Aggression

Question 1

What are the social psychological explanations of aggression?

Answer 1

• SLT
• De-inviduation
• Frustration aggression hypothesis

Question 2

Effect of excessive TV viewing (longitudinal study)
AO1 studies

Answer 2

Robertson et al…Studied 1000 New Zealanders at regular intervals until adulthood. They found that time spent watching TV was a reliable predictor of aggressive behaviour in adulthood (measured in terms of offending).
Young adults who had spent more time watching TV during childhood and adolescence were more likely to be delinquent.
The study suggests that excessive TV watching is associated with increased antisocial behaviour.

Question 3

Effect of violent film content on aggression(Bandura)
AO1 studies

Answer 3

violent content is the most significant media influence on aggressive behaviour.Children watched a film of the Bobo doll being beaten by an adult model. The children imitated the aggressive behaviour of the model. shows that SLT process occurs via media as well as face-face.

Question 4

Effect of media on aggression (TV/film effects aren’t strong)
AO1 studies

Answer 4

Negative effects of media violence are not as strong as some studies suggest. It accounts for 1%-10% of the variance in children’s aggressive behaviour.

Question 5

link between computer games and aggression

Answer 5

greater effect on aggression than TV
- player takes an active role rather than passive viewing
-game-playing is more directly rewarding for player

Question 6

computer games and aggression:
correlational studies—-
lab experiments——-
AO1 studies

Answer 6

-correlational studies show a positive correlation between several measures of aggression and time spent playing video games—link is so established, it should be considered a public health issue and computer games a significant risk factor
-demonstrate cause and effect. Study showed that students who played video game(mortal kombat) for 10 min, delivered significantly higher volumes of white noise than the group who played a non violent game.

Question 7

Strength of media influences and computer games on aggression

Answer 7

• Findings can be explained and supported by SLT. Children can identify with on-screen characters and are more likely to imitate aggressive behaviours that are rewarded(vicarious reinforecemnt) Shows that tv/computer games are a source pof social learning. Increases validity of findings as there is an explanation for findings.

Question 8

Weaknesses of media influences and computer games on aggression

Answer 8

-Aggression is defined in different ways. For example, volume of white noise blasted and criminal convictions. Violence can sometimes be mixed up for aggression. Variations in definition means findings are hard to compare.
- Research lacks internal and external validity. Correlational research is methodologically weak with confounding variables and poor sampling methods. Cause and effect relations are unjustified. Unrealistic measures of aggression means findings cannot be generalised

Question 9

state the three explanations of media influence on aggression

Answer 9

-Desensitisation
-Disinhibition
-Cognitive priming

Question 10

What is desensitisation? (AO1)

Answer 10

-Repeated viewing of aggressive media leads to less anxiety and physiological arousal by sympathetic nervous system (e.g. lower heart rate and blood pressure).
-Using aggression to resolve conflicts becomes socially acceptable; less empathy is felt towards victims and their injury is minimised/dismissed

Question 11

outline a study for desensitisation(AO1)

Answer 11

Weisz and Earl(laboratory study):
Investigates effects of desensitisation
Half of the participants watched a sexually violent rape scene and the other half watched a normal non sexually-violent film
They were then shown a rape trial.
RESULT: Male viewers of the rape scene showed greater acceptance towards sexual aggression and rape myths. Also expressed less sympathy towards rape victim in trial. Violent content exposure increases aggression

Question 12

What is disinhibition?(AO1)

Answer 12

People learn that aggression is antisocial and harmful via SLT. By disinhibition, these restraints are loosened by:
-Aggressive behaviour is made to appear normative -Video games that reward violence- the real consequences of killin in games are ignored, which creates new SOCIAL NORMS in the viewer.

Question 13

Evaluate desensitisation

Answer 13

POINT: A strength is that there is research support.
Researcher measures physiological arousal using skin conductance. They watched violent and non violent films. Participants who watched violent films frequently showed lower levels of arousal and gave louder bursts of white noise to a confederate without being provoked.
EXPLAIN: participants had a lower arousal, —- lower heart rate, sweating, felt more like everyday business =reflecting desensitisation
LINK: This increases the willingness to be aggressive/perform an aggressive behaviour to get you more aroused.

Question 14

Evaluate disinhibition

Answer 14

POINT: A strength is that It can explain the effects of cartoon violence
EVIDENCE: It shows that children do not learn aggression from specific cartoon models(e.g. Tom and Jerry)
EXPLAIN: children learn that aggression is socially acceptable if the cartoon model isn’t punished (vicarious reinforcement)
LINK: Disinhibition shows how cartoon aggression leads to real aggression for those who observe it.

Question 15

What is cognitive priming? (AO1)
include a study

Answer 15

Repeated viewing of violent stimuli makes a ‘script’ for how violent situations can play out. The scripts are stored in memory. It is Triggered when aggressive cues are encountered, situation plays out as script because we are primed to be violent. e.g. Ayo and karate kid movie trying kung fu.

Men participants listened to songs featuring derogatory lyrics about women. Other pps listened to neutral lyrics
RESULT: men who listened to bad lyrics recalled more negative qualities about women than those who listened to neutral lyrics. They also behaved more aggressively towards a female confederate.
CONCLUSION: shows that cognitive priming is effectively real

Question 16

Evaluate cognitive priming

Answer 16

POINT: strength It has real world applications for people who watch violent media
EVIDENCE: Anderson argued that someone who frequently watches violent media accesses stored aggressive scripts more readily
EXPLAIN:more likely to interpret cues as aggressive and resort to a violent situation without considering alternatives
LINK: interventions and reducing violent media being watched could reduce aggressive behaviour

Question 17

3 advantages of aggression in cavemen

Answer 17

-helps them gain access to resources(food/women)
-prevents women from infidelity with other men(male competitors)
-helps to gain dominance over other men

Question 18

Why aren’t women as aggressive as men(according to evolutionary exp)

Answer 18

-Women aren’t fertile for life however men are. Women don’t compete for men, so don’t need to be aggressive. They are worried about keeping their child alive so they need a strong. protective (cave)man

Question 19

Sexual jealousy is…

Answer 19

evolved in men to prevent women from cheating on them(infidelity)and therefore cuckoldry. cavemen were aggressive to prevent this

Question 20

Cuckoldry is….

Answer 20

raising offspring that is not your own

Question 21

Why does sexual jealousy occur?

Answer 21

Because of the fear of cuckoldry. Investment in a child that does not share his genes is a waste of resources. Men in our evolutionary past that avoided cuckoldry were more re-productively successful.

Question 22

evolutionary explanation of aggression—

Answer 22

Aggression is an adaptive behaviour that helped humans in the prehistoric times to survive and reproduce. Through natural selection we have evolved to display aggression. Aggression passed on to offspring and spreads through the gene pool

Question 23

What are male retention strategies?

Answer 23

adaptive strategies to prevent their partners from straying/infedility

Question 24

state two male retention strategies

Answer 24

Direct gaurding-monitoring partners movements
negative inducements- threats to deter cheating

Question 25

study on male retention strategies

Answer 25

wilson et al. male retention linked to phys. violence
Women who reported male retention strategies in their partners were twice as likely to have experienced physical violence form their partner. Over half required medical attention and feared for their lives

Question 26

What is bullying?

Answer 26

Adaptive form of aggressive behaviour that aids survival

Question 27

define adaptive

Answer 27

behaviour that helps to survive and reproduce

Question 28

Female bullying Vs Male bullying

Answer 28

Female bullying – controlling a partner to prevent infidelity so that males continue to devote resources to them and their offspring— this enhances the woman’s reproductive success.
Male bullying—-Wards off potential male rivals. Attractive to females-dominance, strength and acquiring resources
enhances the male’s reproductive success

Question 29

strengths of evolutionary explanation

Answer 29

-can explain gender differences in aggression.
Campbell-females are less aggressive than males because aggression risks the survival of their offspring. Rather, they resort to verbal aggression to retain their partner which provides them with resource
increases validity of exp because of its useful explanation and application

Question 30

Weaknesses of evolutionary explanation

Answer 30

-cannot explain cultural differences in aggression. The !Kung san have negative attitudes towards aggression. e.g. those who use it have their status and reputation diminished within the community. aggression may not be a universal behaviour. aggression may be learned rather than evolutionary
-correlational research. cannot conclude that evolutionary factors cause aggression
-negative ethical implications-sugeests aggression is innate and cannot be controlled and people are not personally responsibe for their aggressive beahviour. may open doors for destructive violence

Question 31

ethology is…

Answer 31

studying animal behaviour

Question 32

according to ethological explanation, the purpose of aggression is…

Answer 32

A) to enable animals to gain access to r
resources.
B) ritualistic.
C ) to help animals find a mate.

Question 33

state 2 adaptive behaviours of aggression in animals

Answer 33

—-Defeated animals rarely killed but scared off, reducing competition for resources.
—Victorious animals have the resources and establish dominance in a hierarchy(over ither animals)

Question 34

What is ritualistic aggression?

Answer 34

A behaviour used to threaten other species without harming them
Encounters may end with ritual appeasement (one animal surrendering)

Question 35

Features of ritualistic aggression.

Answer 35

-threat display(baring teeth/beating chest)
- ritual appeasement- accepting defeat(e.g. wolf showing jugular vein)

Question 36

Innate releasing mechanisms are….

Answer 36

set of neurons/nerve signals that trigger fixed action pattern
sensory-relay-motor neurone

Question 37

fixed action patterns are….

Answer 37

fixed set of innate behaviours(aggression) in response to a specific stimulus

Question 38

stimulus that triggers fixed action pattern is….

Answer 38

sign stimulus

Question 39

Research support for FAP

Answer 39

Tinbergen and the Stickleback.
Male stickleback have red spots. whenever a male stickleback sees a red spot, they attack it. Whenever they saw a female sticklebck(no red spot) they would not attack it

Question 40

limitations of ethological exp

Answer 40

-Not all aggression is ritualistic. Goodall found that chimpanzees will fight and kill chimpanzees from neighbouring groups. This is not an adaptive behaviour(can’t pass on genes) —>did not occur due to natural selection
-Can’t explain cultural differences in aggression. According to etho exp, there should be no diff in aggressive behaviour across cultures. A researcher found that white south Americans were more prone to aggressive behaviour than white north Americans
-Animal studies. Animal behaviour cannot be generalised to human behaviour

Question 41

Importation model of institutional aggression
(dispositional explanation)

Answer 41

-Prisoners have predisposed characteristics(aggressive mum, high testosterone) that increases the chance of them being put in prison. Prisoners bring their violent personalities into prison, rather than it being caused by prison

Question 42

effects of gangs on importation model

Answer 42

People who belong to gangs learn social norms that reward violence

Question 43

research support for dispositional explanation of agg( AO1)

Answer 43

DeLisi et al studied a group of juvenile offenders from an institution with negative backgrounds(childhood trauma, gang membership, substance abuse). they imported these characteristics and committed the most violence IN PRISON. They were compared to a control group of inmates without a negative background- the controls did not display violence in prison

Question 44

deprivation model of institutional aggression(situational explanation)

Answer 44

Deprivation of resources causes prisoners to be aggressive
Includes:
- Depirvation of liberty(can’t get out until sentence is finished)
- deprivation of heterosexual relationships
- deprivation of goods(Netflix, TV)
- lack of autonomy(being told what to do by gaurds and no freedom)
- deprivation of security(surrounded by hella dangerous ppl)

Question 45

other situational factors that increase institutional aggression

Answer 45

harsh prison conditions are stressful to inmates, which causes them to lash out and be aggressive
-overcrowding in cells
-high temperatures - loud noises

Question 46

research support for situational explanation

Answer 46

Steiner et al. - investigated factors predicting aggression in over 500 USA prisons. Inmate-Inmate violence was more common where more staff were women(sexual jealousy), overcrowding.
these factors are independent of individual characteristics. shows that prison level outcomes are linked to negative, violent outcomes.

Question 47

evaluation of dispositional explanation

Answer 47

-ignores situational factors. poorly managed prisons are probably going to have more inmate violence. Importation is an inadequate exp. because situational factors(lack of education, poor security, staff distant from prisoners) are more important predicting factors. (maybe an interactiontionist approach should be taken=even better if…)
- importation model is determinist. Prisoners are aggressive because of negative dispositions in which they have little control over. implies that prison aggression is inevitable and is the fault of the prisoners. OR aggression in prison could be inmates exercising their free will to push boundaries and try to be a bad a**

Question 48

evaluation of situational explanation

Answer 48

S- research support .David Wilson(head of security) reduced temperatures at HMP Woodhill, noise levels (used a radio) and overcrowding.
There was significantly less aggression and inmate-inmate violence than before study
W- contradictory research that investigated the deprivation of heterosexual relationships leads to high levels if aggressive behaviour. Research—» 250 males and female inmates in 2 prisons in Misssissipi. Prisons allows conjugal visits(praise and worship). No link between involvement in these visits and reduced aggressive behaviour. suggests that situational factors don’t affect prison violence.

Question 49

SLT of aggression

Answer 49

we learn aggressive behaviour by observing and imitating aggressive models we identify with.
aggression can be directly learned from positive and negative reinforcement.e.g. a child who aggressively snatches a toy off another child learns that aggressive behaviour is rewarding( gets a toy)

Question 50

factors influencing observational learning

Answer 50

identification- children identifying with aggressive models increases observance
vicarious reinforcement- watching model get punished for aggressive behaviour, makes child pay more attention, more likely to imitate behaviour

Question 51

mediational processes of aggression

Answer 51

attention-paying attention to aggressive behaviour(not being distracted)
retention- commiting agg. behaviour to long term memory
reproduction- being able to PHYSICALLY reproduce agg. behaviour( can you do a taekwondo kick at your teacher?)
motivation- being motivated to carry out behaviour(are you willing to punch your mum?)

Question 52

what is self efficacy….

Answer 52

A child’s confidence in their ability to behave aggressively grows as they gain practice and learn that being aggressive brings rewards.

Question 53

Bandura research support SLT of aggression

Answer 53

Children imitated adult model they had seen behaving aggressively towards a Bobo doll. Most without being instructed to do so.Boys behaved more aggressively than girls.

Question 54

strengths of SLT of aggression

Answer 54

-research support. Research found that preteen aggressive boys formed friendships with other aggressive boys. They mutually reinforced eachother’s aggressive behaviours. The boys would observe eachother using proactive aggression(aggression used to get a reward) and the positive consequences. reinforcement also gained from approval from the rest of their friendship group-they were praised for proactive aggression
-Real life application. It can be used in schools to encourage children to form relationships with non aggressive children, which may reduce aggression and bullying in schools. Non-aggressive behaviour to be rewarded. SLT offers practical methods to reduce agg. in kids

Question 55

weakness of SLT of aggression

Answer 55

-Ignores the effect of biological factors on agg. boys more aggressive than girls because they have higher levels of testosterone. agg may not be due to slt. some children may also have high self efficacies

Question 56

deinviduation theory of aggression

Answer 56

A person loses their personal identity and takes on the identity of a social group. They become less responsible for their behaviour as the responsibility is more shared. Usually, our behaviour is constrained by social norms(sense of morality), but when in a crowd we lose restraints and become anonymous

Question 57

factors affecting deinviduation

Answer 57

anonymous clothing- mask and hoodie
increased group size-increases anonymity therefore increases likelihood of deinviduation

Question 58

private vs public self awareness

Answer 58

private—>how we pay attention to our own feelings/behaviour
public—-> how much we care about what others think about our behaviour
=both reduced when part of a crowd because of becoming more anonymous=more aggressive

Question 59

research support for deinviduation

Answer 59

Dodd(1985): in an experiment where students were asked what they would do if they would never be detected or be held responsible, 36% of responses involved anti-social and aggressive acts.e.g. robbing a bank, committing murder

Question 60

strengths of deinviduation exp. of aggression

Answer 60

-research support. researchers looked at online behaviour in chat rooms and found a strong positive correlation between anonymity and posting hostile messages. shows that deindividuation increases agg.===commonly seen in online trolls that encourage foul behaviour, suicide==they can get away with it and not take responsibility for their actions

Question 61

weakness of deinviduation exp. of aggression

Answer 61

-Deindividuation does not always lead to aggression. Postmes and Spears—They found that being in a larger group sometimes led to more prosocial behaviour.They found that de-individuation had only a weak effect on aggression.

-It cannot be solely used to explain aggression because it cannot explain gender diferences in aggression and why males and females behave differently

Question 62

what is a social psychological explanation?

Answer 62

aggression is a result of the interaction between a person’s disposition and features of the situation in which behaviour occurs

Question 63

state the frustration aggression hypothesis

Answer 63

Aggression(aggressive drive/behaviour)is a result of frustration.
Frustration always leads to aggression.
Frustration is caused by inability to achieve by a goal, because one’s attempt is blocked by an external factor.
When agg. cannot be expressed directly, it is expressed indirectly. Because cause of frustration is:
-abstract (character, government)
-too powerful and a risk of severe punishment(police)
-unavailable (maybe they are on the other side of the world)
Therefore aggression is displaced onto a non abstract, weaker alternative e.g. an object, sibling:)===can you see how this is based on the psychodynamic approach?

Question 64

According to frustration aggression hypothesis, aggression is….
Define this.

Answer 64

• Cathartic
• aggression removes negative emotions and gives a sense of relief

Question 65

weapons effect study(AO1)
frustration aggression hypothesis
-shows that cues(weapon) makes aggression more likely

Answer 65

-students were frustrated by being given real electric shocks
-they were more likely to give fake shocks to a confederate when they saw a weapon next to them compared to control group
- shows that frustration creates a readiness for aggression,and aggressive cues(weapon) makes aggression more likely

Question 66

research support for frustration aggression hypothesis(AO1)

Answer 66

Geen- male university students completed a jigsaw puzzle. They were frustrated in 3 different ways:
1-puzzle impossible to solve
2-participant runs out of time because a confederate keeps interfering
3-insulted by confederate
They gave stronger electric shocks to a confederate than non-frustrated participants.
insulted group gave strongest, impossible gave weakest electric shocks

Question 67

strengths of frustration aggression hypothesis

Answer 67

S- (counter to first W)The frustration aggression hypothesis was reformulated to fit evidence that frustration does not always lead to aggression. Frustration is just one of many stimuli that creates negative feelings. Outcome of frustration can be a range of responses and agg. is one of them. Paradigm shift occured- shows that FAH is scientific, hypothesis is flexible.
S-real life application for gun violence

Question 68

weaknesses of frustration aggression hypothesis,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Answer 68

W- Frustration does not always led to aggression. link between both factors is complex. Frustration may make one helpless or determined. Aggression is not always the result of frustration
W- Aggression may not be cathartic. Studies show that participants who vented their anger on a punchbag became more aggressive and angry. Doubts validity of central assumption of hypothesis.

Question 69

Neural explanation of aggression(AO1)
include a study

Answer 69

-Aggression is caused by a high reactivity/overactive amygdala in the limbic system.
Gospic et al- Money splitting game that provoked aggression. fMRI scans showed aggressive reactions showed more amygdala activity. Taking drugs to decrease this activity decreased aggression(because the drugs decrease the arousal of the autonomic nervous system)

normal levels of serotonin in OFC are inhibitory so it reduces firing of neurons. It inhibit the amygdala(less active)= greater self contol and reduced aggressive behaviour
Low level serotonin in orbitofrontal cortex cannot inhibit Amygdala
Amygdala becomes more active (reduces self-control)
Increase in impulsive behaviour (so aggressive behaviour more likely

Question 70

define limbic system

Answer 70

plays a key role as a a predictor of aggressive behaviour

Question 71

define amygdala

Answer 71

determines the emotional response to environmental threats

Question 72

Hormonal explanation — of aggression (AO1)

Answer 72

More testosterone produced in men, and linked to more aggression.
—-> positive correlation between testosterone and aggressive behaviours in male offenders
—->Animal castration studies show reduction in aggression. Giving injections of testosterone back to the animals restores aggression
females- progesterone lowest during period. negative correlation between progesterone levels and self reported aggression. low levels of prog= inc agg.

Question 73

Genetic factors of aggression(AO1)

Answer 73

• Studies of MZ and DZ twins suggest that heritability (genetic factors) accounts for about 50% of the variance in aggression.
  physical agg. concordance rates=50% in MZ, 19% in DZ
  -adoption studies(environmental factors, genetic controlled) . meta-analysis of adoption studies indicate that genetic influences account for 41% of the variance in aggression
  -MAOA gene =warrior gene. codes for MAOA-A enzyme which controls the amount of serotonin at the synapse. MAOA-L variant gene results in low activity of MAOA-A enzyme= serotonin activity affected=more agg. behaviour
  -An individual who inherits the low-activity variant of the MAOA gene is only aggressive when they have experienced significant trauma in childhood.(diathesis-stress)
  strong emphasis on gene-environment interactions

Question 74

Research support for Genetic factors of aggression(AO1)

Answer 74

Lea and chambers-Maori people were ans are ferocious warriors. 56% of maoris had MAOA-L compared to 34% of Caucasians
Brunner et al-
found MAOA-L gene in male members of a Dutch family with aggressive behaviours-rape, murder etc.

Question 75

Neural explanation AO3

Answer 75

S- research support. Research shows that drugs increasing serotonin gave fewer electric shocks to a confederate than a placebo group.
evidence of a causal link between serotonin function and aggression that goes beyond correlational findings.
W- Amygdala may not be the main cause of aggression. the limbic system works with the orbitofrontal cortex which is responsible for impulse regulation and inhibits aggressive behaviour. This may suggests that the amygdala may only respond when OFC activity is low, but we don’t know.

Question 76

Hormonal explanation AO3

Answer 76

W- Testosterone may not be directly linked to aggression. DUAL HORMONE HYPOTHESIS, high Testosterone leads to aggression only when cortisol is LOW. high cortisol = high stress
W- Research is correlational, ethical issues with using animals,and hard to generalise animal findings to humans(add counter)

Question 77

Genetic factors of aggression weaknesses

Answer 77

-Twin studies lack validity. DZ twins do not share their environment to the same extent as mz twins. MZ twins have a more similar environment than DZ twins. This may contribute to the higher concordance rates in MZ twins than DZ twins.
-different types of aggression measured and it also depends on the type of aggression measured
-probably other genes involved in aggression, there may be more gene responsible for aggression. thousands of genes intercat in complex ways so it is difficult to pinpoint the specific candidate genes. Therefore the genetic explanation loses its predictive value.

Question 78

genetic factors of aggression strength
(research)

Answer 78

-support from prosocial behaviour research
MAOA-L gene is associated with aggression and antisocial behaviour therefore the converse should also be true: the high activity variant of MAOA should lead to prosocial behaviour.
males with the high activity MAOA gene variant were more cooperative and and fewer aggressive moves than makes with MAOA-L gene. shows importance of the MAOA gene in aggressive behaviour