Aggression

• Agression


  Show anger
• Cognitive Priming 


  By constant exposure to violent media, people prepare for aggressive responses.
• Deindividuation


  People no longer think/act a certain way due to a group's pressence.
• Desensitisation


  People become used to violence due to aggressive media being displayed.
• Disinhibition


  Removing inhibitions from previously unacceptable behaviour.
• Dispositional Explanation 


  Certain individuals are predisposition to certain behaviors due to traits they have.
• Ethological Explanations


  Suggests it's a natural response.
• Fixed Action Patterns 


  Second part of exhibiting aggression. Behavior released after the innate releasing mechanism has been activated.
• Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis 


  Frustration leads to a build up of aggression which eventually has to be released.
• Innate Releasing Mechanisms


  First part of exhibiting aggression. Prepares for the aggression.
• Institutional Aggression


  Aggression carried out by a group in an institution.
• Limbic System


  Group of structures in the brain involved with emotion and long term memory.
• MAOA Gene


  An enzyme in humans that is said to be associated with certain types of behaviour.
• Serotonin


  Neurotransmitter responsible for mood regulation
• Situational Explanation


  Explanation responsible for institutional aggression which suggests it arises due to the environment or atmosphere.
• Neural Mechanisms 16/21

  • Limbic system: includes hypothalamus, hippocampus and amygdala, linked to emotion/aggression.
  • Amygdala, assess/responds to threat, greater reactivity = more aggressiveness.
  • Serotonin and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC)- low levels disrupt OFC, reduced self-control, more aggression.
  • +Drugs and serotonin, participants who took a drug that enhances serotonin gave fewer shocks than a placebo group (Berman).
  • -Other brain structures: non-limbic OFC is involved—increases aggression (Coccaro).
• Hormonal Mechanisms 16/21

  • Testosterone: levels higher in men and linked to aggression.
  • Animal studies: decreased testosterone (castration) leads to reduced aggression.
  • Dolan: positive correlation between testosterone levels of aggressive behaviour
  • +Supporting research: positive correlation between testosterone and self-reported levels of aggression (Albert et al).
  • -However: some research has found no correlation between testosterone and aggression in prisons.
  • -Dual hormone hypothesis to explain mixed findings
• Social Psychology- Frustration Aggression Hypothesis 16/19

  • Frustration always leads to aggression (DOLLARD)
  • Catharsis: aggression=drive, reduced by expressing it. Displacement: aggression=directed towards innocent.
  • GEEN: jigsaw puzzle, confederate annoyed or insulted them. Most frustrated students gave bigger shocks to a confederate than control group.
  • +Real world: explain mass killings (STUARB).
  • -Catharsis: people who hit punchbag=more aggressive (BUSHMAN).
  • -Frustration doesn't always lead to aggression: reformulated as negative affect theory (BERKOWITZ).
• Genetic Factors 16/21,22

  • Twin studies: concordance rates for physical assault 50% for MZs, 19% for DZs (COCCARO). Adoption studies: MAOA gene (affect levels serotonin). BRUNNER 28 males of Dutch family=impulsively aggressive/violent had low MAOA.
  • +Research support: TIIHONEN=prisoners who had MAOA low activity genotype in combination with a second gene was associated with extremely violent behaviours.
  • +MAOA gene offer an explanation for the uneven rates of violence for males and females.
  • -Difficult to determine the role of genetic factors: McDermott
  • -No single candidate gene found (Vasso).
• Social Psychology- SLT 16/19

  • Aggression directly: positive/negative reinforcement, punishment. Aggression indirectly: observation/vicarious reinforcement. Attention, retention, reproduction and motivation.
  • BANDURA: ‘Bobo doll’. Children observed aggression=aggressive (imitation).
  • +Real world: children imitate models being rewarded, reduce aggression by rewarding non-aggression.
  • +Cultural differences of aggression: KUNG SAN.
  • -Biological influences: Reductionist.
• Social Psychology- De-individualisation 16/19

  • Crowd behaviour: loss of self identity. De-individuation state: less personal responsibility. Anonymity: de-individuation in crowds. Reduces private self-awareness. Reduces public self-awareness: feel we are less likely to be judged by others.
  • +Support: most aggressive messages posted online by people hiding identities (DOUGLAS/MCGARTY).
  • -Counterpoint: people in darkened room touched/kissed (GERGEN).
  • +Real-world: considered 21 suicidal ‘jumpers’, aggressive ‘baiting’ by de-individuated crowds MANN.
• Ethological Explanation 8/19

  • Adaptive: reduces competition, establishes dominance. Ritualistic: appeasement display, prevents injury (LORENZ).
  • Innate releasing mechanism (IRM): inbuilt structure activated by stimulus. Fixed action pattern (FAP): IRM triggers FAP, ritualistic, universal. TINBERGEN: male sticklebacks saw wooden models in varying shapes. Only attacked with red underside.
  • +Support: genetic (BRUNNER) and adaptive (WILSON/DALY).
  • -Can't account for cultural differences (NISBETT).
  • -Ritualistic aggression: systematic killing chimps despite appeasement signals (GOODALL).
• Institutional- Prisons 8/19

  • Dispositional explanation: traits of prisoners imported into prison. Negative characteristics: anger, traumatic experiences, history of violence. Delinquents who had anger/trauma more aggressive (DELISI).
  • +No difference in aggression between low/high security prisons, inmate characteristics more important (CAMP/GAES).
  • -Ignores key factors e.g. how prisons run (DILULIO).
  • Situational explanation: deprivation model, harsh unpredictable cause stress/aggression.
  • +Support: inmate homicides motivated by prisons deprivations. (CUNNINGHAM).
• Media- Video Games

  • Desensitisation: reduced physiological response (less arousal). Less empathy for victims. +Support: (KRAHE) lower arousal who watched violence, more aggressive.
  • Disinhibition: exposure weakens restraint. Rewarded in media . +Support: Film showed aggression as vengeance (socially acceptable), more shocks given (BERKOWITZ)
  • Cognitive priming: media gives ‘script’ to follow in response to aggressive cues. Aggressive lyrics=cues, may trigger violent attitudes. +Real-world: can be challenged by interventions (BUSHMAN) -Low ecological validity.
• Evolutionary

  • Sexual jealousy greater in males because cuckoldry risk(raising another mans child), drives aggressive strategies. Mate retention strategies: direct guarding, negative inducements. Domestic violence more likely by men who do this (WILSON)
  • +Support: SHACKLEFORD strong positive correlation between mate retention/physical violence.
  • +Gender differences: women use physical risk offspring’s survival, so use verbal to keep resource providing partner (CAMPBELL).
  • -Cultural differences: KUNG SAN discourage aggression from childhood (loss of status) not universal/adaptive. SLT better.
• Media- Computer Games

  • Growing evidence: more powerful effects than traditional screen based media.
  • Correlational studies: aggression is positively correlated with playing violent games. Serious public health issue (DELISI). Meta-analysis: (ANDERSON) 136 studies, exposure to violent games=increased aggression.
  • -Aggression defined in different ways: hard to compare.
  • +Counter: Meta-analyses help by including studies using different definitions.
  • -Unsupported conclusions: methodologically weak research.