W8b: Aggression (harming)

Question 1

What is aggression?

1) Instrumental aggression
2) Hostile aggression

Answer 1

Aggression: behaviour intended to harm someone

1) Instrumental aggression: aggression as a means to an end
2) Hostile aggression: aggression driven by anger (at insult, disrespect, or threats to identity/esteem)

Question 2

Manifestations of aggression:

Answer 2

Physical VS Verbal

• > Active VS Passive
• > Direct indirect

Question 3

Who aggresses?

Answer 3

1) Men > women (but there are complexities here) esp: physical

2) Aggressive cultures:
Cultures of honour (Nisbett & Cohen, 1996)

Norms for aggression
a) Men should be tough, loyal and ready to fight
b) Enforce one’s rights and protect family, home and possessions
(esp in places w. poor institutions)
c) Such reputations serve as deterrents

Question 4

Who aggresses?
Cultures of honor

Cohen, Nisbett, Bowdle & Schwarz (1996)

Answer 4

Insult and aggression in the culture of honor

Staged insult – bump then call participant “asshole”

Different Ratings for southern and Northern participants
(35% and 85% anger)

After insult
decrease distance between ppl (disrespect personal space) and
Increase firmness of handshake (southern)

Question 5

Frustration-aggression hypothesis

Answer 5

Frustration: follows blocking of an important goal

Frustration-aggression hypothesis (Dollard et al., 1939)
Frustration inevitably triggers aggression

Refined by Berkowitz (1989)
Not all goal blockage, but negative feelings/arousal that arise therefrom
E.g., anger, irritation

Question 6

Cues to aggression

Anderson, Benjamin & Bartholow, 1998 -> Weapons effect

Answer 6

Aspects of the environment linked to aggression can activate thoughts of aggression

Weapons effect:
similar to spreading effect of concepts

Anderson, Benjamin & Bartholow, 1998:
Response Time paradigm
Prime word (weapon/animal)
Target word (aggression/non-aggression)
a bit faster in MRT.

Question 7

Aggression: Social Learning
(2)
1) Aggressive Models
Video games and violence (Anderson & Dill, 2000)

Answer 7

1) Aggressive models
Exposure to violent role models increases aggression

2) Video games and violence (Anderson & Dill, 2000):

-> Play violent/non-violent video game
-> Assess accessibility of aggressive thoughts
-> Aggressive behaviour (blast noise)
-> Playing violent video games increases accessibility of aggressive thoughts which accounts for the effect of video gameplay on aggressive behaviour
Effect size: 0.31
there is also the effect of retaliation

Question 8

Superficial and deep processing affecting aggression

Answer 8

Initial, automatic aggressive tendencies can be overcome by deeper processing (reflectively) => depth of precessing in moderating the relationship between the active tot and action of aggression

Factors that impair deep processing increase aggression

1) Arousal (more -> process more superficially)
2) Time pressure (no time to think)
3) Alcohol

Question 9

Taylor, Gammon & Capasso (1976)

Alcohol and aggression

Answer 9

Alcohol increases the likelihood that any active aggressive thoughts gets translated into behaviour

Deliver shocks to one another.
manipulations: Alcohol and threat/no threat
Aggression is only increased (more significantly) when under threat

Question 10

General Aggression Model

S34

Answer 10

1) Personal  + situational  variables     
             AFFECTS
                   v
2) Present internal states
(affect cogarousal)
                   ^
            INFLUNCES
                   v
3) Appraisal and decision precessing
            INFLUNCES 
                  v
4) Behaviour

Question 11

Dealing with aggression: , what doesn’t work?

Bushman (2002)

Answer 11

Catharsis/venting
Katharsis: cleansing/purging
Expressing negative affect and aggressive tendencies purges one of aggressive impulses

Bushman (2002)
Details
1) Receive negative feedback
2) Hit punching bag or not. Those who hit punching bag: rumination or distraction
3) So three conditions: control vs vent(rumination vs distraction)

Competitive reaction time task with noise blast
Measure of aggression – intensity of noise blast

Results:
both distraction and rumination have much higher aggression than control

Venting by punching a bag increases aggression,
especially if accompanied by rumination

Question 12

Dealing with aggression: what works?

Answer 12

1) Promoting norms of non-aggression (changing role models)
E.g., prosocial video games

2) Minimising cues (undermining cues)

3) Cognitive re-appraisal
E.g., self-distancing (Mischkowki et al., 2012)
-> provoked and ask to reflect
-> self-distance reflection reduce implicit aggressive cognition (think in 3rd person)

4) Increase empathy
Feshbach & Seymour (1982)

Question 13

Non-aggressive strategies

Bushman in the context of general aggression model

Answer 13

Decrease accessibility of aggressive cognitions, decrease arousal, decrease negative affect

Target Present internal state
Delay (let time pass), distraction, relaxation (reduce negative arousal), incompatible responses (nonaggressive responses -> eg. prosocial behaviour)
to reduce aggression!