Week 3 & 4 Aggression & Media Influences PDF

Week 3 & 4 Week 3: Aggressive Behaviour. Week 4: Media Influences. Week 3 examine 14 sub disciplines relating to aggression Aggression Violence any behaviour toward another individual Viole...

Week 3 & 4 Week 3: Aggressive Behaviour. Week 4: Media Influences. Week 3 examine 14 sub disciplines relating to aggression Aggression Violence any behaviour toward another individual Violence is aggression that has extreme done with the intent to cause harm harm as its goal The victim must be motivated to avoid (e.g. severe injury or death). the behaviour NOT all aggression is violence ALL violence is aggression  Aggression Types Functions Physical Reactive = hurt someone as a reaction to how you are feeling in the moment Verbal Relational Proactive = cold aggression, hurting someone for a Digital purpose / to achieve a goal Direct/Indirect Automatic = responding to the same triggers several times, that aggression becomes an automatic response. Even if they are not angry. Sub-disciplines Animal behaviour Learning and behaviour Clinical psychology Neuro/biopsychology Cognition Organisational psychology Developmental psychology Perception Emotion Personality psychology Evolutionary psychology Psychology of relationships Health psychology Social psychology  Animal Behaviour Gender differences Male animals more aggressive, more likely to attack & fight Lorenz Believes Aggression is instinctual Aggression is NOT caused by the environment Needs to be ‘released’ regularly or aggression becomes built up Basis for catharsis hypothesis (now disproven for aggression) Being more aggressive doesn’t then make you less aggressive, you actually become more aggressive  Clinical psychology Aggressive behaviour is a characteristic of many disorders in DSM-V Anti-social, Narcissistic, Borderline, Paranoid personality disorders Conduct Disorder in children Addiction Paranoia, delusions, psychosis Various ways to manage aggression ❖ Conflict management, anger management, counselling for aggression ❖ Therapeutic interventions for DV, anger, aggression, violence ❖ Integration of therapeutic approaches where issues are complex (e.g., DV) Cognitive psychology Neural networks If the same sequence of events occurs often through: real life media video game Then it becomes like a script that occurs same way whenever it is triggered  Cognitive Neo-Association Theory Assumes that memories, emotions, thoughts are linked together When we experience something, our brain will recognise it again. If other things happen at the same time, links are established happen together again, the link becomes stronger activating 1 thing —-> activates the other Unpleasant or threatening situations (e.g., perceived threats, loud noises etc.) arouse negative feelings stimulate responses associated with both fight & flight tendencies Fight tendencies → anger Flight tendencies → fear 1 tendency will dominate, depending on: the situation prior experiences Personality If anger/fight tendencies dominate, the types of thoughts, feelings and plans for action that are most strongly activated will usually increase the likelihood of an aggressive response  Script Theory Rowell Huesmann (1986, 1998) aggressive episodes are like a script. When a situation is very familiar we tend act similar until the response becomes automatic whenever that situation arises Developmental Psychology Development of aggression over the lifespan Peaks in toddlers Declines with age and conflict strategies Gene-environment interactions Hostile attributional bias Influence of parents, media, environment  Emotion Anger and aggression Shame and aggression Humiliation and aggression Jealousy and aggression Frustration Aggression Hypothesis Dollard et al (1938): When blocked from attaining a goal —> frustration arises. assumes ALL frustration leads to aggression assumes ALL instances of aggression can be traced back to frustration NOT always true (but often is)  Evolutionary psychology Believes aggression is instinctual Strong links with animal psychology (e.g. Lorenz ) Using aggression for reproductive success, survival of the fittest Health psychology links between physical health and psychological phenomena Aggressive individuals are at increased risk of poor health early mortality Mental health problems decreased life satisfaction Injury, recovery, trauma related to being a victim of aggression/violence  Learning and behaviour Learning theories Explain both the acquisition and the maintenance of aggressive behaviour Aggression is often learned: Classical conditioning one thing is linked to another Instrumental learning Reward aggression, punish nonaggression (subtle or obvious) seen at home or on TV Social learning Imitating people who are aggressive Learning theories underpin other approaches Neural networks include learned concepts and are developed through experience Information processing is about learned patterns of responding Scripts for behaviour are learned  Social Learning Theory (Albert Bandura) people acquire aggressive tendencies through: ❖ direct experience (aggressive behaviour has brought them rewards in the past) or ❖ observing and copying the behaviour of aggressive role models. More likely to copy aggressive models who are: respected or liked or high status familiar or similar rewarded for their behaviours Neurological/biological approaches Epi-genetics = Gene-environment interactions 17 genes are linked with aggressive behaviour Genes + a type of environment or predisposition (e.g., impulsivity) that enhances the likelihood of aggression  Neurotransmitters linked with aggression Serotonin deficits linked to aggression low serotonin → poorer impulse control Dopamine levels with ADHD linked with impulsivity Impulsivity then linked with aggression Hormones linked with aggression High testosterone linked to aggression Especially when also low cortisol & low serotonin  Biological approaches Different brain structures Accelerator: Activation of Limbic System especially in Amygdala (emotion centre) No conscious control over Limbic system– i.e. automatic Brake: Poor function or damage to the frontal lobes impulse control emotion management Self-control consideration of consequences Structural and functional deficits in Orbitofrontal cortex (mostly RH) Anterior Cingulate Cortex (Mostly RH) Dorsolateral Prefrontal cortex (LH) Increased aggression is associated with: Lower resting heart rate Under-arousal of both the central nervous system and autonomic nervous system Lower electrodermal, cardiovascular, and cortical (i.e., EEG) arousal Low basal cortisol (stress hormone) levels  Organisational Psychology Bullying in the workplace Workplace aggression Indirect aggression Dominance and status Perception Role of what we see, hear, feel Cues for fight or flight mechanisms, peripheral vision Link between Noise, heat and aggression  Personality approaches Freud believes in Aggressive drive ❖ Everyone has innate aggressive and sexual drives learned material becomes part of our personality I.e. not only traits Includes Schemas (knowledge structures), scripts, beliefs & attitudes Big 5 linked with aggression Low agreeableness (low compliance, altruism) Low conscientiousness (little thinking, reflecting) High neuroticism (negative emotions, poor self-regulation) Low extraversion (low warmth and positivity)  Relationship Psychology Indirect aggression and relational aggression Domestic violence Child abuse Power and dominance Jealousy Social Psychology Aggression elicited by the situation rather than the personality Cognitive dissonance theory individuals experience a tension when their behavior contradicts their thoughts Social Interaction Theory aggression as a way of achieving desired goals goals may include: obtaining something of value, getting revenge Having a certain reputation/image (e.g. tough & competent)  The General Aggression Model (GAM) Whether someone responds to a situation with aggression depends on: thoughts, feelings physiological responses that are aroused how much that person thinks through their response  Person Inputs Situational inputs Increase or decrease readiness to Provide the stimulus for an aggressive aggressive response Aggressive Cues genetic predispositions Frustration Personality (including schemas etc.) Pain Drugs Beliefs, Attitudes, Scripts Emotional tendencies; temperament Routes – Cognitions Routes – Affects Routes – Arousal Mood and emotion Some types of arousal reduce Activation of hostile thoughts Activation of anger, heart rate Schemas hostility, shame, Blood pressure humiliation etc. scripts whilst others types of arousal Expressive motor increase aggression responses Social learning theory Under-researched. Are automatic Script theory physiological Excitation transfer Cognitive neo-association reactions that occur theory with specific emotions, usually Social cognition involving changes to facial expressions.  Outcomes Immediate Appraisal Re-appraisal Automatic Controlled evaluation Influenced by present internal state cycles of considering past experiences causes for the event relevant memories the cycling process ceases and a thoughtful action occurs i cubed model (Slotter & Finkel, 2011) The 3 “i”’s ❖ Instigator (e.g. provocation, social rejection) ❖ Impellers (e.g. trait aggression, Motivation) ❖ Inhibitors (e.g. self control & self regulation) Aggression depends on the net effect of the risk factors (impellers & instigators) and protective factors (inhibitors)  Week 4 Are researchers evenly split on media violence effects? Arnold Schwarzenegger & Video game sellers Edmund Brown Arnold wanted the sellers to be fined for allowing minors to buy Violent Video games This went to the US Supreme Court: Gruel brief — 102 signees (all scholars) Argued YES violent games have negative effects “violent video games are causally related to later aggressive behavior in children and adolescents.” Millett brief – 82 signees - medical scientists, industry representatives, owners, Argued there are NO effects However did NOT actively research the effects of video games (Deana Pollard Sacks et al., 2011)  Effects of violent media Short term Increases in aggressive thoughts, feelings & behaviour Long term More fearful about violence in the world Overestimate likelihood of being a victim Age dependent Emotional desensitisation to violence Less concern about others’ suffering Subtle long-term changes to thinking: Hostile attributional bias —- tendency to interpret others' behaviors as having hostile intent Increase in normative beliefs approving aggression Aggressive problem solving scripts for behaviour  Risk factors for aggression: Warburton 7 nation study 1. Peer delinquency (most influential) 2. Media violence (something we can change) 3. Peer victimisation 4. Neighborhood crime 5. Gender (being male) 6. Abusive parenting (least influential) Warburton & Laird (2024) Predictors of post-game aggression Risk factor Protective factor Machiavellianism Self control Psychopathy Parental attachment Adverse life experiences Empathy Media violence exposure  Underlying psychological/neuro processes Observations of TV violence Encoding scripts Practice of scripts by imitating behaviour Increased access to aggressive scripts Leads to aggressive reactions to conflict Brain-mapping Study in Texas Murray et al children ages 8 - 12 Compared activations of violent and non-violent TV shown 3 min clips Violent – boxing Non-violent Fixation — blank screen with a cross in the middle  Findings: Viewing violent media Impulse control Reduced activity of prefrontal cortex ❖ Less conscious control of behaviour ❖ Less control of emotions & impulses Limbic system high activation starting with amygdala Increase in emotional responses Responses may be more automatic —> less thought through Memory storage images of violence —> stored in posterior cingulate memories are easily recalled and may intrude on thoughts. left hemisphere of brain right hemisphere of brain = less activation = more activation Processes positive emotions processes negative emotions e.g. happiness e.g. anger, jealousy, sadness Violent gaming relates to General Aggression Model  Waite et al., 1992 removing MTV channel in a security forensic hospital. Measured aggression in patients with severe behavioural problems & personality disintegration Measured aggression after 22 weeks reduction in aggression This provides evidence that TV/Media has a large effect on aggressive behaviour