Week 5-Aggression Flashcards

Question

What's the Frustration – Aggression hypothesis: Dollard et al (1939)

Answer 1

* Theory of contextual influence seeking to address lynching murders in Southern USA in 1930s * Aggression is always caused by frustration (i.e. when we can’t achieve certain goals) * Aggression directed towards the source of the frustration (retaliatory) or others (displaced)

Answer 2

* Not clear how frustration leads to aggression * Frustration does not always lead to aggression * Some forms of aggression are not linked to frustration

Answer 3

Human social behaviour is not innate but learned from appropriate models * Learning by direct experience: acquiring behaviour because we were previously rewarded for it (operant conditioning) * Learning by vicarious experience: acquiring behaviour because another person was rewarded for it * This means we can learn through observation (modelling and imitation) * Some models (e.g. parents, siblings) are more appropriate than others

Answer 4

* 4 & 5 year olds * Watched a female or male adult play with an inflated Bobo doll Four conditions: * Live: adult came into the room and was aggressive to the doll * Videotape: same as above but video taped * Cartoon: model was dressed like a cartoon character * Control condition

Answer 5

* 10 – 14 year olds * No relationship between computer playing and aggression. * Significant negative correlation with pro-social behaviour (game players less likely to be helpful; r = - 0.12)

Answer 6

25 societies examined which were almost completely without violence – either inter-personal or inter-group: * Chewong – Malay peninsula. No words for quarrelling, fighting, aggression, warfare * Ifaluk – Micronesia. In 12 months one tiny act of aggression * Amish, Mennonites, Hutterites – USA & Canada. Hutterites never a recorded murder * Kadar – India. Crime totally absent according to local police * Jains – India. Habitual criminality unknown. Competitive and join military.

Answer 7

* Co-operation and group success rather than individual competition and achievement * Children cherished to age 3, then ignored * Positive interpersonal relations must be constantly re-enforced * Competition is associated with aggressiveness and violence * Self perpetuating – non-violence leads to non-violence * Re-enforced by rituals emphasising co-operation and individual humility

Answer 8

* The South of the USA has more homicides than North * Particularly in males and amongst people who know each other * One possible reason is cultural response to threats against social status ‘honour’ * Minor conflicts can escalate very quickly

Answer 9

Ran a study whereby participants needed to walk down a narrow hallway * A confederate bumped in to them (they didn’t know they were part of the study) * Looked at how people responded * Did they respond aggressively? * How did they respond biologically?

Answer 10

Sent letters to potential employers with two different stories Story 1: to half the employers, the applicant reported that he had impulsively killed a man who had been having an affair with his fiancée and then taunted him about it in a crowded bar Story 2: to the other half, the applicant reported that he had stolen a car because he needed the money to pay off debts. * Employers in the South were more likely to respond in an understanding manner to the first story (killing someone out of honour) than people in the North * Both sets of employers responded negatively to the car theft story as not related to honour

Answer 11

1. Historical issues with levels of policing: There was little law enforcement in the south, so it was necessary to rely on reputation and honour 2. Origins of settlers in these regions: People in the north were farmers, People in the south were cattle herders

Answer 12

* Interdependent construal of self * Attend to others * Rely on others and they rely on you * Make less of a distinction between individual and group goals * Obeys ‘in-group’ authority * Distrust out-groups

Answer 13

* Independent construal of self * Assert the self * Exchange relationships * Promoting own achievements and initiatives * Links between members of society are weaker * People want to stand out. Being ‘ordinary’ seen as negative

Answer 14

* All cultures develop methods to regulate conflict and aggression * These methods vary across cultures * Individualism and collectivism an important variable here * This influences what people view as justifiable and peoples’ aggressive behaviours

Answer 15

* Indirect aggression seen as acceptable in individualistic cultures * Direct verbal aggression seen as more justifiable in collectivist cultures * Physical aggression seen as more acceptable in individualistic cultures * Physical aggression seen as acceptable in collectivist cultures if defending yourself

Answer 16

-Personal desires -Self-assertiveness is important -The need to look after yourself

Answer 17

-Confucianism -Emphasises importance of social harmony, avoidance of conflict and obligation to others -Aggression viewed as shameful and socially damaging -Self-assertiveness seen as selfish and antisocial

Answer 18

* Independent dimensions (Hofstede & Hofstede, 2005; Kağitçibasi, 1994) * Not all members of a collectivist society will be collectivist (same for individualistic cultures) * Depends on the situation: Are there situations in which you act an individualistic / collectivist nature? * Researchers assume participants are either I or C without measuring first * Qualitative differences between ‘collectivistic cultures’ (Dien, 1999) * Chinese - Authority-orientated orientation * Japanese – Peer-group orientated

Answer 19

* In-groups: When a person psychologically identifies being a member (e.g., by interests, gender, occupation,age) * Out-groups: When a person does not psychologically identify being a member (e.g., by interests, gender, occupation, age) * Culture impacts in-group membership and out group treatment

Answer 20

* A person chooses an in-group because it maximises positive social identity * People are generally ethnocentric about in-group * One way of improving status within your in-groups is by discriminating towards out-groups * Some even actively promote aggression towards out-groups (e.g.,sports teams)

Answer 21

* Collectivistic cultures more focused on the distinction between out-groups and in-groups (Bell & Chaibong, 2003) * Nearly all cultures restrict aggression against in-groups * But observed more frequently in collectivist cultures * Will try and deescalate conflict within in-groups * But indifferent to out-groups * Collectivists more aggressive towards out-groups (Brown et al, 1992) * If values clash, more likely to be hostile

Answer 22

* Extreme cases lead to out-casting * e.g., Nazis and treatment of Jewish people * Most likely when collectivist and other cultural values are present * e.g. masculine societies, those high in uncertainty avoidance (e.g., Niedbala & Hohman, 2018)