Week 5: Situational Factors

Question 1

Does alcohol CAUSE aggressive behaviour?

Answer 1

No. Even though aggressive behaviour tends to be shown under the influence of alcohol it does not suggest that alcohol is the CAUSE of an individual’s aggressive actions.

Question 2

What are the 2 complementary routes through which alcohol can affect aggressive behaviour?

Answer 2

1. Pharmacological effects
2. Psychological effects

Question 3

What is the “balanced placebo design”

Answer 3

The method of choice for separating the pharmacological and psychological effects of alcohol on aggression

Question 4

Describe the 4 groups of the “balanced placebo design” and the outcomes of each

Answer 4

Alcohol group
- Correctly informed going to drink alcohol
- Experience both physiological changes & psychological effects

Control group
- Correctly informed not going to drink alcohol
- Experience neither pharmacological nor psychological effects

Placebo group
- Informed they would drink alcohol but actually given non-alcoholic drink
- Alcohol-related expectancies but no pharmacological changes

Anti-placebo group
- Informed they had a non-alcoholic drink but they actually drank alcohol
- Experience pharmacological changes but no psychological effects

Question 5

According to the “balanced placebo design” if participants in the anti-placebo group behave more aggressively than those in the control group what does this suggest?

Answer 5

This suggests that the differences can be explained as a result of the physiological changes caused by the alcohol

Question 6

According to the “balanced placebo design” if participants in the placebo group and control group behave differently, what does this suggest?

Answer 6

This suggests that the differences can be attributed to alcohol-related expectancies

Question 7

According to Bushman and Cooper (1990) meta-analysis what conclusions did they make regarding the psychological effects and pharmacological changes of alcohol in regard to aggressive behaviour?

Answer 7

Both psychological effects and pharmacological changes are necessary to predict aggressive behaviour.

Question 8

In the I^3 model, alcohol is a ____________ influence

Answer 8

impelling

Question 9

The priming effect of alcoholic beverage bottles has shown to be as strong as the effect elicited by images of weapons as aggression-related primes.

TRUE or FALSE

Answer 9

TRUE

Question 10

Using a priming paradigm, one study demonstrated that participants showed ___________ reaction times in recognizing aggression-related words after they were subliminally presented with images of alcoholic beverage bottles than following a priming with non-alcoholic beverage bottles

Answer 10

shorter

Question 11

What are 3 situational moderators of the alcohol-aggression link?

Answer 11

1. Provocation
   - Alcohol consumption seems to be closely linked to aggression when people are provoked.
   - Provocations have a greater effect on intoxicated versus sober people (and men > women)
2. Self-focused attention
   - Impaired under influence of alcohol
   - Attempts to contract the aggressive effects of alcohol via increased self-focused attention seems to be successful only at relatively low levels of intoxication
3. Presence of aggressive situational cues
   - Intoxicated individuals are more susceptible to distraction and respond to explicit, salient, external cues

Question 12

What are 4 personal moderators of the alcohol-aggression link?

Answer 12

1. Trait Anger
2. Hostile Rumination
3. Irritability
4. Weight

Question 13

What are 2 physiologically-based explanations for the alcohol-aggression link?

Answer 13

1. Disinhibition hypothesis
2. Arousal hypothesis

Question 14

Disinhibition hypothesis

Answer 14

Alcohol diminishes activity of limbic system and impairs prefrontal cortex that controls aggressive impulses

Question 15

What is a criticism of the disinhibition hypothesis?

Answer 15

The finding that participants who received alcohol but were unaware of it (anti-placebo condition) were not found to be more aggressive than participants who neither expected nor received alcohol (control condition) argues against the assumption of such a direct link between alcohol and aggression

Question 16

Arousal hypothesis

Answer 16

Alcohol can act like a stimulant at low-moderate levels which leads to increased arousal and thus aggression

*Alcohol can amplify our initial state

Question 17

What are 2 psychologically-based explanations for the alcohol-aggression link?

Answer 17

1. Expectancy Hypothesis
2. Alcohol Myopia

Question 18

Expectancy Hypothesis

Answer 18

Alcohol leads to aggression because we believe it does

Question 19

Alcohol Myopia Model

Answer 19

Attributes the psychological effects of alcohol on aggression to the disruption of cognitive information processing

This includes:
- Attentional focus on relatively salient stimuli
- Responses to immediate stimuli
- Ego inflation
- Preference for simple versus complex solution

Question 20

Although ostracism, rejection, and social exclusion emphasize different aspects, what is the common core that they share?

Answer 20

All describe experiences that undermine a person’s need for social approval and connectedness.

Question 21

__________ is what is being done, __________________ is what is being felt

Answer 21

rejection; social exclusion

Question 22

What is the contradiction of rejection?

Answer 22

Those who are ostracized do not fix their behaviour or make themselves feel better but instead engage in more antisocial and self-defeating behaviour

Question 23

The Cyberball Game, Life Alone Paradigm, and Get Acquainted Paradigm…

Answer 23

have all generated evidence about the negative effects of social exclusion on self-esteem and feelings of control

Question 24

What are the 2 common ways of reacting to the aversive experience of social rejection

Answer 24

1. Try to restore social inclusion
2. Engage in aggressive behaviour

Question 25

In explaining the effects of social exclusion, a two stage process has been proposed. Explain.

Answer 25

Automatic response: - Largely unaffected by individual differences or contextual variables - Accompanied by anger, sadness, helplessness Controlled response: - More controlled cognitive appraisal - Influenced by stable dispositions and contextual variables

Question 26

Individuals in collectivist cultures might be more negatively affected by social rejection because...

Answer 26

they have an interdependent self-concept that is mainly defined by good relationships with others

Question 27

Individuals in individualist cultures may be more affected by social rejection because...

Answer 27

they have fewer social bonds that can potentially buffer the impact of social rejection

Question 28

The psychological mechanism underlying the impact of aggressive cues on aggressive cognitions and behaviour is referred to as...

Answer 28

priming

Question 29

One rare field experiment on the weapons effect offered a practical recommendation with regard to Tasers, what was it?

Answer 29

Although Tasers have been shown to be effective in reducing lethal force in police operations, they should not be carried to be visible, but concealed from sight to prevent them from working as aggressive cues.

Question 30

Why does repeated exposure to aggressive cues increase proneness to aggression

Answer 30

Because the more frequently aggressive cues are encountered, the more easily aggressive cognitions and behaviours are activated making them chronically accessible over time

Question 31

There is a large body of correlational evidence on the association between firearm availability and violence but what is the limitation of this?

Answer 31

Correlational so cannot establish causality It could be that more violence leads to higher rates of gun ownership OR That higher rates of gun ownership lead to more violence

Question 32

The widespread availability of guns may act as an _________________ _______ activating aggressive cognitions

Answer 32

aggressive cue

Question 33

Heat hypothesis

Answer 33

Uncomfortably high temperatures increase aggressive behaviour

Question 34

Describe physiologically how high temperatures promote aggressive behaviour

Answer 34

More humidity = more sweating = higher heart rate = more arousal **breathing is more difficult as well

Question 35

What are 3 methodological approaches that have been developed for studying the temperature-aggression link?

Answer 35

1. Geographic regions approach 2. Time periods approach 3. Concomitant heat approach

Question 36

Geographic regions approach

Answer 36

Aggression is more prevalent in geographic regions with hotter climates Relies on archival data

Question 37

Strength of the geographic regions approach

Answer 37

It can draw on large and reliable data sets about violent crime

Question 38

Limitations of the geographic regions approach

Answer 38

Ecological fallacy - unit of analysis is region not the individual so it does not tell us how heat affects the behaviour of specific people Other region-level variables could potentially explain the effect (i.e., SES)

Question 39

Time periods approach

Answer 39

Examines variations in the level of aggression as a function of temperature changes within a region over time Relies on archival data

Question 40

Strength of the time periods approach

Answer 40

Less affected by the confounding influence of socio-structural variables since it examines variations in aggression over different periods of time within the same region

Question 41

Limitation of the time periods approach

Answer 41

Rather than reflecting a causal effect of high temperatures, increase in violence may be explained by differences in people's routines

Question 42

Concomitant heat approach

Answer 42

Manipulates temperature in the lab and examines differences in aggressive behaviour

Question 43

What are some reasons for why heat may increase aggressive behaviour?

Answer 43

1. Brain is the most heat sensitive organ 2. Heat may inhibit serotonin 3. Heat = poor sleep

Question 44

Why doesn't the cold increase aggressive behaviour?

Answer 44

Because it is easier to warm up than cool off - heat is harder to escape

Question 45

What are 3 other stressors in the physical environment that may increase aggressive behaviour?

Answer 45

1. Crowding (subjective experience) 2. Noise 3. Air pollution

Question 46

Rossow (2004) found that for every later in alcohol sales, the homicide rate increased by 9.7%. However there was no effect in Quebec. Why might this be?

Answer 46

Because drinking is more normalized in Quebec