aggression

what are the different neural factors that affect aggression

• limbic system (amygdala and the hippocampus)

• serotonin (low levels)

wha hormonal factors affect aggression

high levels of testosterone

what is the role of the amygdala and how may it lead to aggression

detecting and responding to threats by triggering an emotional or physical response e.g. fight or flight

regulating aggression- if the amygdala becomes overactive then it can lead to increased aggression because it processes stimuli as more threatening than they actually are

works with the prefrontal cortex- the prefrontal cortex helps to regulate impulsive behaviours, so if prefrontal cortex is underactive then the amygdala may ac unchecked, leading to more aggressive behaviours

provide research support for the role of the amygdala in aggression

Bucy found that when they destroyed the amygdala of a dominant monkey in a social group, the monkey lost its dominant place within the group because they became less aggressive

This suggests that the amygdala is linked to aggression

evaluate the role of the amygdala in aggression

Strength

research support from Bucy- however- animal study so aren’t able to fully generalise the findings to humans because humans brains are larger and are more complex than monkey’s brains

Weakness

It’s deterministic because it suggests that aggression is all biological and ignores the free will and environmental influences such as social learning theory or the frustration aggression hypothesis

what is the role of the hippocampus and how may it lead to aggression

helps to recognise whether a current stimulus is a threat based on past experiences- if damaged or underdeveloped then this may lead to impaired recognition of stimuli and individuals may overreact and act aggressively to a situation that isn’t actually dangerous

works with the amygdala which helps to process stimuli and threats and produces an emotional or physical response- if the hippocampus doesn’t regulate the amygdala’s response to stimuli properly, then individuals may act aggressively when it’s unnecessary

provide research support for the role of the hippocampus in aggression

P- there is research support for the role of the amygdala in aggression

E- Raine found that when unsuccessful psychopaths who had been caught were compared to successful psychopaths, there was a difference in the hippocampus between the two groups

E- The unsuccessful psychopaths had reduced activity in their hippocampus so weren’t able to regulate the amygdala’s response to stimuli properly so the unsuccessful psychopaths would’ve acted aggressively when it may have been unnecessary- hence why they got caught

L- Therefore, this increases the validity of the neural explanation for aggression

what is the role of serotonin in aggression

normal levels of serotonin have an inhibitory effect on the amygdala

low levels of serotonin may remove the inhibitory effect which can cause the amygdala to fire more- leading to more aggressive behaviour when it may not be necessary to be aggressive

provide research support for the role of serotonin in aggression

Mann

gave participants a drug that reduced serotonin levels

they then filled out a questionnaire that measured aggression and they found that the participant’s responses showed an increase in aggression and hostility scores

This supports the role of serotonin in aggression

However- they only found this difference in scores in males which suggests there are other factors influencing aggression- limiting the validity of serotonin as an explanation

what is the role of testosterone in aggression

testosterone is produced mainly in the testes by men but is also found in lower levels in females- why males tend to be more aggressive than females

higher levels of testosterone can increase the firing of the amygdala- causes aggressive behaviour when it may not be necessary to act aggressively

provide research support for the role of testosterone in aggression

Stephanie Van Goozen

Found that males transitioning into females who were given testosterone suppressants became less aggressive

She found that females who transitioned into males and were given testosterone injections became more aggressive

what does the genetic explanation of aggression state

the gene responsible for producing MAOA (an enzyme) has been associated with aggressive behaviour

what is the role of MAOA

MAOA enzyme hydrolyses excess serotonin in the synaptic gap that hasn’t bound to dendrites on the post synaptic neurone

this helps serotonin to be reuptaken back into pre synaptic neurone so that it can diffuse across the synaptic gap again

This helps to maintain the inhibitory effect that serotonin has on the amygdala (prevents low levels of serotonin)

How can MAOA cause aggression

The MAOA gene can become mutated (MAOA-L)

this means that the enzyme that hydrolyses serotonin isn’t produced

This causes excess levels of serotonin which causes the body to not absorb serotonin properly- causes low levels of serotonin

this removes the inhibitory effect that serotonin has on the amygdala- amygdala fires more

means that individuals are more impulsive and have difficulty controlling their behaviour- aggression

Evaluate the genetic explanation of aggression

Niehoff

P: Neihoff suggested that males are more vulnerable to becoming aggressive than females

E: this is because the MAOA gene is found on the X chromosome. Males only have one X chromosome in their 23rd pair of chromosomes whereas females have two X chromosomes in their 23rd pair.

E: If the MAOA gene becomes mutated (MAOA-L) in males then this characteristic will be expressed, whereas in females the faulty gene won’t be expressed because they have a second ‘normal’ X chromosome.

Caspi

P: there is research support for the role of MAOA in aggression

E: Caspi found that children with MAOA-L who had been mistreated as a child were likely to display antisocial behaviour which is representative of aggression. Children with MAOA-H who had been maltreated or children with MAOA-L that hadn’t been mistreated weren’t likely to become aggressive

E: MAOA-L gene causes a genetic susceptibility to aggression but an environmental trigger (maltreatment as a child) is require for aggression to occur

L: This increases the external validity of the role of MAOA-L in aggression because Caspi’s sample showed how children may become aggressive in real life

However- antisocial behaviour isn’t a direct measure of aggression

Tiihonen

P: there is research support for the role of MAOA in aggression

E: Tiihonen studied the behaviour of Finnish prisoners and found that the MAOA-L gene in combination with CDH13 gene was associated with extremely violent behaviour. There was no evidence of these genes amongst non-violent prisoners

E: this is a strength because it supports the role of the MAOA gene being a factor in aggressive behaviour.

However- These genes only lower the control the prisoners have over violent behaviour and they don’t cause violent behaviours themselves

what does the ethological explanation of aggression state

it stresses the adaptive value of animal behaviours to human aggression

Ethologists study the behaviour patterns of animals in their natural environment

what is a fixed action pattern

• a repertoire of stereotyped behaviours which occur in specific conditions

• fixed action patterns occur in response to specific stimuli (a sign stimulus)

• fixed action patterns don’t need to be learnt (innate)

what are the characteristics of fixed action patterns

B- Ballistic- once the FAP is triggered it can’t be changed or stopped

U- universal- FAP is the same for all organisms of the same species

S- stereotyped- the behaviour always occurs in the same way

S- specific trigger- each FAP has a specific trigger (sign stimuli)

I- Innate- FAP’s don’t have to be learnt

what are Inate releasing mechanisms

IRM’s are neural mechanisms that produce FAP’s

IRMS’ are triggered when a sign stimulus is presented from the environment

IRM’s detect sign stimuli via sensory recognition circuits and sends an impulse to motor control circuits to active the FAP associated with the specific sign stimulus that was presented

provide research support for FAP’s and IRM’s

Tinbergen

His research with male sticklebacks showed that a male stickleback fish will produce a fixed sequence of aggressive actions when another male enters its territory

 

The sign stimulus in this situation isn't the presence of a male it was the sight of the red underbelly. If this is covered up the intruder isn't attacked because the IRM didn’t receive information about the presence of a sign stimulus

what does Lorenz’s hydraulic model state

states that each fixed action pattern has a reservoir of action specific energy (ASE) that builds up over time

When a sign stimulus is presented the associated FAP is performed and ASE is released

This causes the reservoir of ASE to be emptied and another FAP can’t occur until ASE has built up again

However, the FAP may be produced in the absence of sign stimuli if the level of ASE is sufficiently high- aggressive behaviour can occur spontaneously

What is ritualistic aggression- Lorenz

not all aggressive behaviour involves fighting- often follows ritualized displays such as showing teeth or growling

These behaviours reduce unnecessary energy expenditure and avoid injuries from fighting that could be fatal

Evaluate the ethological explanation of aggression

Strengths

• There is research support for FAP’s and IRM’s from animal studies- Tinbergen

Weaknesses

• fails to explain variation in aggression - if aggression is innate then acts of aggression would be the same across all individuals and cultures- but it isn’t- may be better explained by environmental factors and Bandura’s social learning theory

• Based on research on animals- Tinbergen uses stickleback fish- can’t fully generalise findings to humans- IRM’s may be more complex because our brains are much larger- have more control over our aggression than animals

explain the role of evolution in aggression

• Aggression is a strategy used by males to gain resources and territory and outcompete other males. Therefore, aggression allows males to compete for status.

• The higher status of the males is the more likely that a female is to select the male as a mate.

• This is because the females can be ‘choosy’ because eggs take more energy to produce, they can only produce eggs up until they are 60 when they hit menopause, whereas sperm can be produced at any time up until any age, and it costs less energy to produce.

• This means that females can choose the higher-status males because they will be able to protect and provide resources for their child which increases the survival chance of the child.

• Therefore, being a higher-status male through acts of aggression provides a reproductive advantage where males are more likely to pass on their genes to the next generation over lower-status males.

what is sexual competition

Sexual competition refers to when males who are seeking access to a mate must compete with other males for a mate.

Males who used aggression successfully would be more successful in acquiring a mate and passing on their genes onto offspring.

This causes a genetic tendency for males to act aggressive towards other males.

What is sexual jealousy- Buss

Sexual jealousy involves when males are aggressive towards their partner or other males who they think may be trying to mate with their female partner.

This is because males want to pass their genes onto offspring in future generations.

Males can’t be certain that they are the father because fertilisation is hidden. This means that the female could be impregnated by a different, more genetically fit male when she is fertile because she wants her child to inherit the strongest characteristics that will increase the child’s chance of survival.

This means that the female may cheat on the male. Therefore, according to buss, males may be violent or give violent threats to their partner as a retention strategy to prevent them from leaving so the males can pass their genes on.

Evaluate the evolutionary approach of aggression

Weaknesses

P- While the evolutionary approach may explain gender differences in aggression through sexual competition and sexual jealousy, gender differences may be better explained through socialisation.

E- Smetana found that parents were more likely to physically punish boys for bad conduct whereas for girls, parents were more likely to explain to girls why their actions were wrong.

E- This could increase aggression in males as they have been physically punished by their parents and they may watch their brothers or friends be physically punished in the same way by their parents, whereas females may resort to more social forms of aggression.

L- This questions the claim that males have evolved to become aggressive to reproduce and pass their genes onto future generations because females have developed a different form of aggression. This means that males may have learnt to become aggressive through socialisation instead of through evolution which decreases the validity of the evolutionary approach.

P- Another weakness of the evolutionary theory of aggression is that aggressive behaviour may not always be adaptive.

E- A weakness is that when males act aggressively to pass on their genes and gain resources is that males may die in battle as a result of their aggressive behaviour.

E- This means that because of the Male acting aggressively their genes won't be passed onto future generations and their offspring which is the main aim. Females may also reject aggressive males as their aggressive behaviour may cause them to die and not be there to protect and provide resources for their offspring, so the child’s survival chances are reduced as a result of male aggression which goes against the evolutionary theory of aggression.

L- Therefore, this decreases the validity of sexual competition in the evolutionary theory of aggression as sexual competition states that males must act aggressively to compete with other males over females to pass on their genes, so the act of aggression is maladaptive as the aggression in battle will cause death.

Strengths

P- There is research support for the link between aggression and status in the evolutionary approach of aggression.

E- Daly found anthropological evidence showing that some tribes based status on how many murders men in the tribe have committed. The higher status males in the tribe were admired by the females and these men had a reproductive advantage. Females may have admired the male aggression as they thought the males would be able to protect their child.

E- Murder is an aggressive act which gained males a reproductive advantage, so they were more likely to pass their genes onto future generations.

L- This increases the external validity of the evolutionary approach because tribal males displayed aggression in real life to increase their sexual selection.

However, the validity of the evolutionary approach is limited as it lacks some temporal validity as in current society there aren’t many tribes and there is less of a need for fathers to physically protect their offspring through aggression.

what are the three social psychological explanations of aggression

• F-A hypothesis - Dollard

• social learning theory (SLT) - Bandura

• deindividuation- Zimbardo

summarise Dollard’s frustration-aggression hypothesis

frustration is caused when any event or stimulus prevents an individual from attaining their goal

this frustration will lead to aggression

if the person is aggressive then catharsis will occur

catharsis is a form of emotional release achieved by engaging in aggressive behaviour

what factors can increase frustration

• our motivation to achieve our goal is very strong

• we expect gratification

• when there is nothing we can do about it

what are the two types of frustration

Pastore

justified frustration- lower anger levels e.g. bus goes past you at stop with an ‘out of service’ message

unjustified frustration- higher anger levels e.g., a bus goes past you at stop without stopping for you

what is displaced aggression

frustration aggression hypothesis states that when people are frustrated they will exhibit their anger towards the object that caused it

however, it isn’t always possible or appropriate to behave in that way towards the object that caused frustration- so aggression may be displaced onto someone or something else

what is the revised frustration aggression hypothesis

frustration is neither necessary or sufficient for aggression

frustration is one of many unpleasant experiences that forms a negative effect which leads to aggression- it’s not the initial frustration that causes aggression

evaluate the frustration aggression hypothesis

P- A limitation of the frustration aggression hypothesis is that social learning theorists argue that aggression is only one possible response to frustration

E- In Bandura’s bobo doll study groups of children observed adult models playing violently and non violently with a bobo doll

E- they found that frustration only produces a generalised arousal and SLT determined how arousal will influence an individual's behaviour. They found the infants would only be aggressive if aggression had been effective for them in the past or when they observed it being effective for others

L- Therefore, this decreases the validity of the F-A hypothesis as it states that frustration will always result in aggression. However, the Bobo doll study states that if aggression hasn’t been successful in the past through experience or observation, then aggression might not always result from frustration.

P- Another weakness of the F-A hypothesis is that not all aggression arises from frustration

E- Reifman conducted a study on aggressive behaviour sown by pitchers in baseball games

E- They found that as the temperature increased, the pitchers displayed more aggressive behaviour towards the batters. This shows that there are other factors that may cause aggression

L- Therefore, this decreases the validity of the original F-A hypothesis because it stated that frustration lead to aggression however, in Reifman’s study it was the effect of temperature, not frustration.

However, the revised F-A hypothesis does explain this as it states that frustration is neither sufficient or necessary for aggression and it creates an unpleasant experience which may lead to aggression. Therefore, the increase in temperature is an unpleasant experience that has lead to the pitchers becoming more aggressive

P- a strength of the frustration aggression hypothesis is that there’s research support

E- A study was carried out on the violent behaviour of Swedish football fans. Thye found that when teams dropped positions in the league fans threw more objects onto the pitch and were more likely to fight with the opposition supporters (aggressive behaviours)

E- This supports the F-A hypothesis in that frustration is generated when individuals are prevented from achieving their goal (winning football matches in the league) which will lead to aggression

L- Therefore, this increases the validity of the F-A hypothesis as it can be used to predict why and when people/fans may behave aggressively

what are the 5 assumptions in Bandura’s Social Learning Theory

• modelling

• imitation

• identification

• vicarious reinforcement

• meditational processes

what are the different meditational processes

• attention

• retention

• motor reproduction

• reinforcement

• motivation

outline modelling in SLT

in order for learning to take place a role model must model behaviour

these behaviours can be observed and imitated by individuals

outline imitation in SLT

then an individual imitates/replicates the behaviours they observed which were modelled by the role model

imitation depends on:

• identification

• vicarious reinforcement

• mediational processes

outline identification in SLT

refers to the extent in which a performer can relate to the role model

e.g. gender, personality, physical ability, age, height

observers must feel as if they are similar to the role model to experience the same outcome as the role model

outline vicarious reinforcement in SLT

where individuals that observe the behaviour modelled by the role model learn about the consequences of that behaviour

vicarious reinforcement- if they watch the behaviour and it has a successful consequence then the individual will be more likely to imitate the observed behaviour

vicarious punishment- if the watch the behaviour and the consequences of it are negative then the individual is less likely to imitate the observed behaviour

outline mediational processes in SLT

mental factors mediate after observation to determine whether a new behaviour is learnt (e.g. aggression is learnt)

describe attention as a mediational process

the amount of attention the individual is paying to the role model when observing them

may pay more attention if the role model is prestigious or they identify with them

describe retention as a mediational process

how well the action/aggressive act is remembered

describe motor reproduction as a mediational process

the physical ability of the observer to perform the behaviour

if they are able to then they are more likely to learn the aggressive behaviour

describe reinforcement as a mediational process

actions are either reinforced positively or negatively depending on the consequences of them

if they are positively reinforced then the aggressive behaviour is more likely to be learnt/imitated by the individual

describe motivation as a mediational process

the will to perform the behaviour modelled by the role model

e.g. if learning this behaviour will help the individual in a real life situation

evaluate Social Learning Theory as an explanation of aggression

P- One weakness of SLT is that it was based on Bandura’s bobo doll experiment, where methodological issues lay

E- The task was artificial when the children hit the Bobo Doll because it’s not the same as hitting a real person, as there are no consequences of hitting the doll

E- This is a weakness, because humans may retaliate back with aggression, which could influence whether the child learns the aggressive act or not

L- Therefore, this decreases the internal validity of Bandura’s study because his study was artificial so we can’t say that humans learn aggression the same way when it comes to real-life situations

Furthermore, Bandura’s Bobo Doll study lacks population validity because his sample consisted entirely of children whose brains and neural pathways haven’t fully developed yet, so we can’t be certain that adults with fully developed brains will learn aggressive behaviour in the same way children do

P- On the other hand, a strength of SLT is that there’s research support

E- Gee analysed the penalty records of hockey players in North America. He found that players born in North America were much more likely to be punished for aggressive play than players born in Europe.

E- This is a strength because the North American players were exposed to much more violent role models on television than the European players as children. Thus leading to players born in North America being more aggressive, which supports SLT.

L- Therefore, this increases the external validity of SLT as it can be applied to how aggressive acts are learnt, such as aggressive acts in sport

P- Another strength of SLT is that it can be used to explain cultural differences in aggression

E- in Chinese cultures there is very little aggression due to child rearing practices. This is because children who fight aren’t rewarded or punished, they are separated and distracted

E- This is a strength because it shows how if aggression isn’t modelled or reinforced then aggressive behaviour won’t be learnt and/or imitated

L- Therefore, this increases the validity of SLT because in these cultures there is little motivation to learn these aggressive behaviours which supports the role of mediational processes within SLT

define the term ‘deindividuation’

a psychological state where individuals have lowered levels of self evaluation and decreased concerns about evaluation from others

how does Zimbardo describe deindividuation

people think they have a ‘cloak of anonymity’ which allows them to forget about the consequences of their behaviour

what different factors can lead to deindividuation

being in a large group- individuals feel less identifiable and the shared responsibility for actions reduces the guilt they feel about behaving aggressively

uniform

drugs

alcohol

evaluate deindivduation an an explanation of aggression

P- one weakness of deindividuation as an explanation of aggression is that it may be better explained by conformity to social roles

E- In Zimbardo’s stanford prison experiment both of the guards and prisoners were deindividuated as they both had to wear uniform. The guards wore mirrored sunglasses alongside uniform and they acted aggressively towards the prisoners. The prisoners were also individuated as they had to wear prisoner uniforms and were given numbers to replace their names but they weren’t aggressive.

E- This is a weakness because it suggests that deindividuation doesn’t always lead to aggression because the prisoners were deindividuated by they weren’t aggressive towards the guards

L- Therefore, this decreases the validity for deindivduation as an explanation for aggression and aggression may better be explained by conformity to social roles

P- A strength of deindividuation is that it can be used to explain cultural differences in aggression

E- Watson found that warriors who changed their appearance through the use of war paint were more aggressive towards their victims than warriors who didn’t wear tribal paint

E- This supports deindividuation as it could be argued that the uniform (war paint) made the warriors act more aggressively.

L- Therefore, this increases the validity of deindividuation as an explanation of aggression as it gives individuals a ‘cloak of anonymity’ which allows them to act aggressively and forget about the consequences of their behaviour

However, there are issues with cause and effect because the tribal warriors may have already been more aggressive before putting the warpaint on. Therefore, we can’t be sure if the warpaint lead to deindividuation and aggression

P- Another strength of Deindividuation as an explanation of aggression is that it has real world research support

E- Mann found that most cases of suicide leaps were influenced by baiting crowds during the night time

E- This is a strength because being in a large crowd leads to individuals becoming deindividuated and therefore shouting aggressively at people to jump

L- Therefore, this increases the validity of deindividuation as an explanation of aggression and the police can use this research to keep on look out for large crowds at night to prevent people from jumping which may save lives

what are the two explanations for institutional aggression

the situational explanation (deprivation model)

the dispositional explanation (importation model)

outline the situational explanation of aggression

it focuses on how the features of institutional settings such as prisons (environmental factors) can lead to aggression

aggression results from individuals being deprived of things they would normally have outside of an institution

Aggression can arise from:

• loss of liberty (freedom and autonomy)

• security deprivation (living in an unpredictable and potentially dangerous environment

• deprivation of heterosexual relationships

• lack of privacy

• over crowding

• heat and noise (hot and loud)

evaluate the situational explanation for aggression

P- One strength of the situational explanation for aggression is that it has real world applications

E- HMP Woodhill set up new units for violent prisoners which were temperature controlled, had reduced noise, and were less claustrophobic. They found that violence towards prison staff and other inmates reduced

E- This supports the situational explanation of aggression because it states that aggression can arise from hot, noisy, and over crowded situations, which in this case were reduced which resulted in a reduction in aggression

L- Therefore, this increases the validity of the situational explanation of aggression because it can be used in the real world such as prisons in all countries to reduce violence in prisons and make them a less dangerous environment for inmates and staff

However, AC units and insulation for noise may be too expensive to provide for all prison cells, and therefore may not be a practical solution for institutional aggression

P- One weakness of the situational explanation of aggression is that other factors that aren’t situational might lead to aggression in institutions

E- Harer collected data from 24,000 inmates amongst 58 prisons across the US. He found that the only significant predictors of prison violence were race and criminal history (which are dispositional factors). He concluded that situational factors such as lack of security weren’t significant.

E- This is a weakness because the situational model of aggression states that aggression comes from situational factors such as prisoners being deprived of security, and this study found that situational factors weren’t significant in aggression

L- Therefore, this decreases the validity of the situational explanation of aggression because according to research support from Harer, the dispositional explanation may better explain the reasons for institutional aggression

outline the dispositional explanation of aggression

argues that aggression in institutions is the result of individual characteristics that inmates bring with them when they come into prisons

These individual characteristics are:

• gang membership

• criminal history

• low self control

• impulsive and hostile personality

Evaluate the dispositional explanation of aggression

P- One strength of the dispositional explanation is that there’s research support

E- Mears found that code of the street affected inmate violence

E- This is a strength because ‘code of the street’ is common in gang members which is a dispositional characteristic.

L- Therefore, this increases the validity of the dispositional explanation of aggression as ‘code of the street’ is bought in from outside of the prison

P- One limitation of the dispositional explanation of aggression is that there is research support that goes against it

E- DiLisi found no significant difference between the engagement in prison violence between pre prison gang members and non gang members

E- This is a weakness because according to the dispositional explanation, gang membership is a dispositional factor that may lead to aggression

L- Therefore, this decreases the validity of the dispositional explanation of aggression because the differences in prison violence may better be explained by situational factors such as overcrowding, rather than dispositional factors as the dispositional explanation suggests

what are the different explanations of media influences on aggression

desensitisation

disinhibition

cognitive priming

give a key study for violent video games (AO1)

Mugge

performed a meta analysis of 98 different studies involving around 37,00 participants

they found that violent computer games lead to an increase in aggressive outcomes and a decrease in prosocial outcomes

prosocial games had the opposite effect

This suggests that violent computer games not only lead to aggression but also decrease prosocial behaviours such as empathy

can also talk about cognitive priming, desensitisation, and disinhibition which lead to an increase in aggression.

evaluate violence video games (AO3)

P- there are limitations within the methods into researching the effects of violent computer games on aggression

E- Mugge used a meta analysis of 98 different studies that involved over 37,000 participants

E- This is an issue because researchers often use different techniques in their studies which means that we aren’t able to effectively compare studies to each other.

L- Therefore, any of the conclusions drawn from Mugge’s meta analysis of VCG’s may not be valid and should be treated with caution

P- another weakness of research into violent computer games is that aggression might not be as a result of whether the game is violent or not

E- Aggressive behaviour from video games may be due to game difficulty instead of the violent nature of the game

E- This is an issue because game difficulty may lead to frustration which causes the gamer to become aggressive because they can’t reach their goal of succeeding in the game, not as a result of whether the game is violent or not

L- Therefore, research into VCG’s may need to take a more holistic approach and consider other factors in video games that might influence aggression

what is desensitisation as an explanation of media influences on aggression (AO1)

desensitisation refers to a reduction in emotional responsiveness to a stimulus after repeated exposure to it

normally exposure to violence would cause an increase in arousal and anxiety/stress

but after individuals have been desensitised due to repeated exposure to violent media (TV, video games, films), their emotional responses to violence such as anxiety and arousal (lower HR, and sweat less) are reduced

this makes individuals feel less sympathy for victims of violence in real life

they may also be more likely to behave violently themselves

evaluate desensitisation as an explanation of media influences on aggression (AO3)

P- One strength of desensitisation as an explanation of media influences on aggression is that it has research support

E- Carnagey found that when individuals who had previously played violent computer games were shown real-life violence had a lower physiological arousal (lower HR and sweated less) than individuals who hadn’t previously played violent computer games

E- This is a strength as it supports the fact that individuals who are desensitised have a reduction in emotional response to violent stimuli

L- Therefore, this increases the validity of desensitisation as an explanation of media influences on aggression because there’s empirical evidence (reduction in HR) to show how desensitisation has an influence

what is disinhibition as an explanation of media influences on aggression (AO1)

Disinhibition refers to the removal or weakening of social and psychological restraints that normally prevent aggressive behaviour

Exposure to violent media (TV, Films, video games) can reduce these social and psychological restraints, which can make an individual more likely to behave aggressively as they think aggression is acceptable

This is due to violence in the media being:

• Justified- if violence in the media is portrayed as heroic

• not being punished- seeing characters act violently in the media without being punished undermines real-world inhibitions and consequences (being hurt, or facing prison sentences)

Disinhibition can be short-term (after playing a violent video game) or long-term after repeated exposure to violence in the media

evaluate disinhibition as an explanation of media influences on aggression (AO3)

P- One strength of disinhibition is that there’s research support

E- One study showed two groups of participants a film of a boxing match. One had a positive ending, and the other had negative consequences. They found that the group that didn’t see the negative consequence were more likely to behave aggressively after watching the film than the other group

E- This is a strength as it supports that disinhibition will only occur if the negative consequences aren’t shown, which is why the group who saw the negative consequence in the film were less likely to behave aggressively after watching the film

L- Therefore, this increases the validity of disinhibition as an explanation of media influences on aggression

what is cognitive priming as an explanation of media influences on aggression (AO1)

cognitive priming refers to the activation of aggressive thoughts in memory, after exposure to violent media

the media provides people with mental representations of how to behave aggressively in certain situations

watching violent media unconsciously primes (activates) these aggressive thoughts which makes aggressive responses more accessible when provoked later

short term and long term effects:

• short term- immediate aggression after watching violent media as thoughts are activated

• long term- frequent exposure reinforces violent thoughts, making aggression part of your normal behaviour

evaluate cognitive priming as an explanation of media influences on aggression (AO3)

P- One weakness of cognitive priming as an explanation of media influences on aggression is that cognitive priming can’t explain why people might act aggressively after playing violent video games

E- Research found that priming only occurred when more realistic or realistically perceived violence was viewed

E- This is an issue because some video games don’t use realistic graphics or characters and will still lead to aggression. Therefore, with these video games, aggressive thoughts won’t be primed

L- Therefore, although cognitive priming can explain why people might act more aggressively after viewing realistic violent media, it can’t explain why some people act aggressively after playing animated video games.