Development of Aggressive Behavior

Aggression Behavior – In childhood Biology/Physiology (last two chapters) (pre-birth) Environment (this chapter) (post-birth) Chapter 1 Instinctive Drives – Evolutionary Perspective Externally created Motivations Frustration-Aggression model Aggressive Cue Theory Excitation Transfer Theory Cognitive Models Cognitive Neoassociation Model Cognition-Excitation Interdependencies Learned Behavior Social Learning Theory

Social Learning Theory Aggression is Acquired through Biological factors (mechanisms) Learning (activation) Aggression is Regulated through External rewards/punishments Vicarious Reinforcement Self-regulatory Mechanisms

Acquisition - Learning Direct experience After doing it yourself, experience feedback (Rewards and Punishments) such as material incentives, money, desired objects, toys, candy, social approval, increased status Observational Learning What? Who?

Regulation External – Rewards and punishments Successful aggression Tangible rewards Social rewards and approval Reduction in pain/mistreatment Emotions like pride, guilt Vicarious – Rewards and punishments Self-administered – Rewards and punishments

Four conceptual categories for rewards and punishments: Positive reward, which increases the frequency of approved behavior by adding something desirable to the situation Negative reward, which increases the frequency of approved behavior by removing something distressful from the situation Positive punishment, which decrease the frequency of unwanted behavior by adding something undesirable to the situation Negative punishment, which decreases the frequency of unwanted behavior by removing something desirable form the situation

Acquisition – Learning (cont) Family Primary source of early socialization Family level Parent-child Sibling Punishment (learning, arousal, not internalize standards) Monitoring (supervision) Consistency (follow-up on commands same way every time)

Acquisition – Learning (cont) Peers “I didn’t know all these different ways to hurt someone, but now I do!” More peer interactions = more aggression More victimization = more aggression (provocative victims, not passive) Media Bobo doll – but problems…no generalization? Experimental – but problems…no generalization? Real-world – but problems…

Implications: Eron & Heusmann, 1985 50 Females Males 40 30 20 10 Low Med High Low Med High Frequency of TV Viewing at Age 8 DV: Seriousness of Criminal Act by Age 30

Problem Many anti-social role models

Modeling (summary) Learn new information – new and different ways to be aggressive Learn new information – cultural rules about what is appropriate, when, whom, etc. Learn new information – the more you witness, the more desensitized, disinhibited Learning new information – alter image of reality, as more violent, more hostile expectations

“Using” Social Learning Path model of being able to use it Attention (pay attention to model) Retention (remember the behavior) Motor Reproduction (ability to replicate) Motivational (want to do it) Path model of knowing what to do Textbook’s version is Dodge & Crick Encode (aware) Interpret (hostile) Response search (options) Response evaluation (choose one) Response enactment (do it)