Aggression

offender has immediate goal and intention to harm

-        Harm is undesired and offender is aware of this

o   means to reach a desired outcome

§  Cause; opportunity for gain, depends on cost benefit calculation -> systematic thinking

è Poverty and Competition as robust predictors

motivated by negative emotion, harming as central goal of behavior

§  Cause; emotional response, little regard for consequences,  can be in blind fury or planned

è Provoked by threat to self-esteem / social connection / enhanced by public situation

provoked

unprovoked

aimed at relationships of person

Aggression restricted to phyisical expression

o   Self reports (Eg. AQ=Aggression Questionaire)

o   Other- reports (eg. Peer-nominations)

§  Primarily to validate

o   Indirect measures/cover stories ( hot sauce, Name calling, exclusion, provide mild shocks)

o   Frustration(blockage from goal)  triggers aggression (not only cause tho)->  aggression as means to overcome frustration

o   Presence of aggression related cues -> aggressive action more likely (Weapon effect)

§  Example experiment; frustrated ppl have to shock others (Berkowitz)

·       Ppl only gave more shocks if there was a aggression related cue before

o   Inhibited if:

§  Fear of punishment

§  Unavailability of frustration source

§  ->  displaced aggression onto available or less powerful target

·       Restores feeling of self efficacy

Agressive cues heighten probability of aggressive behavior

o   1. Aggression can be triggerd by any negative situation/ affect

o   2. Always unconscious primitive associative reaction;

§  rudimentary anger

§  rudimentary fear

·       prevalences for either vary from person to person  

o   3. Conscious interpretation of feeling & elaboration of Situation decides if/what act follows initial reaction

o   Higher physical arousal ( of any kind)+(mis)attribution towards frustration source (provocation)  = increased acts of frustration

§  Exemplar study(Zillman u Bryant); ppl who were cycling react stronger to provocation than ppl who are relaxed (no difference if no provocation).

o   enhances survival and reproductive success (higher in men) BUT cooperation generally equally /more successful

o   Genetic and hormonal links are relatively weak in humans

o   Observational Learning;

o   Vicarious Reinforcements

o   Self efficacy

o   Example Study Bobo doll (Bandura, Ross)

§  Kids pick up modeled behavior(the type of model seems irrelevant) and added their own

§  Boys “more aggression” than Girls

o   Longitudinal study; violent Tv Programms  (van Huseman)

-> Model learning forms aggressive scripts (learned interpretations/reactions to a situation) and normative beliefs (Descripive and Prescriptive)

o   observing and imitating behavior of others

§  Processes: attention, retention, reproduction, motivation

o   observed consequences others experience after their behavior -> affects the likelihood of imitation

o   1. Input Variables: Individual (Traits, Attitudes, Norms…), Situational (Cues, provocation)

o   2. Input get processed by the Present Internal State;

§  Cognition(scripts,thoughts)  

§  Affect  

§  Physiological arousal

o   3. Automatic Appraisal

o   4. Ggf. Controlled reappraisal (depending on motivation and ability)

o   5. Behavior

o   6. Target response -> Feedback loop

-        Trait aggressiveness; stable dispositional likelihood of showing aggressive behavior

o   Study; Aggressiveness equally stable as IQ

-        Hostile Attribution Style; tendency to interpret ambiguous behavior as intended hostility -> leads to more aggressive response

o   Also scientifically backed

• Alcohol consumption

• high Temperatures (Clash model)

• Violent media content

• Curltural norms

• Access to guns

o   Significant part of general equasion (not on its own but strong compared to others)  

§  Violent media second highest predictor in comp to others (Anderson)

o   True for Videos AND Music

§  Short term Effects

·       Priming aggr. thoughts and feelings

·       Increased arousal

§  Long Term effect;

·       Observational learning (new aggressive scripts)

·       More hostile attribution

·       Habituation (Gewöhnungseffekt) of violence -> less compassion w victims

·       Increase hostile attribution bias

·       Normative acceptance of violence

o   Exemplar studys;

§  8-Year-olds Tv programmes(Huseman)

·       Follow up evaluation of Aggression and TV Violence at 18 and 30 (+Criminal offence record)

·       Significant prediction of aggression at various times by 8-year-olds TV Violence

-        Catharthis; Living out (redirection) aggression to prevent aggressive feelings/action (Freud)

o   Exemplar Study with offended participants (Bushman)

§  Catharsis may not work or even increase displayed and felt anger (even higher than physical arousal without catharsis)   

-        Threat of Punishment reduces Aggression if;

o   Anticipated and aversive

o   Immediate (contingence perception)

o   High likelihood of being caught

o   Cognitive resources available

o   Alternative coping available

è May sever as aggressive cues themselves

-        Distraction /Deescalation

o   Study (Oswald) Completing scenarios with implied aggression´after playing game

§  Pro- social games=lowest aggression

o   Study listening to pleasant music reduces anger when provocated

o   Ground floor; Interpretation of material conditions

o   1st floor; Perceived options to fight unfair treatment

o   2nd floor; displaced aggression

o   3rd floor; Moral engagement

o   4th floor; solidification of categorical thinking, legitimacy of terrorist organization

o   5th floor; Sidestepping inhibition

è Initial “causes” of terrorism are social situations, personality becomes relevant later

è No use to identify possible terrorist but to resolve underlying social condition

• Can Restrict Agression on multiple levels but usually only target ingroup

• can condone/promote aggression