (1932) study to aggression
Schemas influence our perception and memory of events. Therefore, if we form aggressive schemas (based on aggressive experiences) we may behave aggressively in the future.
Outline a strength of cognitive explanations to explaining aggression.
Research into cognitive explanations for aggression has practical applications as we can use our knowledge of cognitive priming and scripts to predict aggressive behaviour.
Provide an example of how the cognitive explanation for aggression has practical applications.
For example, Aggression is caused by the influence of violence in the media and computer games as this leads to the formation of aggressive schemas.
Explain why practical applications for the cognitive explanation for aggression is a strength
We can use this information to create intervention strategies to tackle impulsive and aggressive schemas from being created in children by only showing violent and aggressive media after 9pm (watershed) and providing age restrictions on computer games.
What is meant by the term “social norm”?
Social norms are the unwritten rules of behaviour that are considered acceptable in a group or society.
Provide an example of a “social norm” in British culture
Queueing up in a line
Provide three examples of norms that could lead to violent behaviour
- Carrying around objects used to inflinct harm (knives, guns)
- Believing violence solves issues/problems
- Culture of honour.
What is meant by culture of honour?
A culture in which a person feels obliged to protect his or her reputation by answering insults, affronts and threats through violence
Provide two gender-role norms for males
Assertive (Dominant)
Use aggression to achieve status (verbal or physical)
Provide two gender-role norms for females
Passive
Gentle
Describe the difference between Informational and Normative social influence.
ISI – desire to be right.
NSI – desire to be liked.
Define compliance as a type of conformity
A change in our public behaviour but not our private beliefs, due to NSI.
Provide an example of how compliance can link to aggression.
Acting aggressively because your friends do, but deep down you know this is wrong.
Define identification as a type of conformity
A change in our public behaviours and private beliefs ONLY when you are in the presence (a member) of a group.
Provide an example of how identification can link to aggression.
Acting aggressively with your group. Then later on, when you are alone, you realise what you did was wrong.
Define internalisation as a type of conformity
A change in both public behaviours and private beliefs, long term change due to ISI.
Provide an example of how internalisation can link to aggression.
Acting aggressively and believing this is the correct way to behave
Define implicit bias
The person is internally biased to show aggression towards certain groups.
Define stereotypes
Cognitive ‘shortcuts’ (overgeneralised belief/assumption) that allow us to interact in the social world.
Explain why racial and ethnic stereotypes are a problem
They may lead to tolerance of racist opinions and aggressive behaviour towards ethnic minorities (e.g. by the police, a concern highlighted by the BlackLivesMatter movement)
State the findings of Aschs (1951) study to aggression
Individuals conformed to group norms due to both informational and normative social influence.
Link the findings of Asch’s (1951) study to aggression.
NSI : Carrying knives because it is the group norm and you want to fit in.
ISI : Believing you need to carry a knife to protect yourself and this is acceptable.
Outline one strength of the social approach to aggression.
One strength of the social approach to aggresison is that it has practical applications.
Explain why the social approach to explaining aggression is an important part of applied psychology.
The principles of the theory that stereotypes can cause aggressive behaviours has led to the development of interventions. For example, we can ensure stereotypes of aggressive males aren’t being portrayed in the media by not having males characters show aggression.
“Someone we admire/identify with” What is this a defintion of ?
Role model.
How can role modelling lead to aggression ?
Aggression carried out by a role model will be internalised by an individual and reproduced in the future.
How can vicarious reinforcement explain aggression ?
If a role models aggressive behaviours are being rewarded, then a child learns that this is an acceptable behaviour and will reproduce this aggression.
Who believed your parents are your primary role model ?
Bandura
Bandura proposed that violent role models in the media can provide ….
A source of vicarious reinforcment which can lead to aggressive behaviour being replicated.
What do role models in the media provide children with ?
A ‘script’ to guide their behaviour.
“With continual exposure to a stimulus, our responses to that stimulus are decreased” What is this a definition of ?
Desensitisation