Psychology Exam 4: Aggression

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Questions and Answers

What is aggression defined as?

Intentional behavior aimed at doing harm or causing pain to another person (correct)

Behavior aimed at avoiding conflict with another person

Behavior aimed at resolving conflict peacefully

Unintentional behavior aimed at helping another person

What type of aggression is fueled by anger and is usually a result of some sort of provocation?

Situational Aggression

Instrumental Aggression

Hostile Aggression (correct)

Instinctual Aggression

What is a factor that influences the expression of aggression?

Complex interplay between innate tendencies, learned inhibitory responses, and social situation (correct)

Upbringing only

Environment only

Genetics only

According to Cohen et al. (1996), which group is more inclined to endorse violence for protection and in response to insults?

Southerners Signup and view all the answers

Who is more apt to directly inflict physical injury and harm?

Men Signup and view all the answers

What is a factor that can contribute to increased aggression?

Discomfort Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary idea behind the Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis?

Frustration increases the probability of an aggressive response Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following factors is NOT associated with increased frustration and aggression?

Social learning Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for an object that is associated with aggressive responses and increases the probability of aggression?

Aggressive Stimulus Signup and view all the answers

According to Bandura's Social Learning Theory, what is the primary way we learn social behavior?

By observing and imitating others Signup and view all the answers

What are the two ideal conditions for punishment to act as a deterrent to aggressive behavior?

Prompt and unavoidable Signup and view all the answers

What is the conventional wisdom regarding the reduction of feelings of aggression?

Engaging in aggressive behavior reduces aggression Signup and view all the answers

What is stereotyping?

Assigning identical characteristics to a member of a group, without taking into account individual differences Signup and view all the answers

What is discrimination?

An unjustified harmful action toward the members of a group simply because of their membership in that group Signup and view all the answers

What is the minimal groups paradigm?

A study on social categorization Signup and view all the answers

What is implicit prejudice?

Prejudice that exists in a society, even if not actively taught Signup and view all the answers

What is the assumption behind the Mere Exposure Effect?

An absence of negative feelings Signup and view all the answers

What is out-group homogeneity?

Members of the out-group are seen as more similar to each other than they are Signup and view all the answers

According to the Propinquity Effect, what is more important in forming relationships than physical distance?

Functional distance Signup and view all the answers

What is stereotype threat?

The fear that one's behavior will confirm an existing stereotype Signup and view all the answers

Why do people tend to like those who are similar to them?

Because they validate our own beliefs and values Signup and view all the answers

What is the concept that suggests that knowing someone likes you makes you like them?

Reciprocal Linking Signup and view all the answers

Research suggests that in what way do males and females differ in their valuation of physical attractiveness?

There is a difference in what both sexes say rather than in what they do Signup and view all the answers

What is the characteristic of facial attractiveness that is universal across species?

The average of facial features Signup and view all the answers

What is a factor that can contribute to an increase in prejudiced attitudes?

Mutually exclusive goals and tense situations Signup and view all the answers

What is a necessary condition for contact between groups to reduce prejudice?

Mutual interdependence Signup and view all the answers

What is a result of displacing aggression onto groups that are disliked, visible, and relatively powerless?

Scapegoating Signup and view all the answers

What can be a consequence of mere contact between groups in the absence of certain conditions?

Increased conflict Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of modern prejudice?

Acting unprejudiced outwardly while maintaining stereotyped views inwardly Signup and view all the answers

What is a necessary condition for reducing prejudice through intergroup contact?

Friendly and informal setting Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Aggression

Aggression is intentional behavior aimed at doing harm or causing pain (physical or psychological) to another person.
There are two types of aggression: instrumental aggression (as a means to achieve a goal) and hostile aggression (fueled by anger and usually a result of provocation).

Instinctual vs. Situational Aggression

Aggression is a complex interplay between innate tendencies, learned inhibitory responses, and the social situation.

Regionalism and Aggression

Culture of Honor: Southerners are more inclined to endorse violence for protection and in response to insults.

Gender and Aggression

Men are more apt to directly inflict physical injury and harm, while women are more apt to indirectly inflict psychological and social harm.
Within a given culture, males are more aggressive than females, but between cultures, a female may be more aggressive than a male.

Discomfort and Aggression

Physical discomfort (pain, heat, overcrowding, fatigue) can lead to increased aggression due to impaired thinking and intensified emotions.

Interpersonal Attraction

Propinquity

Propinquity Effect: People who are frequently seen and interacted with are often the ones we become friends and lovers with.
Functional distance is more important than physical distance.

Mere Exposure Effect

The more exposure people have to something, the more they will like it.
Assumes an absence of negative feelings.

Similarity

Similar people validate us, and we tend to believe that people who are similar to us will like us.
We like people who like us.

Reciprocal Linking

Knowing someone likes you makes you like them.
The self-fulfilling prophecy.

Physical Attractiveness

There is a difference in how males and females value physical attractiveness, but it lies in what they say rather than in what they do.

Facial Attractiveness

Universal dimensions of facial attractiveness can be found in the average of facial features of the species, not the extremes.

Frustration and Aggression

Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis: Frustration increases the probability of an aggressive response.
Factors that increase frustration and aggression: delay, goal proximity, unexpectedness, relative deprivation.

Aggressive Objects as Cues

Aggressive Stimulus: An object associated with aggressive responses, whose presence can increase aggression.

Imitation and Aggression

Bandura's Social Learning Theory: We learn social behavior (e.g., aggression) by observing others and imitating them.

Punishing Aggression

Laboratory experiments indicate that punishment can act as a deterrent if it is prompt and unavoidable.
But are these conditions met in the real world?

Catharsis and Aggression

Aggression does not reduce the need for further aggression.
Competitive games and prejudice can increase aggression.

Stereotyping

Stereotyping simplifies how we look at the world, and we all do it to some extent.

Discrimination

Unjustified harmful action toward the members of a group simply because of their membership in that group.

What Causes Prejudice?

Social Categorization: Us versus Them.
In-Group Favoritism: The tendency to see one's group as "better" and allocate rewards to one's group.
Out-Group Homogeneity: Members of the out-group are seen as more similar to each other than they are.

Reducing Prejudice

Contact between groups can reduce prejudice only if several conditions are met: mutual interdependence, common goal, equal status, friendly, informal setting, knowing multiple out-group members, and social norms of equality.

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Description

This quiz explores the concept of aggression, its types, and the factors that influence aggressive behavior. Learn about intentional behavior, instrumental aggression, hostile aggression, and more.