PSYB10H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Hot Sauce, Media Consumption, Homicide
Lecture 9: Aggression, Altruism, and Cooperation
• Any behaviour aimed at causing either physical or psychological pain
• Hostile aggression
o Aggression in which causing pain or harm is the only goal
• Instrumental aggression
o Aggression in which the pain or harm caused is a means to some other goal
▪ Robbing a bank, winning a sport, self-defense, defending your group/values
o Most cases of aggression
▪ aggressive behavior is done to achieve another goal
▪ typically don't enjoy hurting ppl for the sake of hurting ppl
Other Factors Influencing Aggression
• Situational (fluctuating)
o Heat
o Media (Fiction or non-fiction)
• Dispositional (stable)
o Culture
o Gender
Heat
• Heat correlates with aggression
o More violent crimes occur in summer months
o More acts of violence occur in cities that have higher average temperature
• when it's warmer outside, you can go out more
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• Predicted probability of a batter being hit as a function of temperature and the number of
pither’s teaates hit opposig tea’s pither earlier i the gae
• Pitchers more likely to retaliate as temperature rises
Does Media Violence Increase Aggression?
• Childhood media consumption
o Boys with high preference for violent TV at age 8 were more likely to engage in criminal
behavior by age 30
• when you are controlling something, it's only as good as the control variable
• Video game can increase aggression .. but only temporarily
o Ppl temporarily more aggressive after playing violent games
• you get to choose how much hot sauce the other person consumes
o satisfies the ethical concerns
o is this a good measurement for aggressive behavior
o trade-off between internal and external validity
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Copycat violence
• Acts of violence imitated from media portrayals (fictional or not)
Suicide Rates
• Suicide rates increase following widely publicized suicides
Culture and Aggression
• Income inequality
o More inequality, more aggression
o Gap b/w rich and poor in society
• Culture of honor
Culture of Honor
• Culture that is defied its eers’ strog oers aout their o ad others’ reputatios
• Leads to sensitivity to insults
• Willingness to use violence to avenge any perceived wrong or insult
• Ppl from a culture of honor are more likely to be aggressive after being insulted
• Culture of honor in the American South
o Higher rates of homicide due to arguments in southern US than northern US
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Lecture 9: aggression, altruism, and cooperation: any behaviour aimed at causing either physical or psychological pain, hostile aggression, aggression in which causing pain or harm is the only goal. Situational (fluctuating: heat, media (fiction or non-fiction, dispositional (stable, culture, gender. Copycat violence: acts of violence imitated from media portrayals (fictional or not) Income inequality: more inequality, more aggression, gap b/w rich and poor in society, culture of honor. Gender and aggression: gender differences in types of aggression, large gender differences in violent crime rates, males more likely to be involved in violent criminal behaviour, also more likely to be victims of violence, males more physically aggressive. Females display more relational aggression: women are aggressive in ways that are more covert and socially directed, preadi(cid:374)g ru(cid:373)ours, i(cid:374)sults, talki(cid:374)g (cid:271)ehi(cid:374)d ea(cid:272)h other"s (cid:271)a(cid:272)ks. Aggression against social groups: dehumanization, tendency to attribute non-hu(cid:373)a(cid:374) (cid:272)hara(cid:272)teristi(cid:272)s to groups other tha(cid:374) o(cid:374)e"s o(cid:449)(cid:374, e(cid:454)a(cid:373)ple: referri(cid:374)g to the(cid:373) as (cid:862)rats(cid:863)
