Aggression

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Aggression
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• Aggression
• The intentional infliction of some type of harm
  on others.
• Is it worth scientific study?
• During the roughly 5600 years of recorded
  history, there have been over 14,400 wars.

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• Aggression
• The intentional infliction of some type of harm
  on others.
• Is it worth scientific study?
• On an average day, about 95,000 crimes are
  committed and about 50 people are murdered.

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• Aggression
• The intentional infliction of some type of harm
  on others.
• Is it worth scientific study?
• Each year about 1.8 million women are beaten
  by their husbands about 1700 die as a result
  of their injuries.

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• Aggression
• The intentional infliction of some type of harm
  on others.
• Is it worth scientific study?
• Humans are one of the few species that
  systematically kills members of its own kind.

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Among industrialized countries, the U.S. is one
of the most violent . . .
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The U.S. is certainly not the most violent place
to live . . .
(1994)
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The U.S. is certainly not the most violent place
to live . . .
(2006)
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• Why Are Humans Aggressive Theoretical
  Perspectives
• Instinct Theories
• Genetics
• Drive Theories
• Learning Theories
• Integrative Theories

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Anderson et al. (1996) have proposed a model that
integrates most of the important variables found
to be related to aggression . . .
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• The determinants of aggression--the input
  variables in the General Aggression Model--can be
  divided into three major categories
• Situational and social determinants
• Personal determinants

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The Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis One of the
oldest explanations for aggression argues that it
arises from a very basic relation with
frustration
Frustration
Aggression
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According to the original frustration-aggression
hypothesis, aggression always stems from
frustration and frustration always produces
aggression. It is now quite clear that the
original formulation overstates the relation
considerably. Frustration can lead to other
outcomes. Aggression stems from other causes.
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According to the original frustration-aggression
hypothesis, aggression always stems from
frustration and frustration always produces
aggression. It is now quite clear that the
original formulation overstates the relation
considerably. Frustration can lead to
aggression, but it must be strong and arbitrary.
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Direct Provocation When directly provoked by
others, we usually respond with aggression of
equal or slightly greater magnitude. The
attribution of intent is a key moderator,
suggesting an important cognitive stage in what
appears at first to be a purely emotional
reaction. Teasing is a common form of
provocation, but varies by culture in its
implications.
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Media Violence Most people watch a considerable
amount of television--an average of 4 hours each
day. That works out to about 17 of their lives
or about 11.5 years. A fair amount of television
programming is violent in nature.
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The movies are also a key source of exposure to
violence.
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• Three kinds of research support a link between
  media violence and aggression
• The Bobo Doll studies
• Laboratory studies

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Liebert and Baron (1972) found that exposure to a
violent TV show increased subsequent aggression,
especially among boys.
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• Three kinds of research support a link between
  media violence and aggression
• The Bobo Doll studies
• Laboratory studies
• Field studies

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The most convincing work comes from field studies
examining the long-term effects of media
exposure. Lefkowitz, Eron, Walder, Huesmann
(1972) (for boys) 3rd Grade 12th Grade TV
Violence TV Violence Aggression Aggressi
on
.05
.21
-.05
.01
.31
.38
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Aggression is stable . . .
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Frequent TV viewing is related to later
aggression, especially for boys . . .
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Preference for violent TV is related to adult
criminal behavior . . .
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How important is media violence as a source of
aggression? Wood et al. (1991) reviewed the
evidence and found thatthe effect of media
violence was reliable, but of smaller magnitude
than many other causes (e.g., direct provocation,
alcohol, temperature).
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Media violence produces its effect on aggression
in multiple ways . . .
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Aggressive models on a large scale? Alternative
explanations?
Archer and Gartner (1976)
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Does the prevalence of weapons in our society
enhance the likelihood of aggression?
Weapons used in U.S. murders.
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Weapons used in U.S. murders.
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Weapons used in U.S. murders.
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Berkowitz and Lepage (1967) found that the mere
presence of a weapon increased the likelihood
of aggression by participants previously shocked
by a confederate.
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Today violent video games provide another common
exposure to aggressive models and weapons.
Anderson Dill (2000)
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Aggression as a result of misattributed arousal
the excitation-transfer theory . . .
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Some media combine arousal and aggressive content
. . .
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Very few personality variables have been
identified as being reliably related to
aggression. One clear exception is the Type A
Behavior Pattern. The Type A pattern was
initially of interest to health researchers, who
identified a link between this behavior style and
coronary heart disease.
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• The Type A pattern is defined by three major
  features
• Hard driving competitiveness
• Time urgency
• Hostility
• The Type B pattern is defined by the absence of
  these features.

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The hostility component of Type A behavior
highlights an important distinction Hostile
Aggression versus Instrumental Aggression Hostile
aggression is annoyance motivated and has as its
goal the infliction of pain. Instrumental
aggression is incentive motivated and is a means
to some other end.
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Compared to Type Bs, Type As exhibit more hostile
aggression but not more instrumental aggression.
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More recent research points to narcissism as
related to aggression. People with high but
fragile self-esteem are more sensitive to threats
to their sensitive egos and react with anger.
Sensation seeking also appears to be related to
aggression, but for different reasons. These
individuals are attracted to situations that
might elicit aggression, are more easily aroused
to anger, and dont consider the long-term
consequences.
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Are Boys Born To Be Bad?
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Men are 10 times as likely to be arrested for
violent crimes, exhibit more aggression in the
laboratory, and express less guilt about
aggression. Culture or genetics?
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Culture or genetics? Females can be as
aggressive as males when provoked and appear to
exhibit more indirect forms of aggression. But,
testosterone levels are related to aggression,
suggesting some biological role as well.
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The XYY Controversy An early search for a genetic
basis focussed on a genetic abnormality--the XYY
syndrome--that occurs in about 1 of every 1000
births. If male sex type is determined by the
presence of a Y chromosome, does an extra Y
chromosome create super males who are extra
aggressive?
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• Initial evidence seemed to support this view
• The rate of XYY in prisons was reported to be 15
  times the rate in the normal population.
• The Richard Speck case. In 1966, Speck murdered
  8 student nurses in Chicago. He was later
  reported to be an XYY male.

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• More careful study revealed a key flaw
• XYY men are not any more numerous among violent
  prisoners than nonviolent prisoners. Why, then,
  are so many in prison?
• Other features of XYY
• Lower intelligence
• Taller

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What about Richard Speck? He was definitely
taller than average.
He was not too bright eitherhe was caught
because he could not count. But, it later turned
out that he was not an XYY after all.
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Traits causes of aggression, when they are found,
are not usually related to aggression in all
situations. Instead, they interact with
situational variables to affect the threshold at
which violence is likely to occur. Individual
differences might best be described as traits as
situational sensitivities (the TASS model).
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Carlsmith and Anderson (1979) found initial
evidence for the long hot summer effect . . .
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The link between heat and aggression has been
found in quite a number of other studies too . . .
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It shows up in sports as well . . .
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Careful laboratory research shows the relation is
more complex . . .
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Caffeine and aggression.What model might
explainheightened aggression inthis case?
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Are we more aggressive when under the
influence?
Research suggests there is a link and that it is
especiallystrong among people not usually prone
to aggression.
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In response to provocation . . .
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Alcohol may be related to aggression for a number
of reasons impaired ability to evaluate others
intentions, poorer understanding of the long-term
consequences of behavior, reduced inhibitions,
and associations with aggression.
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Culture matters too . . .
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• Can Aggression Be Controlled?
• Punishment
• Catharsis
• Apologies, Accounts, Preattributions
• Forgiveness
• Exposure to nonaggressive models
• Social skills training
• Self-regulation
• Incompatible responses

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Baron (1976) found that empathy reduced the
subsequent display of aggression by drivers
waiting behind a car that delays at a green light.
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As was true for prejudice and discrimination,
social psychologists know quite a bit about the
causes of aggression but attempts at controlling
this problem outside the laboratory have not been
as successful.