A01

• What is the frustration-aggression hypothesis according to Dollard and Miller (1939)?

  The hypothesis suggests that frustration always results in aggression and aggression is always caused by frustration
• What is frustration?

  Feelings which occur when we are prevented from achieving our goals
• What is catharsis?

  A form of emotional release by engaging in aggressive behaviour or aggressive thoughts about the target which caused their frustration
• Where does the idea of catharsis originate?

  A psychodynamic concept which views aggression as a psychological drive akin to biological drives such as hunger
• What is displaced aggression?

  When aggression is displaced from the source of the frustration on to someone or something else (e.g. an inanimate object, younger sibling, pet etc.)
• Explain the reasons aggression is not always expressed directly against the source

  • Cause of frustration may be abstract
  • Cause may be too powerful, and we may risk punishment by aggressing against it
  • Cause may be unavailable at the time
• What is the role of environmental cues?

  Frustration creates a readiness for aggression, but it is the cues in the environment which make us more likely to act upon it
• Describe the procedure of the study carried out by Green (1968)

  - Male university students had to complete a jigsaw puzzle, but their levels of frustration were manipulated

  - In one group the puzzle was impossible to solve, in another they ran out of time because a confederate kept interfering and the last group were insulted by the confederate as they failed to solve the puzzle

  - The participants then had to issue electric shocks to confederate when they made a mistake on another task
• Describe the procedure of the study carried out by Berkowitz and LePage (1967)

  - 100 male participants received electric shocks from a confederate, ranging from one to seven shocks, designed to create anger and frustration

  - Participants then had the opportunity to turn the tables and give electric shocks to the confederate in one of three conditions - aggressive cue (two guns) present on a table next to the shock machine, non-aggressive cue (badminton racquet) present on a table and no cue present
• Describe the findings of the study carried out by Green (1968)

  • Green found that participants in group 3 gave the strongest shocks on average followed by group 2 and lastly group 1
  • All groups selected more intense shocks than a non-frustrated control group
  • Findings support the frustration aggression hypothesis because they highlight the concept that frustration does trigger aggression
• Describe the findings of the study carried out by Berkowitz and LePage (1967)

  • In gun (aggressive cue) condition, participants gave an average number of 6.07 shocks
  • In no cue condition, participants gave an average number of 4.67 shocks