Exam 3 Notes November 15 2012 Aggression Definition an aggressive act is any form of behavior designed to harm or injure a living being who is motivated to avoid such treatment It is not a behavior done on accident it is intentional in harming someone FUNCTION Reactive Hostile Aggression o Frustration Aggression Hypothesis o Associated with peer rejection low self control and hostile attribution bias Instrumental Proactive Aggression o Controlled by external reinforcements ex Social learning models Bandura o Associated with delinquency and leadership skills FORM Overt Aggression direct verbal or physical assaults with intent to harm Relational Social gossip rumor spreading ignoring and social exclusion Indirect Aggression graffiti fire starting blogging destruction of property 3 forms serve two different functions Reactive or Instrumental EARLY AGGRESSION THEORIES Aggression as instinct o Freud The existence of this inclination to aggression which we can detect in ourselves and justly assume to be present in others is the factor which disturbs our relations with our neighbors and which forces civilization into such high expenditure of energy In consequence of this primary mutual hostility of human beings civilized society is perpetually threatened with disintegration o Lorenz three functions of aggression balancing the distribution of the species territoriality selection of the strongest contests and defense of the young o Lorenz s Hydraulic Model Aggression is inevitable eventually it needs release o Akin to Freud s catharsis Early Learning Theories o Frustration Aggression Hypothesis 1 frustration leads to aggression 2 aggression caused by frustration o Miller backpedals 1941 Frustration produces investigations to a number of different types of response one of which is an instigation to some form of aggression o Berkowitz 1965 revision of frustration aggression hypothesis 1 anger frustration may provoke aggression 2 in the presence of aggressive cues cartoons hammer wooden sword play guns Bobo dolls o Social Learning Theory Bandura Father of Cognitive Movement 1 Reciprocal determinism a Behaviorism environment Behavior b but Behavior Environment 2 later added cognitive component o Bobo Experiments 1 imitation was not shaped in Skinnerian sense observational learning modeling 2 type of model made a difference 3 not catharsis because probability of aggression increases after having observed an aggressive model Recent Aggression Theories o Social Information Processing encode social cues interpret social cues formulate social goals generate evaluate responses evaluate responses effectiveness select enact response o Reactive Aggressors encode social cues interpret social cues formulate social goals generate evaluate responses evaluate responses effectiveness select enact response self fulfilling prophecy o Proactive Aggressors encode social cues interpret social cues formulate social goals generate evaluate responses evaluate responses effectiveness select enact response Gender Differences o Boys long known thought to be more aggressive than girls aggression used to be solely based on physical o Men with higher levels of testosterone are more likely to be arrested for offenses other than traffic violations to buy and sell stolen property and to use a weapon in fights o Roid Rage prolonged use of anabolic steroids predisposes one to violent outbursts if females injected with testosterone they will have higher aggression levels too o Young male syndrome under the age of thirty hormone aggression levels are very high o The topic of girls aggression has been largely ignored Later school performance School drop out Employment difficulties Divorce o Relational Social Aggression in girls o Commonly understood girls are more relationally aggressive boys are more overtly aggressive girls are more relationally aggressive than they are overtly aggressive changing Subjectivity aggression shifting standards standard on which you rate someone on behavior that has shifted according to their gender How is it measured Self report peer report teacher report parent report and observationally November 27 2012 MISSED CLASS Ended with biological approaches November 29 2012 GENDER Not something we have something we do It is a sociocultural dimension In determining gender we get very clear messages o Gender typing toys colors etc long term messages like girls playing with dolls preparing for motherhood action heroes and cars for boys freedom independence domination etc o Another example VS is RELENTLESS gender socialization Chromosomal males XY things start out normally and averagely SRY gene increased androgen male gonads gonads produce testosterone male external genitals IF no testosterone external female genitalia called testicular feminization syndrome Chromosomal females NO SRY gene low levels of androgen female gonads internal reproductive organs no testosterone external female genitalia IF higher levels of androgen male external genitals androgenized brain called Congenital adrenal hyperplasia Intersexual an intersexual or intersex person is one who is born with genitalia and or secondary sex characteristics determined as neither exclusively male nor female or which combine features of the male and female sexes Ambiguous genitals not clear as to what gender the person is describable as a female with a very large clitoris and partially fused labia or as male genitals with a very small penis completely open along the midline and empty scrotum Trans folk brain to body mismatch we do not know what causes this Violations of Society s Expectations can be Costly Do prenatal hormones affect behavior directly or indirectly o Direct Androgens Brain Behavior o Indirect Androgens Physical Characteristics Perceptions Beliefs Differential Treatment Behavior o Androgenized Human Females Tomboy behavior Prefer boy playmates Higher incidence of homosexuality Perform better on spatial tasks like boys o Animal Studies female monkeys More aggressive Rough and tumble play Mount other females What if you re the uncool androgenous December 4 2012 Gender Cont Parents Family o Historical Trends The Modern Post Industrial Family Child centered Reduction of infanticide wet nursing fosterage Emotionally intense 1950s Especially family centered Traditional gender roles 1960 1970s Sexual liberation contraception Women enter labor force Onset of dissolution of traditional nuclear family 1970 1980s Decreased parental