Week 6 (Situational factors promoting aggressive behavior) lecture 10

Question 1

is there evidence of a correlation between alcohol and both criminal and domestic violence ?

Answer 1

yes

Question 2

at least ___ of perpetrators of violent crimes were intoxicated at the time ?

Answer 2

50%

Question 3

reducing alcohol consumption by just ____ can substantially reduce violent crimes ?

Answer 3

10%

Question 4

effects of a 10% reduction in alcohol consumption each year in the US would result in ?
____ fewer murders (1% reduction)
____ fewer rapes (6% reduction)
____ fewer assaults (6% reduction)
____ fewer robberies (9% reduction)

Answer 4

216 fewer murders
5848 fewer rapes
65,951 fewer assaults
52,249 fewer robberies

Question 5

in the pure pharmacological effect of alcohol what two groups do you look at ?

Answer 5

1. anti placebo (told no alcohol, but get alcohol)
2. control (told no alcohol, get no alcohol)

Question 6

in the pure expectancy effect of alcohol what two groups do you look at ?

Answer 6

1. placebo (told yes alcohol, but have no alcohol)
2. control (told no alcohol, get no alcohol)

Question 7

what are the two models that explain why does alcohol increase aggression ?

Answer 7

1. pharmacological
2. expectancy

Question 8

focus on how alcohol disrupts cognitive processes
what is this ?

Answer 8

pharmacological models

Question 9

focus on how social attitudes about alcohol facilitate aggression
what is this ?

Answer 9

expectancy models

Question 10

• general disinhibition
• alcohol myopia
• self awareness
• appraisal disruption
• executive functioning
• pain numbing effect
  what are these ?

Answer 10

pharmacological models

Question 11

• proposes that alcohol directly impairs neural functions that normally inhibit aggression
• most people have strong inhibitions against behaving aggressively, but alcohol reduces these inhibitions
  what is this ?

Answer 11

general disinhibition theory

Question 12

1. self control takes energy, and acts of self control deplete relatively large amounts of glucose. alcohol reduces glucose throughout the brain and body and also impairs many forms of self control, including the self control needs to restrain aggressive impulses
2. alcohol might also reduce inhibitions by decreasing serotonin levels
   what are these ?

Answer 12

the two explanation of how alcohol might cut the brake line in general disinhibition theory

Question 13

• alcohol has a “myopic” or narrowing effect on attention
• alcohol causes people to focus attention on the most salient cues in a situation and to not pay attention to more subtle cues
• in a hostile situation such as a barroom altercation, the most salient features are provocative cues
  what is this ?

Answer 13

alcohol myopia theory

Question 14

alcohol decreases self awareness, decrease unpleasant self-discrepancies, decreases peoples ability to focus on internal standards, and decreases the likelihood that people will shape up and not behave aggressively
what is this ?

Answer 14

self awareness theory

Question 15

• alcohol disrupts the cognitive appraisal of anxiety-eliciting cues, thus resulting in lower levels of anxiety and feel, called anxiolysis
• alcohol may therefore facilitate aggression indirectly because people do not attend to, recognize and process cues that signal threat and danger
• fears of reprisal of retaliation may therefore dissolve in alcohol
  what is this ?

Answer 15

appraisal disruption

Question 16

• are the cognitive abilities that help us:
  organize, plan, and achieve goals
  inhibit inappropriate behaviors
• research has shown that alcohol is more likely to increase aggression in persons with low (vs high) executive functioning abilities
  what is this ?

Answer 16

executive functioning

Question 17

• alcohol has been used for thousands of years to numb pain, both physical and emotional
• ex. before anesthetics were available, doctors used alcohol to relieve pain
• the statement “I feel your pain” is what people sometimes say when they empathize with others
• but how can someone feel another persons pain if they cannot feel pain themselves when they are intoxicated ?
  what is this ?

Answer 17

pain numbing effect

Question 18

• according to this theory, alcohol increases aggression because people expect it to
• in many cultures, drinking occasions are culturally agreed-on “time out” periods where people are not held responsible for their actions
• those who behave aggressively while intoxicated can therefore “blame the bottle” for their aggressive actions
  what is this ?

Answer 18

expectancy

Question 19

what are the two expectancy models ?

Answer 19

1. expectancy
2. automaticity

Question 20

the link between alcohol and aggression may be so strong that alcohol related cues increase aggressive thoughts and behavior, even in the absence of the pharmacological and expectancy effects of alcohol
what is this ?

Answer 20

automaticity

Question 21

• some are more likely to become aggressive when they re drunk than others
• results from both surveys and experiments show that alcohol increases aggression in both men and women, but the effects are significantly larger for men than for women
• alcohol may only increase aggression in people who are already predisposed to behave aggressively
  what is this ?

Answer 21

who is most likely to become aggressive when intoxicated

Question 22

• high levels of sensation seeking
• narcissism
• trait aggressiveness
• irritability
• permissive attitudes toward violence
• hostile rumination
  people with ____ levels of these are at risk for intoxicated aggression ?

Answer 22

high

Question 23

• self consciousness
• self control
• anger control
• trait empathy
• executive functioning
  people with ____ levels of this are at risk for intoxicated aggression ?

Answer 23

low

Question 24

is aggression somehow contained in a bottle of alcohol ?

Answer 24

no. alcohol facilitates rather than causes violent or aggressive behaviors