aggression

definition focus on harm not pain can cause pain cause pain in order to help intent is crucial So…. Intentional, with aim to cause harm or pain with no benefit to target

Physical aggression Different from most behaviors most can express explain arousal, explain behavior sex and aggression restricted

sex Cannot always express impulse rules about expression when, where, with whom penalties for breaking rules but healthy, normal, acceptable

Aggression Also restricted but not normally acceptable not healthy not generally allowed

Two questions What causes aggressive feelings? what causes them to be expressed?

Why the impulse? Evolution yes, helpful but for women as well as men for almost all animals

innate Seems to be part of human nature boys more than girls? Physical vs. verbal

Problems of studying Real-world studies laboratory problems cannot allow real aggression cannot use strong stimuli physical aggression rare hard to generalize

Frustration-aggression Frustration - anger, aggressive feelings less or none when justified does not always produce actual aggression

cues Leonard Berkowitz guns serve as cues - maybe Situation elicits or discourages - yes

Guns and murder Yes, a correlation not necessarily due to cue mostly ease of killing

Learning aggression Yes, affected by rewards/punishments also by imitation, social pressure, etc. But….

abusive parent produces aggressive child? most not also abusive many abusive parents were not abused so connection is not clear link is pretty weak and best

Father-absent families More juveniles in trouble with the law yet fathers are the violent ones (usually) so might expect more aggression main factor is poverty and lack of attention

Conclusion - what matters Being physically abused minor factor quality of family life attachment, attention parenting in general

Corporal punishment??? - con Why hit kids and no one else? Not effective - has reverse effect makes angry kids model and become aggressive

Corporal punishment?? - pro Parents in unique position no evidence of bad outcomes is effective in preventing behavior parents are people also

also Cultures differ in acceptance how child perceives is crucial may matter more when not accepted

Sub-culture Extremely important criminal, gangs, macho, etc. Vs. education, cooperation, moral by society or parts of society

But remember Even in “bad” neighborhood some are aggressive - some are not even in “good”neighborhood

Catharsis Acting reduces feelings? Yes mainly when against cause of anger and this reduces aggression - probably

vicarious Watching reduces feelings - rarely maybe when cause is the one being harmed then it may reduce aggression

Pornography and aggression

More porn but less violence More explicit pornography Violent sexual crimes declined if porn causes violence, why has it declined?

Experimental research Very difficult - weird situation demand equating the programs one or two programs???

Real-world research Magazines and rape - wrong! Macho culture most explicit not related

Use by offenders and prevent crime Marshall - yes they use more all others - no, either same or less and may use to reduce urge and prevent crime

Erotica almost always reduces aggression no evidence of actual aggression desensitization?? To porn yes...

Ethics? Informed consent what is the rationale maybe just permission debriefing removes it

TV violence and aggression Aggressive kids watch more TV violence small correlation - .1 to .3 only 1% to 10% of variation so a relatively minor factor

Method - not so easy Measuring tv viewing measuring aggressiveness

They are correlated Must ask why?

experiments Gives permission to be aggressive? Endorses the program? Hard to measure aggression in lab why is this program being shown? Gives permission to be aggressive? Endorses the program?

Field studies Measure TV violence and aggression at time one measure again later look for effect

If TV causes aggression

If no causal effect

Video games yes – correlation Is it causal? Hard to study Experiments unrealistic

Explain the correlation Personality - some are aggressive they act aggressively and like violent media same as with boys and girls

Social explanation Single parents, poor family lack attention and other activities they are less happy - more aggressive they have less to do - watch more tv etc. they are monitored less - more violent tv