Chapter 10
What does this say about the role of culture and norms in influencing and suppressing violence?
-"Nature says yes and culture says no." -Culture offers better ways to settle conflict: negotiation, property rights, and money, courts of law, and compromise, religious and moral rules.
How do age, gender, self-control, narcissism, and other individual differences influence aggression?
-Age: Very young children are most aggressive individuals in the world; -Most people become less aggressive over time -Gender: -Males engage in fight or flight syndrome -Females engage in tend and befriend syndrome -Nurture others and make friends -Females more likely to engage in relational aggression: behavior that involves intentionally harming another person's relationship, feelings of acceptance, or inclusion within a group -Talking shit, withdrawing affection, and excluding others -Self-Control -People resort to aggression when they think it will lead to success
Know the definitions of types of aggression (direct, indirect, displaced, reactive, proactive, bullying, relational, violence)
-Aggression: any behavior intended to harm another person who is motivated to avoid the harm -Direct aggression: any behavior that intentionally harms another person who is physically present -Indirect aggression: any behavior that intentionally harms another person who is physically absent -Displaced aggression: any behavior that intentionally harms a substitute target rather than the provocateur -Reactive aggression (hostile aggression): "hot," impulsive, angry behavior motivated by a desire to harm someone -Proactive aggression (instrumental aggression): "cold," premeditated, calculated harmful behavior that is a means to some practical or material end -Violence: aggression that seeks physical harm, such as injury or death -Bullying: someone intentionally and repeatedly causes another person injury or discomfort
What role do moods and excitation transfer play in aggression?
-Angry, frustrated, distraught, and upset people have been regarded as being prone to aggressive behavior -When researchers want high levels of aggression, they start by inducing some aversive emotional state. -Angry people aggress because they want to feel better and they hope aggression will do that.
What is antisocial behavior and how can aggression sometimes be prosocial behavior and sometimes antisocial
-Antisocial behavior: behavior that either damages interpersonal relationships or is culturally undesirable -Aggression can be social in that it is a way that people seek to manage their social lives, such as influencing the behaviors of others to get what they want -Littering, cheating, stealing, lying, and swearing don't qualify as aggression but are antisocial
What is Broken Windows Theory and how does it predict conditions of increased antisocial behavior
-Broken Windows theory: proposal that signs of disorder such as broken windows, litter, and graffiti induce other antisocial behaviors -Seeing signs of disorder may reduce the power of injunctive norms that discourage antisocial behavior
What did Freud think the cause of aggression was and how was this different from what Bandura's bobo doll study demonstrated
-Freud said the cause of aggression was based on instincts: innate tendency to seek a particular goal, such as food or sex -Eros: life-giving instincts -Thanatos: destructive, death instincts -Influenced Konrad Lorenz who said aggression was like a hydraulic press: a buildup of aggressive urges that if not released through some other activity would lead to aggression -Bandura said that aggression was caused by modeling- observing and copying behavior of others -Study allowed preschool children to observe an aggressive adult role model, a nonaggressive model, or no model. -The aggressive model abused an inflated clown called a Bobo doll. -The nonaggressive model played with nonviolent toys. -The other model contained aggressive and nonaggressive toys. -Children who watched the aggressive model showed highest level of aggression. -Models do not need to live to be aggressive.
Explain the frustration-aggression hypothesis
-Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis: proposal that the occurrence of aggressive behavior always presupposes the existence of frustration and the existence of frustration always leads to some form of aggression -Frustration: blockage of or interference with a personal goal
Name and describe three hostile cognitive biases. How do they affect aggression?
-Hostile attribution bias: tendency to perceive ambiguous actions by others as aggressive -Person bumps you to hurt you -Hostile perception bias: tendency to perceive social interactions in general as being aggressive -Two people having a conversation are automatically fighting -Hostile expectation bias: tendency to expect others to react to potential conflicts with aggression -Bump into another person -> they assume you did it on purpose -> attack you in return
Discuss other antisocial behavior and predictors/correlates of those behaviors (lying, cheating, stealing, swearing, littering)
-Lying: not telling the truth -Taboo words: socially unacceptable words such as profanity or swear words; speech that constitutes sexual harassment or discrimination, hate speech, and verbally abusive words -Plagiarize: to claim the idea's or words of another person as one's own without crediting that person -Identity Theft: using someone's personal information in order to obtain money or credit from their bank accounts -De-individuation: a sense of anonymity and loss of individuality, as in a large group, making people especially likely to engage in antisocial behaviors such as theft -Norms: social standards that prescribe what people ought to do -Injunctive norms: norms that specify what most others approve or disapprove of -Descriptive norms: norms that specify what most people do -Psychological reactance: the unpleasant emotional response people experience when someone is trying to restrict their freedom to engage in a desired behavior
What evidence is there that we are living in a much less violent world today than the generations of humans in the past?
-Studies of body counts from prehistoric time suggest that prehistoric times were far more violent. -European murder rates have decreased since the middle ages. -Decline in violence in England came from the age of reason in the 17th century. -Global violence has decreased steadily since the 20th century. -We are more aware of wars due to media advances.
What are external influences on aggression (weapons effect, unpleasant environment, media, substance abuse, culture of honor?)
-Weapons effect: increase in aggression that occurs as a result of the mere presence of a weapon -Unpleasant Environment: -Hotter temperatures increase aggression -Global warming raises temperature -> also raises aggression and violence -Loud noises increase aggression -Foul odors, secondhand smoke, and air pollution increase aggression -Density: number of people in an area. Produces positive emotions -Crowding: subjective and unpleasant feeling that there are too many people in a given area. Produces aggressive behaviors -Media: Violent video game players are more likely to identify with a violent character -Violent media increases aggressive behaviors, angry feelings, and physiological arousal (heart rate) and decreases prosocial behavior -Violent media that contains sex (rape depictions) assists in aggressive behaviors towards females -Porn use can also lead to aggression -Substance Abuse -Ample evidence of intoxication leading to aggression. -Alcohol reduces inhibitions -Alcohol has a narrowing effect on attention -Alcohol increases aggressive behavior rather than cause it -Cocaine -Taking a high dosage of cocaine leads to more aggression -Culture -Running amok: going berserk -Cultures can promote violence without placing a positive value on it -Culture of Honor: a society that places high value on individual respect, strength, and virtue, and accepts and justifies violent action in response to threats to one's honor -Honor killing: killing another individual who has brought dishonor to the family -Humiliation: a state of disgrace or loss of self-respect (or respect from others)