PSY 1: Chapter 13 - Social Psychology (Section: Interpersonal Behavior)

Biological and Cultural Influences on Aggression

Biological:

• Testosterone (more testosterone = more likely to engage in reactive aggression)

• Hot weather (more uncomfortable = more likely to engage in reactive aggression)

Cultural

• How to react to being challenged

• How to resolve conflict

• Inspiration (ex: violent video games)

• Ease to accomplish aggression (ex: gun control/accessibility)

Why is cooperation risky?

• Prisoner’s dilemma (both sign, neither signs, one signs)

• Ultimatum game (how to divide monetary prize/accept or reject & fairness)

costs & benefits of groups

Costs:

• common knowledge effect

• group polarization

• groupthink

• don’t fully capitalize on expertise of members

• dangerous/bad behavior (due to deindividuation and diffusion of responsibility)

Benefit

• minimize risks

• trust

• safety

apparent vs. genuine altruism

Apparent:

• keeping score

• kin selection

Genuine

• no perceivable benefit to individual

  • real benefits: psychological well-being, physical health, social relationships, number of children

aggression

behavior whose purpose is to harm another

frustration-aggression hypothesis

a principle stating that animals aggress when their goals are frustrated

proactive aggression

aggression that is planned and purposeful

reactive aggression

aggression that occurs spontaneously in response to a negative affective state

cooperation

behavior by two or more individuals that leads to mutual benefit

group

a collection of people who have something in common that distinguishes them from others

in-group favoritism

tendency to treat people better when they are members of one’s group than when they are not

common knowledge effect

the tendency for group discussions to focus on information that all members share

group polarization

the tendency of groups to make decisions that are more extreme than any member would have made alone

groupthink

the tendency of groups to reach consensus in order to facilitate interpersonal harmony

deindividuation

a phenomenon in which immersion in a group causes people to become less concerned with their personal values

diffusion of responsibility

the tendency of individuals to feel diminished responsibility for their actions when surrounded by others who are acting the same way

social loafing

the tendency of people to expend less effort when in a group than when alone

bystander effect

the tendency for people to be less likely to help a stranger in an emergency situation when other bystanders are present

altruism

intentional behavior that benefits another at a potential cost to oneself

kin selection

the process by which evolution selects for individuals who cooperate with their relatives

reciprocal altruism

behavior that benefits another with the expectation that those benefits will be returned in the future