PSYA3- AggressionPSYA3- Aggression

• You mustmust be able to understand what is meant by the term aggression.

• You should be able to understand the SLT of aggression.

• You could be able to evaluate this theory of aggression

Starter

• Using the mini white boards, write down the main reasons why deindividuation causes aggression…

• Anonymity- knowing you won’t be accountable for your actions.

• Diffusion of responsibility- feeling less responsibility for your actions because they are shared in the group.

• Group size- a larger group increases the above two factors.

Recent evidence

How does the media influence aggression?

• Violence on Television• Adverts• Magazines• Video games• Films

• Do you think there has been an increase in aggression in children?

How do you define media?

Media is a subjective word as some people see video games, music, DVDs as media as well as the obvious things

like radio, newspapers, TV and magazines. This is a problem for most of the methods

Process of Modelling

• ATTENTION.• RETENTION• REPRODUCTION• MOTIVATION.

• Remember ARRM.

Social Learning theory and Aggression

• Bandura:• Aggression is learnt through the observation of

others.( Models)• Vicarious learning is when we watch others get

rewarded or punished for behaviour, then we imitate the behaviour depending on the consequences.

• Reciprocal determinism is when the individual and the environment interact and impact on each other shaping our behaviour.

• Operationalisation of group behaviour- There is no agreed definition for what constitutes a group display. Does it incorporate a crowd, a social movement, a psychology class, a church congregation, a riot, a Women’s Institute meeting? Does it include a group of strangers who have just met and a group of friends who have been meeting for 20 years? It probably includes all of these groups of people. These groups are all very diverse and that the dynamics of each group may have little in common. It seems unlikely that one explanation can adequately explain all the different types of behaviour that these groups would display. Also, many of the explanations overlap and it is difficult to disentangle the value of each.

• Retrospective explanations- The explanations of group display in humans typically involve looking back at past events and explaining them using a particular or theory. It seems relatively easy to look back at an event and then explain the behaviour displayed in terms of a particular theory. Many of the theories are also poor at predicting group behaviour. It is difficult to predict when a group will be aggressive and when it will remain peaceful. A good theory should be able to predict behaviour

Success of modelling• Models are imitated depending on:• Consequences of models behaviour• Status, same sex• Paying attention• Encouragement of behaviour.• Consistency• Relevance e.g. aggressive is viewed as a male

characteristic.• Appropriate. Male aggressive models more likely

to be imitated.

Cultural differences

• Do all cultures have the same view of what is aggressive?

• Consider types of sports• Expectations of behaviour within gender• The type of lifestyle we lead

A02- Don’t forget IDASSupport for the SLT theory of Aggression• Banduras’ Bobo Doll experiment

evidence.(S)• Feldman’s research using

practical applications in Prisons to reduce aggressive behaviour.(s)

• Zimbardo’s Prison study. Guards internalised aggressive and abusive behaviour.(S)

• Kaufman (1987) aggressive parents raise aggressive children who go onto to be aggressive towards their own children.(D)

• Individual and cultural differences.(I)

Limitations of SLT theory of aggression.• Modelling cannot explain all

aggressive behaviour.• Fails to take into account

Biology. (A).• Bobo Doll designed for play

not real aggression.• Johnston (1977) Labelling

triggers aggression not modelling.

• Biased sample population, leading to Demand characteristics.(I)