Deck 6: Human Aggression

Question 1

Most social psychologists agree that aggression is:

A) primarily biological
B) primarily learned
C) both learned and biological
D) situational in origin

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Nisbett found higher rates of violence in traditionally herding regions of the United States such as:

A) the Atlantic coast
B) the Pacific coast
C) the Midwest
D) the South

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which species of animals are we most like when it comes to aggression?

A) Chimps
B) Bonobos
C) Somewhere in between the chimps and bonobos
D) Human behavior cannot be compared to animal behavior

Answer 3

C

Question 4

When a culture of honor is part of a male's central identity, it is likely to contribute to:

A) less child and domestic violence
B) more respectful behavior directed at women
C) fewer aggressive acts
D) an increased number of aggressive acts

Question 5

Freud believed that aggressive energy could be channeled so that the person's behavior actually worked toward the good of society. He called this process:

A) catharsis
B) vicarious aggression
C) sublimation
D) Thanatos

Question 6

The Iroquois Indians lived in peace for hundreds of years as a hunting nation, but in the seventeenth century, trade introduced by Europeans brought the Iroquois into competition with a neighboring tribe. A series of tribal wars developed, and the Iroquois ultimately became ferocious and successful warriors. This series of events suggest that:

A) warlike behavior is the result of uncontrollable aggressive instincts
B) competition inevitably leads to violence
C) changing social conditions can lead to changes in aggressive behavior
D) aggressive behavior ensures evolutionary survival

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT true about males and females in regard to aggression?

A) Boys are physically more aggressive than girls.
B) Women are more often arrested for property crimes than for crimes of violence against people.
C) Prisoners with higher levels of testosterone in prison violate more rules.
D) Girls and women engage in more relational aggression than boys and men.

Question 8

Dabbs found higher naturally occurring ______ in prisoners convicted of violent crimes.

A) testosterone
B) estrogen
C) vasopressin
D) oxytocin

Question 9

Evolution has given us both a propensity to attack when we feel threatened or in competition for resources and:

A) a strong inhibitory mechanism to suppress aggression if it is in our best interests
B) very little control over the amount of violence used even if less would be in our best interests
C) an inability to shape the form of the aggression used against other humans
D) an inability to stop aggression once it has started in a situation

Question 10

The authors of your book would most likely agree with the following statement regarding aggression:

A) Aggressive behavior is almost entirely the result of social influences.
B) Once learned, aggressive behavior is nearly impossible to modify.
C) Aggressive behavior is the result of an interplay between innate propensities and learned responses.
D) Once learned, aggressive feelings must be released through catharsis.

Question 11

Overall, research indicates that:

A) aggression is not instinctive among humans but is instinctive among other animals
B) aggression is not an instinct in either humans or nonhumans
C) aggression may have an instinctual component in humans, but it is also highly modifiable by situational factors
D) over the course of human evolution, aggression has changed from an instinct to a learned behavior

Question 12

Kuo conducted a study in which he raised a kitten in the same cage as a rat. As an adult, the cat refrained from attacking the rat, and, in fact, the two became close companions. The cat never chased or attacked any other rats as well. This study indicates that:

A) aggressive behavior can be inhibited by early experiences
B) aggression is not instinctive
C) aggression is not instinctive in cats
D) the aggressive instinct does not operate when an animal is raised in captivity

Question 13

The authors of your textbook report the following about physical violence between dating partners:

A) There were no differences in the percentages of male and females who were physically aggressive with their partners.
B) Physical violence was low in college dating couples.
C) Males were significantly more physically aggressive than females with their partners.
D) Females were significantly more physically aggressive than males with their partners.

Question 14

Cohen and Nisbett found that male students from the ______ were the most likely to retaliate aggressively against a confederate they felt had insulted them.

A) South
B) North
C) Northwest
D) Midwest

Question 15

Males who had been castrated (so that testosterone was completely eliminated) were more aggressive after surgery:

A) even when not provoked
B) if they also had elevated levels of cortisol
C) if they had more experience being aggressive before castration
D) regardless of prior aggressive experiences

Question 16

Which of the following would most likely be considered an act of aggression by Aronson's definition?

A) A football player tackling a practice dummy
B) An actor rehearsing a fight scene who accidentally punches a stuntman, breaking his nose
C) A middle school child angrily but harmlessly hits his father
D) A person whose comment unintentionally hurts a friend's feelings

Question 17

Nisbett theorized that herders learn to be hyperalert to any threatening act (real or perceived) and to respond immediately with force. This emphasis on aggressiveness and vigilance fosters what he termed:

A) a culture of honor
B) a culture of cowboys
C) agricultural backlash
D) machismo

Question 18

In general, if males and females were raised under identical circumstances, we would expect:

A) no difference in the use of physical violence in males and females
B) males to be more likely to use physical aggression and females more likely to use relational aggression
C) a preference for relational aggression over physical aggression in both males and females
D) physical aggression in both males and females, but for very different reasons

Question 19

According to Freud, society performs an essential and beneficial function in regulating the instinct of aggression by:

A) forbidding opportunities for people to express their aggressive feelings
B) giving people free reign to express their aggressive feelings at those who provoke their anger
C) helping people to sublimate destructive energy into acceptable or useful behavior
D) helping people to direct their aggressive energy inward in the form of self-punishment

Question 20

Sigmund Freud would most likely be associated with the idea that aggression:

A) is instinctive
B) is a socially learned response
C) needs to be strictly controlled in order to protect a person's mental health
D) is a result of societal problems

Question 21

John is frustrated by doing poorly on a college chemistry test because he felt he really knew the material. After the test, he thought he would "blow off steam" by going to his favorite bar and playing video games. This example highlights the principle underlying:

A) reinforcement
B) punishment
C) instinct
D) catharsis

Question 22

According to Aronson's analysis, the riots that occurred in Watts and in Detroit most clearly exemplified the effects of:

A) frustration
B) relative deprivation
C) catharsis
D) social learning

Question 23

In the experiment by Barker, Dembo, and Lewin in which children were delayed or not delayed from playing with attractive toys, the greater aggression of children who were delayed from playing with the toys probably occurred because:

A) of relative deprivation
B) they were angry at the children who weren't delayed from playing with the toys
C) they were frustrated at not getting what they had been led to expect
D) being delayed caused them to dislike the toys

Question 24

The catharsis theory of aggression holds that:

A) aggressive impulses, if kept bottled up, will eventually fade away
B) one act of aggression usually leads to further aggression
C) one act of aggression reduces the likelihood of further acts of aggression
D) frustration leads to aggression

Question 25

Barker, Dembo, and Lewin's classic study of children who were either delayed or not delayed from entering a room full of attractive toys showed that, with regard to aggression:

A) children who were delayed from playing with the toys experienced dissonance and were thus less aggressive than children who were not delayed
B) children who were delayed from playing with the toys experienced frustration and were thus more aggressive than children who were not delayed
C) both groups were equally aggressive, but children who were delayed liked the toys more than children who weren't delayed
D) both groups were equally aggressive, but children who weren't delayed liked the toys more than children who were

Question 26

The social rejection that accompanies bullying in high schools across the United States:

A) can and does lead to aggression toward those who taunt
B) can lead to aggression toward those who taunt and neutral bystanders
C) is a normal and acceptable outcome of social grouping in modern society
D) is not as painful as physical pain and is unlikely to lead to aggression

Question 27

Patterson measured the hostility of high school football players both one week before and one week after the football season. He found that:

A) players exhibited an increase in hostility over the course of the season
B) players exhibited a decrease in hostility over the course of the season
C) players from teams with losing records displayed higher rates of hostility over the course of the season
D) players from teams with winning records displayed higher rates of hostility over the course of the season

Question 28

In the experiment by Kulik and Brown, subjects attempted to earn money by telephoning potential donors (confederates) for charity pledges. Subjects displayed the most aggression when:

A) their expectations were high but their success rate was low
B) they were not personally committed to the charity
C) the potential donors were rude
D) they got a high level of donations but were paid the same as the less successful callers

Question 29

The tension-reducing properties of various types of aggressive acts have been called:

A) catharsis
B) repression
C) deindividuation
D) social facilitation

Question 30

Which of the following perspectives would encourage you to let children watch violent TV programs?

A) psychoanalytic
B) frustration-aggression
C) social learning
D) instinct

Question 31

The "think-drink" effect indicates that aggressive behavior in men may be strongly related to:

A) the amount of alcohol they consume
B) the men's expectations about the effects of alcohol
C) the social constraints situation where they are consuming alcohol
D) whether a provocation came from a male or female

Question 32

In the Voodoo Doll study, husbands were twice as likely to stick the doll representing their wives with pins if:

A) they had consumed alcohol
B) they had an argument at work earlier that day
C) they had low blood sugar
D) the daytime temperature was above 90 degrees

Question 33

Bushman found that husbands were more likely blast their spouses with awful noises after playing a computer game because they:

A) were angry and hungry
B) lost the game to their spouse
C) ate too much chocolate candy in the waiting room
D) had just put their hand in a bucket of ice

Question 34

Research on the effect of environmental conditions suggests that higher air temperature:

A) increases hostility and aggression
B) increases physiological arousal but not aggression
C) decreases arousal and thus decreases aggression
D) has no effect on arousal or aggression

Question 35

Catharsis refers to the idea that:

A) frustration results when a person can't attain his or her goals
B) frustration increases the drive, or activity, state of the organism
C) modeling increases the probability of aggression
D) violence reduces pent-up aggressive energy

Question 36

Research on the effect of environmental conditions suggests that higher air temperature make it more likely that:

A) baseball players will be hit by pitches more frequently when game temperature is 72 degrees
B) violent crime, but not property crime, will be higher on hotter days than cooler days
C) drivers in Phoenix with air conditioning in their cars will honk their horns more in traffic jams than drivers with air conditioning
D) both violent crime and property crime will be higher on hotter days than cooler days

Question 37

In Kahn's experiment, students could express their hostile feelings toward a medical technician who had made derogatory remarks about them. Compared to students who were not allowed to vent, students who vented:

A) felt more remorse after expressing their aggression
B) expressed the same amount of aggression
C) disliked the technician more after expressing their aggression
D) were less likely to aggress when given a second opportunity to vent

Question 38

The pain we receive always feels ________ the pain we inflict.

A) less intense as
B) more intense as
C) equally intense as
D) justified compared to

Question 39

In a "natural experiment" in the real world, some technicians who were laid off by their company were given a chance to verbalize their hostility against their ex-bosses, while other technicians did not have this opportunity. Later, when given a chance to talk about their ex-bosses, workers who had voiced their hostility were ________ than workers who had not voiced their hostility.

A) less negative in their descriptions of their ex-bosses
B) more negative in their descriptions of their ex-bosses
C) more likely to feel empathy toward their ex-bosses
D) less likely to feel socially inferior to their ex-bosses

Question 40

Cognitive dissonance theory predicts that once a person has hurt another, he or she will be ________ likely to hurt the person again in the future. This explanation is ________ the idea of catharsis.

A) more; contrary to
B) less; contrary to
C) more; consistent with
D) less; consistent with

Question 41

In an experiment by Bushman and Anderson, participants who were playing violent video games took five times longer to respond to a victim of a physical attack in an adjacent room than participants who were playing a nonviolent video game. Follow-up research found that the violent video game players:

A) were distracted by the game and missed the calls for help
B) interpreted the incident as "less serious" compared to the nonviolent game players
C) were people who were predisposed to enjoy the pain and suffering of others
D) didn't want to stop game play because they were close to leveling up at the time of the incident in the adjacent room

Question 42

The results of Zimbardo's experiment on deindividuation and aggression, in which some subjects "shocked" a confederate while wearing hoods and loose-fitting robes, suggest that:

A) anonymity reduces concern over social evaluation and therefore tends to increase aggression
B) individuals are usually more aggressive when alone than in groups because there is no one around to make them feel guilty
C) individuals are less aggressive when anonymous because they feel more responsible for their behaviors
D) anonymity reduces self-esteem and therefore increases the likelihood of aggressive behaviors

Question 43

In Bandura's "Bobo doll" study, children who watched an adult act aggressively toward a plastic, air-filled doll:

A) admired the adult more than if the adult had not acted aggressively toward the doll
B) admired the adult less than if the adult had not acted aggressively toward the doll
C) not only imitated the adult's aggressive behavior but also engaged in new forms of aggressive behavior toward the doll
D) wanted the adult to be punished for acting aggressively toward the doll

Question 44

The social-cognitive learning theory of aggression does NOT make which of the following assumptions?

A) Children and adults can learn to be aggressive by observing others.
B) Aggression can be maintained when its occurrence results in tangible rewards for the aggressor.
C) Aggression can be maintained by social reward and approval.
D) Human beings are constantly driven toward violence by built-in internal forces or ever-present external stimuli.

Question 45

Brian Mullen studied lynchings perpetrated from 1899 to 1946 and found that the larger the lynch mobs, the more violent the lynchings. This research suggests that:

A) catharsis is more likely to occur in large crowds than in smaller groups
B) aggressive behavior studied in the laboratory differs greatly from behavior in the "real" world
C) being a "faceless" member of a crowd lowers inhibitions against destructive acts
D) the process of "groupthink" is less powerful in smaller groups

Question 46

Aronson explains the high school shootings like Columbine by:

A) pointing to the males who committed the crimes and their high testosterone levels
B) examining the relative deprivation in high schools for the youth on the bottom being rejected by the groups on top
C) analyzing the macho upbringing these boys have had
D) citing all the violence on TV and these boys wanted to make a name for themselves by participating in a major violent act

Question 47

"Bobo doll" studies found that:

A) children will perform complex modeled responses for the reinforcement of being able to "beat up a Bobo doll"
B) children imitated adults who had been aggressive toward a "Bobo doll" and thus learned new forms of physical and verbal aggression through observation
C) children would not aggress against the "Bobo doll," especially after watching an adult do so
D) after aggressing against a "Bobo doll," children were less likely to engage in hostile behavior toward their playmates

Question 48

Exposure to media violence or video games has the strongest effect on:

A) children who were already predisposed to violence
B) children who were given no exposure to modern media forms
C) female viewers of violent media
D) children who had never previously viewed gruesome scenes from TV shows or video games

Question 49

According to a study by Mallick and McCandless in which children were kept from achieving a goal by another child's clumsiness, the amount of aggression we express after a frustrating experience is often reduced when:

A) we learn that the person who has frustrated us actually intended no harm
B) we are not allowed to retaliate in an appropriate and moderate manner
C) we are threatened with punishment if we retaliate
D) we are exposed to an aggressive model just prior to being frustrated

Question 50

In a study by Berkowitz, subjects were made angry in a room containing either a gun or a badminton racket. Later, when given a chance to administer shocks to a "fellow student," subjects who had been in the room with the gun shocked the other person more than those who had been in the room containing the badminton racket. This study demonstrates:

A) that anger increases the probability of aggressive behavior
B) the power of "aggressive cues" in facilitating aggressive behavior
C) that thoughts about playing nonviolent sports, such as badminton, tend to reduce the probability of aggression
D) that the theory of "catharsis" is unable to explain aggressive behavior

Question 51

A field study found that people who had just seen a violent movie _______ to aid a woman struggling to pick up her crutches compared to people who _______.

A) took longer; were waiting in line to see a movie
B) were aroused and came; saw a less arousing film
C) were just as quick; had seen a nonviolent movie
D) quickly came; were passing by the theater on their way to dinner

Question 52

Gentile and Gentile argue that when elementary schoolchildren and teenagers play many different violent video games, it creates:

A) relational violence with teenage dating partners
B) a desire to participate in violent sports
C) a preference for other forms of violent media, such as TV and movies
D) a hostile attribution bias

Question 53

Children were shown either a film with a great deal of police violence or an exciting bike racing film. Later they played a game of floor hockey. Children who watched the:

A) police violence and who had been previously rated by their teachers as highly aggressive were more verbally and physically aggressive during the game
B) bike racing and who had been previously rated by their teachers as being highly aggressive were more verbally aggressive during the game
C) police violence were more verbally but not physically aggressive during the game
D) bike racing or police violence were equally aggressive during the game

Question 54

A longitudinal research study that followed 430 elementary schoolchildren from the third grade to the fifth grade and tracked their use of verbal, relational, and physical aggression found:

A) no relationship between violent media consumption and aggressive behavior
B) that higher violent media consumption early in the school year predicted higher rates of all three kinds of aggression
C) that higher violent media consumption increased both aggressive and prosocial each year of the study
D) a causal link between media consumption and prosocial behavior

Question 55

A meta-analysis of 98 studies that included nearly 37,000 research participants found:

A) no relationship between video games and actual human behavior
B) that both violent and prosocial video games have direct effects on their players
C) a causal link between prosocial video games and prosocial acts of actual behavior
D) a causal link between video game violence and violent actual behavior

Question 56

Generalizing from Berkowitz's research, you would predict that a subject who has just watched a "slasher" movie (in which a beautiful young woman gets brutally raped, beaten, and murdered by a man who was an artist) would be more likely to act aggressively against:

A) male artists
B) female artists
C) men who look like the murderer
D) beautiful young women

Question 57

A Gallup poll found that each additional violent sequence per hour of TV predicted a _____ increase in the number of people who said they were afraid to walk alone at night in their neighborhood.

A) 1%
B) 5%
C) 10%
D) 20%

Question 58

Which of the following is NOT a reason for why media violence might increase actual aggression?

A) It may desensitize us to violence and the suffering of others.
B) It decreases physiological arousal.
C) It may provide ideas about how to imitate aggressive behaviors.
D) It may weaken inhibitions against aggression.

Question 59

Zimbardo's research suggests that "deindividuation" contributes to aggression. By this, he means that we are more likely to behave aggressively when we are:

A) angered
B) frustrated
C) anonymous
D) rewarded for aggressive behavior

Question 60

Martha argues that children should not be exposed to sex and violence on TV because it leads them to behave more aggressively. Martha's view is most consistent with:

A) psychoanalytic theory
B) survival of the fittest
C) social-cognitive learning theory
D) the frustration-aggression hypothesis

Question 61

Which of the following is the most effective way to reduce date and acquaintance rape?

A) Women learn to express their wishes indirectly.
B) Men learn that an intoxicated or incapacitated woman cannot legally consent to sex.
C) Both men and women are following the different sexual scripts.
D) Women date only men they are familiar with from school or work.

Question 62

According to Aronson and Hamblin, when punishment is applied to children to stop aggression, what happens?

A) It does not matter if the punishment is mild or harsh; the aggression will immediately stop, and the lesson will last for weeks.
B) Moderate punishment by an adult who previously was warm and nurturing before will work immediately and for a little while later.
C) Being firm and harsh in one's punishment sends a strong message to a child for a long time.
D) When tokens were taken away in one study, the boys stopped aggressing so that they could get the tokens to earn enjoyable activities.

Question 63

What percentage of rapes or attempted rapes occur between people who know each other?

A) 50%
B) 75%
C) 85%
D) 95%

Question 64

Five methods for reducing aggressive behavior are discussed in Aronson's text. These are (a) pure reason, (b) punishment, (c) punishment of aggressive models, (d) rewarding alternative behavior patterns, and (e) building empathy toward others. Of these, the two methods that presently seem to be the most effective are:

A) a and d
B) b and c
C) c and d
D) d and e

Question 65

Several methods for reducing aggression were discussed in The Social Animal. ________ would seem to be the most effective.

A) Severe punishment or threats of severe punishment
B) Punishing aggressive models
C) Building empathy and rewarding alternative behavior patterns
D) Pure reason

Question 66

The text describes a situation in which some convicted criminals were released from prison early due to a technicality, whereas others served out their sentences. In comparing these two groups, the primary finding was:

A) prisoners who were let out early were found to be much less aggressive
B) prisoners who were let out early were found to be much more aggressive
C) prisoners who served their full term were less than half as likely to return to prison
D) prisoners who served their full term were twice as likely to return to prison

Question 67

According to Feshbach and Feshbach's correlational study of empathy and aggression in children:

A) as empathy increases, aggression decreases
B) as empathy increases, aggression increases
C) empathy eliminates aggressive feelings in children
D) there is no significant relationship between empathy and aggression in children