Social Psychological explanations of Aggression

Question 1

What is the main suggestion of social psychological explanations of aggression?

Answer 1

Aggression comes from real/imagined social pressure.

Question 2

What are the 3 social psychological explanations of aggression?

Answer 2

1. The frustration aggression hypothesis.
2. The social learning theory.
3. Deindividuation.

Question 3

Explain the frustration aggression hypothesis.

Answer 3

Aggression is always caused by frustration and frustration will always cause aggression.

Question 4

What did Dollard believe?

Answer 4

Aggressive drives are in many ways like other basic drives (e.g. hunger and thirst), so we engage in aggressive behaviour in order to reduce our aggressive drive.

Question 5

What does the frustration-aggression hypothesis suggest about how aggression is expressed?

Answer 5

Aggression is not expressed directly, we displace our anger onto an alternative so that it doesn’t result in a consequence.
(Defence mechanisms)

Question 6

Give 3 reasons why aggression is not expressed directly.

Answer 6

1. The cause of frustration may be abstract.
2. The cause of frustration may be too powerful.
3. The cause of frustration may be unavailable at the time

Question 7

What did Kullik suggest about frustration?

Answer 7

Frustration is high when:
-A goal is near and you are prevented from reaching it.
-When the interruption is unexpected.
-When the interruption seems unjustified.

Question 8

What did Kullik conclude about frustration?

Answer 8

Kullick concluded that frustration on its own is not sufficient to cause aggression but the reason for frustration determines aggression.
Directly disputes the original hypothesis.

Question 9

Give an advantage of the frustration-aggression hypothesis.

Answer 9

+Supporting evidence for displacement of anger when reason is not available from Marcus-Newhall.
This increases the validity of the frustration-aggression hypothesis as an explanation for aggression.

Question 10

Give disadvantages of the frustration-aggression hypothesis.

Answer 10

-Frustration does not always cause aggression.
Suggests it may be overly simplistic.

-Also simplistic because it does not differentiate between justified and unjustified aggression.
The reason for the frustration makes a difference, but what and why?

Question 11

What did Bandura suggest about the social learning theory?

Answer 11

Aggression could be learned directly through operant conditioning.
If a child is rewarded for aggressive behaviour is can be positively reinforced.

Question 12

Explain aggression through observational learning and vicarious reinforcement.

Answer 12

Children will imitate the aggressive behaviour shown from role models.

Question 13

Explain vicarious reinforcement in relation to aggression.

Answer 13

Vicarious reinforcement makes it more likely that the child will imitate behaviour because the aggressive behaviour is being rewarded and vice versa (vicarious punishment).

Question 14

List the 4 mediational processes identified by Bandura.

Answer 14

1. Attention
2. Retention
3. Reproduction
4. Motivation

Question 15

Outline Bandura’s study.

Answer 15

-Children witnesses role models aggressively attacking a Bobo doll or ignoring it.
-Children were then placed in a room with an identical Bobo doll.
-Bandura found that children who had observed the aggressive model were more aggressive.
-Boys showed more aggression than girls (especially if the model was male).

Question 16

Give advantages of the social learning theory of aggression.

Answer 16

+Supporting evidence from Poulin and Boivin.
Aggressive individuals attract other aggressive individuals and they aggressively influence each other.

+This explanation has high face validity.
Need non aggressive role models in schools, prisons etc. Also need to punish aggressive children and reward non aggressive children.
The media should also show less aggressive behaviour.

Question 17

Give a disadvantage of the social learning theory of aggression.

Answer 17

-This explanation is not comprehensive because it does not take into account biological factors or the role of cognition.

Question 18

Explain deindividuation as an explanation for aggression.

Answer 18

When you’re part of a big group the concern of consequence won’t be as bad because you aren’t acting alone. There is a sense of increased anonymity so people feel they can act more aggressively and get away with it.

Question 19

What is an example of a study for deindividuation?

Answer 19

Zimbardo- because they were part of a group they felt less identifiable and therefore deindividuated.

Question 20

Give advantages of deindividuation as an explanation for aggression.

Answer 20

+Supporting evidence from Dodd.
Showed that if there was no punishment you are more likely to do something aggressive.

+Has real life applications.
Anonymity behind a screen resulted in more malicious messages being sent because their identity isn’t being revealed.

Question 21

Give a disadvantage of deindividuation as an explanation for aggression.

Answer 21

-Contradictory evidence from Gergen’s Black Room experiment.
The participants in the black room were completely deindividuated but no aggression was shown, they instead became intimate with one another.