Deck 12: Aggression

Question 1

Despite some disagreement about what 'aggression' entails,there appears to be consensus that aggression at least involves

A) the intention to harm
B) actual harm or injury to persons
C) hurting people and the destruction of property
D) all of the above

Answer 1

the intention to harm

Question 2

When reviewing the empirical literature on aggression,it is good scientific practice to

A) only consider studies which define and operationalise aggression in a manner consistent with our own beliefs
B) critically question whether we can generalise the findings from analogue measures of aggression to real-life settings
C) both A and B
D) none of the above

Answer 2

critically question whether we can generalise the findings from analogue measures of aggression to real-life settings

Question 3

If we define aggression as 'intentionally inflicting harm upon others',which of following qualify as aggression?

A) Verbal abuse of a work mate
B) Accidentally killing someone with a car
C) Self-mutilation
D) Suicide

Answer 3

Verbal abuse of a work mate

Question 4

For ethical reasons the experimental study of aggression in social psychology has most commonly used

A) the bogus pipeline technique
B) archival research methods
C) observational techniques
D) analogue measures

Question 5

Aggression can be studied

A) in experimental settings ONLY
B) in naturalistic settings ONLY
C) in experimental AND naturalistic settings
D) none of the above

Question 6

The ethological approach strengthened the view that human aggression originated from an instinct based on

A) comparison of aggression emitted by females and males
B) the analysis of collective aggression
C) comparison with animal behaviour
D) the study of individual aggression

Question 7

The evolutionary social psychological approach maintains that aggression

A) is a remnant from early human development not yet eradicated through socialisation
B) needs to be 'unlearned' at an early childhood stage
C) is a species' adaptive strategy to aid the survival of the species
D) has lost its function in today's world

Question 8

Innate drives or impulses that are genetically transmitted are

A) instincts
B) reflexes
C) templates
D) survival strategies

Question 9

Which of the following is a characteristic of an instinct?

A) It shows itself identically in all individuals
B) It revolves around a well-learned response
C) It cannot adapt to a normal environment
D) It benefits both the species and the individual

Question 10

A fundamental assumption of biological explanations of aggression is that

A) aggression is an innate action tendency that is genetically determined
B) all aggression stems from hormonal imbalances
C) aggression is learned through social models
D) all of the above

Question 11

The debate about whether a biological or a social explanation offers a better account of aggression exemplifies the

A) subjectivity of psychological constructs
B) rift between psychologists and psychiatrists
C) multifaceted construct of aggression
D) nature-nurture controversy

Question 12

When reviewing the empirical literature on aggression,an important factor to consider is

A) different researchers operationalise aggression in different ways
B) empirical studies of aggression are not very informative
C) only experiments that involve physical aggression are valid
D) none of the above

Question 13

Let us say that we want to study violence in young children.We go to a pre-school setting where we set up a large,soft plastic doll and arrange for an adult to punch it.Later,we observe how often individual children hit the doll.The measure of hitting the doll is

A) a direct test of violence in children
B) unacceptable under ethical guidelines
C) bad luck for the doll
D) an experimental analogue of aggression

Question 14

Evolutionary social psychology,ethology and Freudian theory all have a strong ________ emphasis in explaining aggression.

A) biological
B) group norm
C) societal
D) situational

Question 15

In investigating the external validity of research on aggression,Anderson and Bushman (1997)reported that

A) effects found in laboratory settings are intensified in real life
B) there was no correlation between studies using analogues and real-life situations
C) there are parallels between the laboratory and real life for certain pre-conditions
D) laboratory studies are invalid

Question 16

The three major theoretical accounts of aggression that feature biology are

A) evolutionary social psychology, social learning theory and Freudian theory
B) Freudian theory, evolutionary social psychology and ethology
C) evolutionary social psychology, ethology and operant psychology
D) Bandura's theory, Lorenz's theory and Freudian theory

Question 17

The view that aggression stems from an innate 'death instinct' (Thanatos)is the ________ approach.

A) social learning
B) psychodynamic
C) ethological
D) evolutionary

Question 18

Aggression can be defined as

A) behaviour that results in personal injury or destruction of property
B) behaviour intended to harm another of the same species
C) the intentional infliction of some form of harm on others
D) all of the above are correct definitions

Question 19

Agreement among people about what constitutes aggression is

A) to an extent an outcome of sociocultural factors
B) limited to cases involving serious physical assault
C) mostly illusory, because they have different things in mind
D) laid down in the law

Question 20

The nature-nurture question with respect to aggression asks

A) which set of predictors, biological or social, offer a better explanation
B) which natural hormone causes violence
C) if conditioning or learning is the main cause
D) whether birth parents or adoptive parents spank their children more

Question 21

According to social learning theory,an aggressive response

A) does not require a direct reinforcer in order to be learned
B) is delivered in the form of a shock, as in Milgram's study
C) is common among macho types
D) all of the above

Question 22

Connie showers quickly after her gym workout.She hurries home to have a quick snack to find that her flatmates have left a pile of dirty dishes in the sink.She yells angrily at them.Being social psychology students they know that Connie's reaction can be explained by

A) discourse analysis
B) the excitation-transfer model
C) evolutionary theory
D) the frustration-aggression model

Question 23

A limitation of biological explanations of aggression is that

A) some of these explanations depend on energy that is unknown and immeasurable
B) these explanations have little utility in the prevention or control of aggression
C) these explanations are supported by only limited and biased empirical observation of actual human behaviour
D) all of the above

Question 24

The acquisition,instigation and maintenance of aggressive behaviour are concepts featured in

A) the behavioural stage model
B) Bandura's social learning theory
C) the frustration-aggression model
D) evolutionary social psychology

Question 25

The urge to aggress is innate,but to manifest itself it must also be released by an appropriate stimulus.This idea was promoted by the

A) ethologists
B) social learning theorists
C) neo-Freudians
D) determinists

Question 26

Which of the following examples is based on the cathartic hypothesis?

A) I will probably physically assault my partner if I have already verbally abused my partner
B) If I meditate I won't be violent in other settings
C) I will probably not physically assault my partner if I have already verbally abused my partner
D) I will be less violent in a variety of ways if I physically smash up opponents in a contact sport

Question 27

A link between levels of testosterone and the tendency to aggress is suggested by evidence arising from the study of

A) high testosterone levels in extreme sports participants
B) transsexuals being treated with testosterone as part of their sex reassignment
C) ADHD children in the classroom
D) males aggressing less than females

Question 28

The term 'learning by vicarious experience' refers to the acquisition of a

A) child by a group of angry peers
B) vicious behaviour after being reprimanded
C) class of religious behaviour learned by vicars
D) behaviour after observing that another person was rewarded for that behaviour

Question 29

A major flaw in the frustration-aggression model was that it

A) could only apply to a long-standing feud
B) was unable to account for the effects of stressors such as very hot weather
C) could not predict which frustrating events acted as a precursor
D) could not explain actions taken by the Mafia

Question 30

'I think I will be a peaceful person if I learn to box and vent my frustrations in the boxing ring.' This belief is an example of the ________ hypothesis at work.

A) frustration-aggression
B) cathartic
C) fundamental attribution
D) contact

Question 31

Jack is watching television and sees a clip on the news of a schoolboy throwing a sandwich at Julia Gillard.The next day at school,Jack throws his sandwich at a teacher.This is an example of

A) modelling
B) food wastage
C) the frustration-aggression hypothesis
D) none of the above

Question 32

Which of the following is NOT correlated with higher levels of aggression?

A) Narcissism
B) Poor frustration tolerance
C) Child abuse
D) High self-esteem

Question 33

It is possible that some acts of aggression arise from: (a)a learned aggressive behaviour,(b)a person's arousal from an earlier,unrelated source,and (c)a later interpretation of the cause of the arousal state such that an aggressive response seems appropriate.A model that argues this way is the

A) vicarious learning model
B) aptly named three-component model
C) excitation-transfer model
D) frustration-aggression model

Question 34

The frustration-aggression hypothesis and the excitation-transfer model both explain aggression

A) as an outcome of a state of arousal
B) as a response elicited by a social event
C) by taking a biosocial approach
D) all of the above

Question 35

Bandura and Walters (1963)found that the effect on children learning aggression through mere observation of a violent model was most pronounced when the aggression was observed

A) live
B) as a cartoon
C) as part of a fairytale
D) on videotape

Question 36

In a longitudinal study of antisocial behaviour by Strauss and colleagues (1997),it was found that the relationship between spanking and children's antisocial behaviour two years later was

A) an inverted curve
B) an almost linear relationship
C) an increasing curve that levelled off
D) non-existent

Question 37

Warren has just been stood up by Christine-again! He is upset and angry,and yells at his flatmates,who have not tidied up the backyard after a house party.The model of aggression that best predicts Warren's outburst is

A) frustration-aggression
B) ethology
C) social learning
D) in-group bias

Question 38

According to ethologists,'releasers' are

A) objects to be legitimately aggressed to divert aggression from the original target
B) events to vent built-up aggression
C) strategies to neutralise tension and avert aggression
D) specific cues that elicit aggression

Question 39

Marta watches her Mum praise Jim,Marta's older brother,for drying the dishes.Marta is a bit jealous and decides she will dry the dishes tomorrow.In the language of social learning theory she has just

A) experienced a powerful emotion
B) learned by direct experience
C) learned by vicarious experience
D) started to idolise Jim

Question 40

Research has indicated that there may be a link,albeit a weak one,between aggression and an individual's

A) level of testosterone
B) Type A personality
C) gender orientation
D) all of the above

Question 41

With respect to the effect of population density on feeling aggressive,data suggest that

A) there is no link between these variables
B) there is a link between these variables, but only in freezing weather
C) a fine-grained measure such as household density is a predictor of savagely violent feelings
D) feeling crowded in a prison environment has led to perceptions of hostility

Question 42

Todd really wants to be a Black Widow gang member.To be judged worthy he must do something really horrible to a member of the White Ant gang.The Black Widow gang is an example of a

A) subculture of violence
B) centrifugal collective
C) negative reference group
D) baiting group

Question 43

Charlie is in a big group of kids at a party and they are all wearing fancy masks.Charlie is likely to become

A) deindividuated
B) violent
C) dehumanised
D) frustrated

Question 44

Two aspects of our physical environment that have been reliably implicated in increasing levels of aggression are

A) heat and economic slumps
B) heat and crowding
C) crowding and economic slumps
D) none of the above

Question 45

In a study investigating the effect that the level of alcohol used might have on the tendency to aggress,Taylor and Sears (1988)found

A) no relationship
B) a curvilinear relationship
C) a positive relationship
D) a negative relationship

Question 46

Dr.Fuerchterlich runs a mental institution.The local whispers say that he does not care for his patients.The doctor instructs his staff to strip new arrivals of their clothes and dress them in identical stripy outfits.We can be fairly sure that he wants to

A) de-louse them as well
B) deindividuate them
C) get to know them later
D) dehumanise them

Question 47

June grows up witnessing her father cursing and driving aggressively in traffic.As an adult she finds herself cursing and driving erratically in traffic.The likely cause of June's behaviour is

A) a script
B) catharsis
C) alcohol
D) hormones

Question 48

The redefinition of male and female roles in most Western societies in recent decades is correlated with

A) an increase in the rate of violent offending among women
B) a decrease in the rate of violent offending among women
C) a decrease in alcohol and drug abuse among women
D) none of the above

Question 49

The Los Angeles riots of 1992,which centred around a less affluent neighbourhood after the acquittal of White police officers,can be reasonably accounted for by

A) relative deprivation
B) the reciprocity principle
C) dehumanisation
D) an ethnic Id

Question 50

Madeline is watching a movie depicting a violent gang 'rumble'.While viewing this,other semantically related thoughts automatically and unconsciously come into her head such as kicking,punching and shooting a gun.This process is referred to as

A) observational learning
B) priming
C) social learning
D) the weapons effect

Question 51

Research on gender differences and aggression has confirmed that

A) there is no difference in the amount of aggression
B) although males are more aggressive they hold less aggressive attitudes than females
C) the degree of a gender difference varies according to the type of aggression
D) aggression in males is linked to the survival instinct

Question 52

Merely having a weapon at hand increases the likelihood that it will be used.This notion is referred to as

A) the aggression-likelihood model
B) the weapons effect
C) a subculture of violence
D) the fighting instinct syndrome

Question 53

According to the general aggression model,factors that contribute to the expression of aggression include

A) affective, cognitive and arousal-related processes
B) personal and situational factors
C) thoughtful versus impulsive appraisals
D) all of the above

Question 54

A code that demands that challenges or insults be met with violence is

A) catharsis
B) machismo
C) mosaic
D) symbolic

Question 55

The interpretation that a video depicting a shooting during a bank robbery may prime other antisocial behaviours relates to

A) base-level analysis
B) vicarious learning theory
C) the excitation-transfer model
D) a neo-associationist analysis

Question 56

With regard to weather patterns,violence is most likely to occur when

A) there is a high pressure system
B) it is cold
C) it is hot
D) there are extremely changeable conditions

Question 57

If Josephine becomes disinhibited,she is more likely to act

A) illegally
B) antisocially
C) immorally
D) all of the above

Question 58

Should adolescents be allowed to play very violent video games? This debate brings into conflict which two opposing social psychological views?

A) Social learning theory versus the cathartic hypothesis
B) Psychodynamics versus the Jungian archetype
C) The contact hypothesis versus social evolutionary theory
D) The inverted U-curve hypothesis versus the J-curve

Question 59

A study of boys and girls at Australian primary schools between 1979-1981 by Sheehan (1983),found

A) a correlation between children's television viewing habits and their level of aggressive behaviour
B) correlations between viewing violent television programs and peer-rated aggression in older children
C) stronger correlations for boys between viewing violent programs and aggression compared to girls
D) all of the above

Question 60

The likelihood of being verbally and physically assaulted is highest

A) in a hot and crowded pub
B) in cities rather than rural areas
C) in a department store sale swarming with bargain hunters
D) at an afternoon rock concert

Question 61

In applying intergroup theory to real life events,Tajfel explained war as originating in

A) the Freudian concept of Thanatos
B) the prevalence of authoritarianism
C) an attempt by groups to re-define group boundaries
D) the social structure and government

Question 62

The cumulative effect of violent pornography

A) increases sexual desire in women and men alike
B) has been met by widespread resistance
C) trivialises rape
D) channels aggression into a specific domain

Question 63

Milgram's term 'agentic state' refers to a person's

A) internalisation of norms promoting aggression by the majority
B) likelihood of aggressing under stressful conditions
C) psychological detachment from their true personality
D) state of mind that is unquestioningly obedient to the law and its enforcing agents

Question 64

Massive exposure to violent pornography over a long period of time can

A) lead both males and females to be more aggressive
B) increase aggression against someone who is annoying
C) lead a person to view rape in a more tolerant light
D) all of the above

Question 65

Studies of domestic violence have indicated that

A) it is most prevalent in pre-industrialised societies
B) alcohol acts as a sedative to reduce violence
C) about 80 per cent of violent offending takes place 'at home'
D) people who have been violated in childhood usually seek counselling

Question 66

The abuse syndrome is a term referring to

A) peer or gang abuse of children
B) the repetitive abuse of their spouses by males
C) an increased prevalence of domestic violence amongst minority members
D) a chronic repetition of violence within a family

Question 67

National defence,the protection of civilians,self-defence and behaviour control are examples of

A) social order functions of aggression
B) institutionalised aggression
C) tokenist justifications of aggression
D) wasted resources

Question 68

'War is not possible without a supportive psychological structure to which people commit both their feelings and their emotions.' This statement throws into bold relief

A) the futility of war
B) the tripartite model of attitude
C) the Passover effect
D) the role of the state

Question 69

Linz,Donnerstein & Penrod (1988)found that when women were depicted enjoying violent pornography

A) men were later more willing to aggress
B) men were later more willing to aggress but only against women
C) men were later more willing to aggress but only against men
D) none of the above

Question 70

Aggression that is given formal or informal recognition and social legitimacy by being incorporated into rules and norms is referred to as

A) social order
B) abuse syndrome
C) institutionalised aggression
D) agentic state