Deck 10: Aggression: Antisocial Behavior

Question 1

What is the conceptual definition of aggression?

Answer 1

Any behavior whose proximate intent is harm to another person

Question 2

Would hitting someone in order to prevent him/her from putting his/her life at risk be considered an act of aggression? Why?

Answer 2

Yes
- It is the proximate and not the ultimate intent that matters

Question 3

What is the difference between instrumental and hostile aggression?

Answer 3

Instrumental aggression seeks harm as a mean to another end
- Hostile aggression seeks harm as a primary goal

Question 4

What kind of aggression is not a response to a perceived threat?

Question 5

Give examples of active, direct, physical aggressive behaviors.

Question 6

Give an example of active, verbal aggressive behaviors.

Question 7

Why do laboratory experiments investigating aggression use procedures in which people think they are harming another person when actually they are not?

Question 8

Give an example of an unethical study of aggression.

Question 9

What is the catharsis hypothesis?*

Question 10

Is the catharsis hypothesis supported by research on aggression?

Question 11

Is it effective to use violence in advertisements? Why?

Question 12

How do social psychologists interpret the fact that the presence of a gun provokes aggression?

Question 13

What factors lead to an increase of the weapons effect?

Question 14

What have studies involving alcohol placebo shown about the link between alcohol and aggression?

Question 15

Why does alcohol consumption lead to more aggression?

Question 16

Besides aggression, what other behaviors does alcohol consumption promote?

Question 17

Why do higher temperatures lead to an increase of aggression?

Question 18

What is meant by the phenomenon of excitation transfer?

Question 19

What is the hypothesis that competes with the excitation transfer hypothesis?

Question 20

According to Nisbett (1993), in the United States, why do the south and some parts of the west have higher homicide rates than the north and east?