Aggression

• Define criminal thief sub culture

  This personality follows the norms inherited by those in the criminal profession, they are loyal to other criminals but not aggressive
• Define conventional sub-culture


  This personality is usually comprised of one time offenders who reject the other subcultures within prisons and look to identify more with the staff
• Define convict subculture

  This personality is most likely to show aggression. They seek positions of power and influence with the institution and use aggression to do this
• What are the three sub-cultures?

  - convict subculture

  - Conventional subculture

  - Criminal thief sub-culture
• What other variables cause aggression?

  Low self control
• What is shown to be a key predictor of prison misconduct?

  Gang membership
• What does the importation model suggest?

  - Individuals bring their characteristics and traits from the outside into the prisons

  - If you come from a subculture where violence and aggression are the norm then this will prevail in prison environment
• Define dispositional factors


  Any explanations of behaviour which accounts for personality
• What is the importation model based on?

  Dispositional factors
• What are the two theories that may explain institutional aggression in prisons?

  Importation model and Deprivation model
• What are weaknesses of deindividuation to explain aggression?

  Lack of supporting research.e.g. Gergen found when participants were put in a random dark room and told they were never going to meet started kissing rather than being aggressive.This contradicts the theory as it suggests that deindividuation doesn't cause aggression
• What is the deindividuation explanation of aggression?

  One strengths of the theory is there is evidence too support.e.g. Douglas and McGarty found a correlation between anonymity and sending or posting threatening or hostile messages.Increases the face validity as shows that when anonymous we feel less responsible for our actions which is what the theory suggests.HOWEVER CORRELATIONReal world application.e.g. it can explain video game aggression as they use handles that aren't their real name.This is a strength as real world application.
• What did Dodd conclude from the experiement?

  To conclude deindividuation can cause people to act in both pro-social and anti-social manner when the feel anonymous
• What results did Dodd find?

  9% = Prosocial behaviours such as helping people

  26% = Criminal acts

  36% = Response involving some form of anti-social behaviour
• What supporting research is there for deindividuation as an explanation for aggression?

  Dodd

  Asked 229 student to answer "if you could do anything humanly possible with complete assurance that you would be detected or held responsible what would you do"?
• More about public self-awareness ..

  - Larger the crowd the less likely a person is to feel judged on their actions as opposed to the actions of a group

  - = Diffusion of responsibility

  Feel less accountable for our aggressive behaviour
• What is public self awareness

  The appraisal of other people. how much we care about what other people think about us
• More about private self-awareness?

  - We pay less attention when we are part of a crowd as our attention is focused outwardly on the events taking place around us

  - Less critical of our own behaviour and less thoughtful - deindividuated state
• What is private self awareness?


  Concerns how we pay attention to our own feelings and behaviour
• What are the two ways that deindividuation is mediated by self-awareness?

  1) Private self-awareness

  2) Public self-awareness
• People who believe their identities are unknown are more likely ...

  to be aggressive
• What causes aggression?

  When we are anonymous like we are in a crowed situation makes us feel unaccountable for our behaviour which increases likelihood of aggressive behaviour
• Why do normally people not behaviour aggressively?

  Because there are social norms which make the aggressive behaviour uncivilised.
• Define deindividuation


  A psychological state in which an individual loses there personal identity and takes on the identity of a group
• What are strengths of social learning theory as an explanation for aggression?

  Practical applications that reduce potential crimes from happening.ACT by apa put interventions telling parents the importance of ensuring NON-aggressive role models.Real world application as can reduce real world aggression = positive economic implications as there are less people in prison.Additionally Study found that the ACT programe was effective.SLT can explain cultural differences in levels of aggression which other theories don't.Kung san tribe aggression levels are rare as which children fight parents don't punish or reward just remove them from situation.Shows that absence of aggressive role model = less aggressive behaviour.Issues with Bandura.One child was heard saying "that was the women I was meant to copy.Demand characteristics may have occurred therefore decreasing the validity.
• What were the findings of Bandura's study?


  Without being instructed the children copied the verbal and physical actions.

  Some children directly copied the behaviour

  Children did so regardless of the gender

  Those in non aggressive showed almost no aggressive behaviour
• What was the procedure of bandura's study?

  - Children were asked to observe an adult role model either being aggressive or non-aggressive towards a bobo doll

  - Aggressive behaviour = kicking, hitting wit hammer and shouting

  - Children were taken into the room and given a variety of toys to play with
• What is self-efficacy?


  The extent to which we believe our actions will achieve a desired goal
• Define vicarious punishment


  If a child observes aggressive behaviour that is punished they will be less likely to repeat the behaviour
• Define vicarious reinforcement

  Seeing a behaviour be rewarded allows child to learn that aggressive behaviours will get them the outcome they desire
• What did Bandura argue?

  Learn through observing other = observational learning

  Children observe aggressive behaviour through watching their role model
• What is a strength of the social-psychological explanation of aggression?

  Real world application.e.g. in some states of America they have argued that guns must be concealed as it may cause people to be aggressive as the gun stimulates frustration.Theory is useful as has influenced government policy's to reduce aggression.Research to support the frustration aggression hypothesis.Dill and Anderson were asked to recreate a piece of origami shown to them by an experimenter and judged them on how helpful they were those in bad excuse for going fast more aggressive than those who weren't.Increases the validityHowever may be genetic influences affecting the results
• What is a weakness of the social-psychological explanation of aggression?

  One weakness is that frustration alone might no cause aggression.e.g. Berkowitz suggested that although frustration may trigger aggression environmental factors also increase the likelihood of an aggressive act occurring.Evidence that frustration is not the main cause of aggression
• Whats the supporting research to the social-psychological explanation of aggression?


  Green

  Male university students given a jigsaw to complete

  - Puzzle is impossible to solve

  - Ran out of time because confederates kept on interrupting them

  - A confederate insulted the participants inability to complete the puzzle

  Participants were then asked to give their confederates an electric shock

  Insulted partner gave strongest electric shocks followed by interfered groups.
• What are the three reasons for not displaying aggressive behaviour?

  1) The cause of frustration is abstract

  2) The cause may be too powerful and we risk punishment by being aggressive against it

  3) The cause may be unavailable at the time
• How does the frustration-aggression hypothesis work?

  When we become frustrated we activate our aggressive unconscious drive which leads to aggressive urges. Frustration also leads to motivation to achieve our aggressive goal and when we succumb to the urge and feel catharsis
• What does the frustration-aggression hypothesis state a casual relationship between?

  Frustration, aggression and cathartic feeling
• What did Dollard who created the frustration-aggression hypothesis suggest?

  Suggested aggression is the result of frustration from not being able to achieve our goals
• What hypothesis does this theory suggest?

  Frustration-aggression hypothesis
• What is the social-psychological explanation of aggression?


  This explanation suggests aggression is the result f an interaction between an individual's characteristics and features of the situation in which the behaviour occurs in?