Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Personality & social > Aggression > Flashcards

Aggression Flashcards

1
Q

What is ‘aggression’?

A

Behaviours performed with the goal of harming another person

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What different types of aggression can you get?

A
  • hostile aggression
  • instrumental aggression
  • relational aggression
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is hostile aggression?

A

Stems from feelings of anger, aimed at inflicting pain/injury on another person

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What is instrumental aggression?

A

Performed to reach a goal, as a means to an end

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What is relational aggression?

A

Harming through damaging social relationships

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

What is the behavioural genetics view of aggression?

A

Aggression is partly inherited

[we know how to be aggressive from a young age]

Freud, Lorenz - aggression is an inborn drive

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What is the evolutionary perspective of aggression?

A

Aggression is particularly adaptive for men
–> dominance –> paternity

Aggression is more frequent in males because they have higher testosterone levels
Females tend to use relational aggression more than physical aggression

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

How might aggression be learned?

A

It may be learned through received/observed reward (Social Learning theory)

We see someone getting rewarded for behaving aggressively –> makes us more likely to use aggression in similar situations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

How might culture influence aggression?

A

Cultural rules restrict & govern aggression

E.g. peaceful tribes vs. ‘culture of honour’

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What is a ‘culture of honour’?

A

This culture accepts & justifies aggression in response to threats to one’s honour

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Which researcher/s did a study on cultures of honour?

A

Vandello et al. (2009)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What did Vandello et al.’s (2009) study on culture of honour involve & find?

A

Pps in Chile (culture of honour) & Canada (control) listened to an argument between a couple about either…

1) another man (jealousy)
2) another topic (non-jealousy)

Pps were asked whether aggression was acceptable in that situation

–> pps from Chile were more accepting of aggression in the jealous situation

It didn’t differ in how much each group accepted aggression in the non-jealous situation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What are some social determinants of aggression?

A
  • provocation
  • frustration
  • weapons
  • discomfort
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

DeWall et al. (2007) tested whether provocation led to aggression. What did they do & find?

A

Pps received feedback from a confederate on their interview performance, they were either…

1) provoked (given negative feedback)
2) not provoked (given positive feedback)

Pps then evaluated the confederate’s performance

–> when pps had been provoked, they gave more negative evaluations of the confederate’s performance

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Who proposed the Frustration-Aggression model?

A

Dollard et al. (1939)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

What is the basis of the Frustration-Aggression model?

A

We feel frustration when we don’t achieve a goal → leads to the instigation to aggress (or other responses, e.g. withdrawal) → results in outward aggression

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Why is poverty related to aggression?

A

People whom are poor/in poverty are frustrated because they cannot achieve their goals

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Aggression is often not directed towards their source of frustration. What is this called?

A

Displacement

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

What is a limitation of the Frustration-Aggression model?

A

It is an extreme theory - assumes that all aggression is caused by frustration

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Who revised the Frustration-Aggression model?

A

Berkowitz (1989, 1993)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

How did Berkowitz (1989, 1993) alter the Frustration-Aggression model?

A

He agrees that frustration can lead to anger but states that anger and an AGGRESSION CUE must be present to instigate aggression & lead to outward aggression

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What does emotion/appraisal theory state in relation to emotions we may feel when we don’t achieve a goal?

A

Not achieving a goal leads to ANGER when a person feels it is someone else’s fault but to SADNESS when a person feels it is their fault

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

What is the weapons effect?

A

The presence of a weapon can increase the probability of aggression

24
Q

Who did a study on the weapons effect? What did they find?

A

Berkowitz & Le Page (1967) made pps angry (gave them negative feedback) then had them give electric shocks to a confederate & measured the length of their shocks
A gun OR badminton racket was in room

–> when a gun was in the room, pps gave longer shocks = more aggressive

25
How can discomfort increase aggression?
Heat has been found to increase rates of violent crime (more in hotter years & summer months) There is only more aggression up to a certain temperature (75˚F) More rape, murder & DV (inside) in summer
26
As well as heat, what other sources of discomfort have been found to increase aggression rates?
- pain | - unpleasant environments (loud, crowded)
27
Who proposed the General Model of Aggression?
Anderson & Bushman (2002)
28
What components are in the General Model of Aggression?
1. Input variables 2. Situational factors / person factors 3. Influences your current internal state (affect, cognition, arousal) 4. Influences appraisal & decision processes 5. Leads to thoughtful action/impulsive action (e.g. aggression) Situational factors influence your internal state → increases arousal → feel angry → more aggressive thoughts
29
Give examples of situational factors.
- provocation - frustration - exposure to aggressive models - cues associated with aggression - discomfort/negative affect
30
Give examples of person factors.
- negative affect - irritability - beliefs about aggression - pro-aggression values - Type A behaviour pattern - hostile attributional bias
31
Aggression influences how we _______/_______ a situation.
Aggression influences how we appraise/evaluate a situation.
32
When we feel angry it leads to more aggressive thoughts (we feel like we are being attacked, don't deserve it) & makes it more likely that we decide to...
...behave aggressively (impulsive action)
33
Person factors: | The world is a bad place --> beliefs about aggression -->...
...behave more aggressively
34
How does arousal influence a person's likelihood of aggressing?
Arousal can increase a person's tendency to behave aggressively Arousal is often not related to the cause of the frustration/anger
35
What affect can violent video games have on aggression levels?
Violent videogames increase... - aggressive thoughts - angry feelings - physiological arousal - aggressive behaviour Violent videogames decrease... - empathy - compassion - pro-social behaviour
36
As well as the media/videogames, what other things are linked to increased violence?
- poverty - low IQ - single parent family - broken family - abusive parents --> more likely to experience aggressive cognitions & affect & develop an aggressive personality
37
Repeated violent videogame playing can lead to...
- aggressive desensitisation - aggressive expectations - aggressive perceptions - aggressive behaviour scripts - aggressive beliefs & attitudes
38
What is 'aggressive desensitisation'?
Aggressive acts don't see as cruel | We feel less sympathy for victims
39
What are aggressive expectations?
We expect others to attack us | We learn to behave aggressively when someone provokes/frustrates us
40
What are aggressive perceptions?
If someone has an aggressive personality, they are better at detecting aggressive facial expressions
41
What are aggressive behaviour scripts?
We believe that the world is a bad place --> overestimate the occurrence of crime
42
What might aggressive beliefs & attitudes lead to?
We may develop an aggressive personality & have more aggressive thoughts & affect
43
How might aggression levels be affected by alcohol?
Consuming alcohol leads us to behave more aggressively & have stronger reactions to provocations
44
Why does alcohol have this effect on aggression levels?
Alcohol causes us to become disinhibited - aggression is a failures of our self-control (we can't inhibit our impulses) Baumeister et al. (2007) - alcohol can deplete our self-control Alcohol causes a biased & narrow perception of a situation (impacts our cognition) → we aren't capable of giving more logical meaning to situations
45
How might we be able to control our aggressive impulses, according to Reading (2008)
We should improve our communication & increase our empathy levels Attempt to understand why the person is attacking/frustrating you
46
How else might we be able to control our aggressive impulses?
We can express our anger non-aggressively | - e.g. write a letter (Pennebaker, 1990) --> helps us express our feelings & let go of the anger
47
What method does NOT help to control our aggressive impulses?
Catharsis ("blowing off steam") (Denzier & Foerster, 2012) --> increases our aggression
48
What is anger rumination & when do we do it?
We often engage in anger rumination when we are in anger-provoking situations This is when we spontaneously reflect on the situation using a self-immersive (1st person) perspective
49
What effect does anger rumination have on our emotions?
Anger rumination perpetuates our feelings of anger
50
How might we be able to reduce the negative effects of anger rumination?
We should think about the situation from a 3rd person perspective - distance ourself from the situation, adopt a more detached perspective
51
Pps received provoking comments from a confederate. They reflected on their feedback by taking on a self-distanced OR self-immersive perspective OR did not reflect on their feedback. Who did this study & what did they find?
Mischkowski et al. (2012) measured the duration & intensity of noise blasts that pps gave the confederates (= aggressive action) Found that the self-distance group had fewer aggressive thoughts & angry feelings, & displayed less aggressive behaviour towards the confederate (gave shorter noise blasts)
52
How might we prevent experiencing aggression from another person's actions?
Weiner et al. (1982) - apologising can be effective Baron (1976) - we can use humour (but it doesn't work in all situations)
53
How might we prevent aggression in society?
Punishments should be prompt & justified Reading (2008) – we can train people to prevent aggressive responses that focuses on communication & empathy/perspective taking
54
What happens to the frequency of our aggressive thoughts if we have the goal to aggress, according to Denzler, Förser & Liberman (2007)
We have the goal to aggress → increases the accessibility of aggressive thoughts
55
What happens to the frequency of our aggressive thoughts after goal fulfilment, according to Denzler, Förser & Liberman (2007)?
After goal fulfilment we have reduced accessibility of aggressive thoughts
56
What did Denzler, Förser & Liberman (2007)'s 3 experiments involve?
Experiment 1: - accessibility of aggression increased after imagining an aggressive situation compared to a non-aggressive situation Experiment 2: - found similar effects for non-aggressive conflict-resolution → there was a post-fulfilment reduction in actual aggressive behaviour Experiment 3: - aggressive acts that don’t constitute goal fulfilment increase the accessibility of aggression

Personality & social (12 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions