PSYC 2014 Lecture Notes - Lecture 12: Observational Learning, Cerebral Cortex, Amygdala
Exam 2 Lecture 12: Aggression Social Psychology
1
• Aggression- any form or intentional behavior aimed at doing harm to another person (who
is motivated to avoid such treatment)
o Key components:
▪ Intentional behavior
▪ Aimed at another person
▪ Victim wants to avoid harm
• Types of Aggression
o Hostile- the harm inflicted is an end in itself (punching someone)
o Instrumental- the harm inflicted is a means to some other end (muggings, football,
etc.)
o Relational- manipulates social situations (excluding someone from a group)
• Gender Differences- Males are more violent than females in virtually every culture ever
studied.
o Men commit the vast majority of murders and they comprise the large majority of
murder victims
▪ Boys play more aggressive games and like more violent books
▪ Infant boys even show more anger
o Women tend to be more relationally/covertly aggressive
o Circumstances matter
• Biological Theories of Aggression
o Instinct Theory (Thanatos) – instinctual drive toward death, resulting in aggressive
behavior. Says that energy must be turned into something positive/useful
▪ Hydraulic Theory- unexpressed emotions build up and are explosive
o Evolutionary Theory- aggression to environmental cues evolves over evolutionary
time because aggression has helped our ancestors survive. Should aggress less
toward genetic relatives
▪ Children living with a stepparent are much more likely to be fatally abused
than children living with biological parents
▪ Men engage in more risk-taking b/w ages of 16-24, when entering the arena
of mate competition
o Biological Factors
▪ Genetic- temperament
▪ Neural- amygdala stimulation related to aggression
▪ Aggression related hormones such as testosterone and serotonin
• Testosterone: higher levels more aggression
• Serotonin: lower levels more aggression
• Aggression & Alcohol- affects aggression as a result of lowered inhibitions and use of more
primitive brain structures.
o Reduced cerebral cortex activity
o Increase midbrain (limbic) activity
Learned Theories of Aggression
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find more resources at oneclass.com
Exam 2 Lecture 12: Aggression Social Psychology
2
• Social Learning Theory- we learn social behavior by observing and imitating and by being
rewarded and punished. When aggression is rewarded, it is more likely to be
repeated/imitated (bullying for money, aggressive sports team, controlling husband)
o Badura’s BOBO Doll “tudies
▪ Experimental Condition- children observed adult beat a BOBO doll
▪ Control Condition- did not observe this
▪ Children were then left to play in a room full of toys, including BOBO
▪ Results
• Those who observed the adults also expressed aggressive behavior
• Children in the control condition almost never abused the doll
o We learn from:
▪ Parents- physically punitive parents tend to have physically aggressive
parents
▪ Society/culture- verbal aggression as normative in adolescence
▪ Media- exposure to violent TV, games, etc.
• Situational Influences
o Culture of Hoor- emphasize honor and social status for men, and aggression to
protect that honor. Found in men who are high in masculinity but low in
soioeooi status; ad ho eed to asset oe’s self i other as
o Frustration- pereptio that ou’re eig preeted fro attaiig a goal.
Frustration increases the probability of an aggressive response
▪ Frustration Anger/Avoidance Readiness to Aggress
o Aversive Situations
▪ Pain- participants held their hand in normal or painfully cold water. In cold
water, participants were more irritable than compared to normal condition;
they blasted people with loud and unpleasant noise.
▪ Heat- more violent crimes committed in summer months, riots are more
likely to occur on hot days
• Participants in a hot room are more likely to report feeling
aggressive/hostile on questionnaires
o Arousal: Excitation Transfer Theory- arousal created by one stimulus can be
misattributed to a second stimulus. Arousal from exercise, violent crimes, etc. can
be attributed to emotions like anger which can lead to aggression
o Aggressive Cues/Stimuli (Priming)- the presence of objects associated with
aggression (guns) can increase the probability of aggression
▪ Weapons effect- priming of hostile thoughts, memories, scripts
• Children who played with toy guns were more than likely to knock
do aother hild’s riks
• College students delivered more electric shock when a gun was
nearby than when a badminton racket was nearby
• Guns, Testosterone, & Aggression
o Male ollege studets plaed ith either a gu or ahildre’s
game for 15 minutes
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
