Transcript Aggression II: Situational Cues

Aggression II: Situational Cues
To what extent is aggression a learned behavior?
• Genetic/biological factors contribute
• Learning also contributes
– Direct reinforcement
– Observational learning
• In natural environment
• Media
Situational cues to aggression:
Role models
• Albert Bandura’s Bobo doll studies
• IV: Adult model behaves aggressively or
not while child is doing an art activity
• DV: Preschool child’s behavior during free
play
• Results: Those who saw the aggressive
model behaved more aggressively than
those who did not. Imitated adult.
• Social Learning: Social behavior can be
learned by observing others and imitating
them.
Who do we observe?
• Aggressive models in everyday life
– Parents
– Teachers
– Peers
– Media figures
When people watch TV violence, are they more
likely to behave aggressively?
• (National Television Violence study, 1997)
• 6 in 10 programs contain violence
• By end of elementary school, the avg
child watches about 8,000 TV murders
and 100,000 other violent acts
• Of the shows that contain violence, about
78% show aggression without remorse,
criticism, or penalty for that violence.
• About 40% of the violent incidents on TV
in this study were initiated by characters
who were heroes or other attractive role
models for children.
Does watching violence on TV have any
bearing on what children actually do?
• The evidence is clear: Watching
violence on TV increases children's
aggressive behavior.
– Evidence from correlational studies, field
studies, and controlled laboratory
experiments.
– Also true for violent video games
Longitudinal Studies of children (Eron &
Huesmann)
• 875 children at age 8 to ages 19 and 30
• Violence viewing at age 8 predicted how
aggressive the person was at age 19
• But behaving aggressively at age 8 did NOT
predict watching more violence at age 19.
• At age 30, men who as children had watched
a great deal of violent television were more
likely to have been convicted of a serious
crime.
Correlational Limitations
• Prospective data, but still cannot be sure of
cause-and-effect
• 3rd variables: Kids w/more aggressive
tendencies might watch more aggressive shows
on TV and become more aggressive later in life.
• Still, better than most correlational studies
because prospective & test many alternative
explanations.
Experimental evidence: Cause and
effect relationship
• The experimental evidence
overwhelmingly shows that watching
violence on TV does indeed increase
aggressive behavior in children.
Controlled experiments: Detection of a
cause-and-effect relationship
• Liebert and Baron
• Elementary school children (ages five to six and 8-9,
half boys, half girls)
• IV: extremely violent TV episode police drama (The
Untouchables) or exciting but nonviolent TV sporting
event (running, jumping)
• DV: “Hurting” or “helping” another child
• Children who watched the more violent show were
more likely than those in the control group to “hurt”
the other child and to play more aggressively in later
“free play” session.
Field studies
• Leyens and colleagues
• Delinquent boys watched different amounts
of media violence over an extended period of
time.
• Most kids showed more aggressive behavior
after being exposed to large amounts of
media violence than after exposure to more
benign programs. True even for kids who
were LOW in aggression.
Studies of adults
• (Phillips, 1986)
• Daily homicide rates in the U.S.
increased during the week following a
heavyweight boxing match.
• More publicity, greater increase in
homicides.
• Homicides directed toward race of
loser
Studies of adults: General findings
• Numbing effect of TV violence
– Habituation/desensitization
• General findings: After watching violence in a
TV show, adults are less physiologically
reactive to additional violence, and they
behave more aggressively than those in
control groups.
Is viewing violent pornography related to
aggression?
– Yes.
• Research by Neil Malamuth, Ed
Donnerstein and colleagues.
–Exposure to violent pornography
promotes greater acceptance of
sexual violence toward women &
more actual aggression.
Effects of violent pornography
• Donnerstein experiment
• Female confederate angered participants.
• IV: Men watched an aggressive-erotic film involving
rape, a purely erotic film without aggression, or a
neutral film that was neither aggressive nor erotic.
• DV: Administer electric shocks to the female
confederate when he or she gave incorrect answers
• Those men who had earlier seen the rape
subsequently administered the most
intense shocks to the female confederate.
• Other work: Seeing violent pornography
increases aggression to female
confederate but not to a male confederate.
Ethical issues?
• Explain clearly what kinds of films the Ps
will be watching
• Ps give their full consent
• Extensively debrief by explaining the
differed experimental conditions, and
discussing the myths communicated in the
films.
What is the effect of debriefing on men’s
attitudes?
• Other work: When college men were
shown a pornographic aggressive film
(vs. control), their belief in the rape
myth increased. But after full
debriefing, they became LESS
accepting of rape myths than a control
group.
Is viewing violent less sexually explicit material
(e.g., X-rated slasher films) related to
aggression?
• Yes.
• Linz and colleagues exposed male
participants to as few as 2 slasher films
spaced two days apart. Compared to
nonviolent pornography and teen movies
w/sexual content.
• Compared men's emotional reactions and
perceptions of women after the first and
second films.
• After 2nd film, men showed less emotional
response to the violent content of the film
and found the treatment of the women in
the film less degrading than after the 1st
film (habituation).
Linz et al.
• TWO days later…”unrelated study”
involving reenactment of a rape trial:
• Perceptions of rape trial: Men exposed to
slasher films expressed less sympathy for
the rape victim in the trial than those who
had watched the nonviolent pornography or
teen films w/sexual content.
• Also, men exposed to the slasher films
expressed less sympathy for the rape victim
in the trial, as well as less empathy for rape
victims in general.
Summary
• Combination of sex and violence
increases aggression and often increases
the acceptance of violence toward women.
Is viewing nonviolent pornography related to
aggression? To attitudes toward women?
– If mildly arousing, no.
– If highly arousing & pornographic, yes.
• Increases male to female aggression more than
male to male aggression.
Nonviolent pornography & aggression (Zillmann
and Bryant, 1984)
• IV: Exposed to large number of pornographic films
(Zillmann and Bryant, 1984) or not (neutral films or
no films)
• DV: Attitude toward rapist and rape (when reading
about rape trial)
• Exposure to large number of pornographic
associated w/less aggression by men and women
toward a same-sex confederate than controls.
• Later: Those exposed to large number
recommended a lighter sentence for the rapist than
did controls; true for both MALE AND FEMALE
students.
• Watching nonviolent pornography
increases male to female aggression more
than male to male aggression possibly
because films depersonalize or objectify
women and indirectly support more
negative attitudes toward them.
How can we reduce violence and
aggression?
• Conventional wisdom: Vent your feelings.
• Sometimes called “catharsis” – The idea
that behaving aggressively (hitting a
punching bag) or watching aggression
relieves and reduces pent-up aggressive
feelings.
• Evidence suggests that catharsis
is____________.
How can we reduce aggression?
• Everyone who has gone to public school
knows that schoolyard bullying is a
pervasive problem. Using material from
text and lecture, discuss strategies for
reducing bullying.
• Aronson – jigsaw technique
• Argues that to reduce school violence
must eliminate exclusionary, cliquish
atmosphere of most high schools.
• Teach problem-solving skills
• Build empathy