Week 10- Aggression

Question 1

Aggression

Answer 1

behaviour that is

intended to harm another individua

Question 2

Anger

Answer 2

consists of strong feelings of
displeasure in response to a perceived
injury.

Question 3

Hostility

Answer 3

negative, antagonistic attitude

toward another person or group.

Question 4

Violence

Answer 4

extreme acts of

aggression

Question 5

Instrumental/pro-active Aggression

Answer 5

Harm is inflicted as a means to a desired end

Question 6

Emotional/reactive Aggression

Answer 6

Harm is inflicted for its own sake (in reaction to something)

Question 7

Culture and Aggression

Answer 7

• Aggression varies dramatically between cultures
– The forms violence typically 
takes
– People’s attitudes toward 
various kinds of aggression

Question 8

Individual differences which predict aggression

Answer 8

• Low agreeableness
  
  • Low openness
  • High neuroticism
  • Traits

Question 9

overt agression (and gender)

Answer 9

more men

Question 10

relational aggression (and gender)

Answer 10

more women

Question 11

evolutionary perspective and aggression gender

Answer 11

Why gender differences?
– Males aggress to achieve and maintain
status.
– Females aggress to protect offspring.

Question 12

biological factors and aggression (3)

Answer 12

• Genetics
  Mixed overall results on heritability
  of aggression
  – Trend in research supports heritability of
  human aggressiveness to at least some
  degree - ○ MAOA gene linked to aggressive behaviour

• Serotonin
		○ Low levels linked to aggression
• Brain & EF
		○ Abnormalities in PFC
		○ Poor EF

Question 13

biological differences in gender based aggression

Answer 13

• Testosterone
○ Association between testosterone and aggression
○ Especially if low in cortisol

Question 14

social learning theory of aggression

Answer 14

○ The theory that behaviour is learned through the observation of others as well as through the direct experience of rewards and punishments
○ Bobo dolls
○ Those perpetrating violence have often witnessed violence

Question 15

socialisation and gender differences in aggression

Answer 15

§ Overt aggression more acceptable amongst boys
§ Using relational aggression can allow a girl access to benefits
§ Culture of honor (males) - culture
□ Emphasising honor and social status - role of aggression
□ Promotes violent behaviour

Question 16

socialisation and cultural differences in aggression

Answer 16

Socialization of aggression also varies from culture to culture. For example, Giovanna Tomada and Barry Schneider (1997) report that adolescent boys in traditional villages in Italy are encouraged to aggress as an indication of their sexual prowess

Question 17

frustration-aggression hypothesis

Answer 17

• Frustration - which is produced by interrupting a person’s progress towards an expected goal - will always elicit the motive to aggress
• All aggression is caused by frustration

Question 18

displacement

Answer 18

○ Aggressing against a substitute target because aggressive acts against the source are inhibited by fear or lack of access

Question 19

catharsis

Answer 19

○ Reduction of the motive to aggress said to result from imagined, observed or actual act of aggression

Question 20

problems with frustration-aggression hypothesis

Answer 20

○ Carthasis can inflame aggression

Question 21

frustration-aggression hyp revised (Berkowitz, 1989)

Answer 21

Frustration is but one of many unpleasant
experiences that can lead to aggression
by creating negative, uncomfortable
feelings.

• It is the negative feelings (negative affect),
not frustration itself, that can trigger
aggression.

Question 22

role of affect in aggression and situational factors

Answer 22

• Heat - increases negative affect = aggression
• Provocation
○ Social rejection
Positive Affect
• Research shows that inducing a pleasant mood can reduce aggression

Question 23

arousal and aggression and situational factors

Answer 23

• Excitation transfer
○ Arousal created by one stimulus can intensify another response
○ Physical exercise - increase in aggression/violence
• Heat increases arousal

Question 24

cognition and aggression and situational factors

Answer 24

Both automatic and deliberate thoughts
play a critical role in aggression

Automatic cognitions
– Weapons effect – tendency that the likelihood
of aggression will increase by mere presence
of guns

Higher order cognitions:
○ Angry person restrains self from aggressing because costs are too high
- rumination: thinking about aggressive thoughts over and over

Question 25

immediate effects of violent media on aggression

Answer 25

○ Research shows people behave more aggressively after watching aggressive TV or playing violent videogames

Question 26

long-term effects of violent media on aggression

Answer 26

.3 correlation between media violence and aggression

• Exposure to TV violence at ages 6-9
positively correlated with aggression as
adults.

Question 27

habituation

Answer 27

○ Desensitisation to violence

○ Reduction in emotion-related physiological reactivity to real violence

Question 28

cultivation

Answer 28

○ The capacity of the mass media to construct a social reality that people perceive as true, even if it isn’t
○ Violent acts reported more in the news etc

Question 29

influence of non-violent and violent pornography on sexual and non-sexual aggression

Answer 29

○ Little support for causal link between nonviolent porn and sexual aggression
○ There is evidence for association between porn use and attitudes which support violence against women

• violent forms of pornography
○ Male to female aggression markedly increased following exposure

Question 30

interventions/education leading to the reduction of sexual aggression due to violent pornography

Answer 30

○ Aggression Replacement Training

○ Self-control training

○ Behaviour modification

Question 31

Aggression in collectivist cultures

Answer 31

• Males in china less likely to respond aggressively compared to US
• No difference between women

Question 32

Aggression in indvidualistic cultures

Answer 32

• Higher freq. school violence

Question 33

Traits tending to relate to aggression (5)

Answer 33

○ Emotional susceptibility
§ The tendency to feel distressed, inadequate and vulnerable to perceived threats
○ Type A personality
§ The tendency to be driven by feelings of inadequacy to prove one’s worth
○ Impulsivity
• High self-esteem if
○ Also high in narcissism
○ Threat to ego
• Narcissism
○ Inflated sense of self-worth and low empathy for others
• Low self-control

Question 34

Evolutionary Psych perspective on whether aggression is innate (3)

Answer 34

○ Birth parents less likely to abuse or murder own offspring than stepparents and stepchildren
○ Male to male violence
§ Challenging status or social power
○ Females aggress to protect offspring

Question 35

Punishment more likely to reduce aggression when

Answer 35

○ Immediately follows behav
○ Strong enough to deter aggressor
○ Consistently applied
○ Considered fair and legitimate by aggressor

Question 36

Cycle of Violence

Answer 36

§ The transmission of domestic violence across generations

§ Those who experience parental violence or abuse are more likely to abuse their own children

Question 37

hostile attribution bias

Answer 37

perceiving hostile intent in others

§ Aggressive people tend to hold this bias more

Question 38

Impact of alcohol and caffeine on cognition and aggression

Answer 38

○ Lowering inhibitions against aggressive behav
○ Alcohol Myopia
§ Narrowing of focus of attention
§ Focusing on a perceived provocation for example

Question 39

General Aggression Model

Answer 39

○ Aversive experiences, situational cues and individual differences can lead to
§ Negative affect, arousal and thoughts

□ Influenced by higher order thinking
® Aggression then may occur

Question 40

i-cubed theory

Answer 40

○ Newer model (Eli Finkel 2012;2013)
			§ Role of self control
		□ Instigation
			® Social factors; provocation
		□ Impellance
			® Personality and situational factors
		□ Inhibition

Question 41

Factors and psychological processes involved in sexual aggression and porn

Answer 41

○ Rapists profile
§ High sexual arousal in response to violent porn

Expressing attitudes that condone violence against women

Question 42

Aggression Replacement Training

Answer 42

§ Improving moral reasoning
§ Social competence training
§ Aggression control