PSYCH 105 Ch. 13 P1

Social Psychology

social psychology

Study of the causes and consequences of social interactions (understanding and predicting behaviours of each other and how we influence each other); Can also include insight into how humans solve problems of survival and reproduction (connection between behaviour and natural selection)

aggression

behaviour that is intended to harm another (“Intention” is a point of contention in non-human animals); has reactive aggression and proactive aggression

reactive aggression

(type of aggression) occurs spontaneously in response to a negative affective state

proactive aggression 

(type of aggression) planned and purposeful, usually with the intention of achieving a goal

frustration-aggression hypothesis

Simply, aggression is result of frustration; the idea that individuals will become aggressive when their goals are not achieved; however, this is no longer an accepted concept because people do not always respond to frustration with aggression and aggression can result from multiple stimuli

heat and aggression

aggression is higher at higher temperatures?

biological influences 

… on aggression; heredity (identical twins are more similar than fraternal twins); no single structure turns aggression on/off; no ‘aggression chemical’, however: Lower levels of serotonin associated with higher levels of testosterone; Associated with greater ‘social aggression’

Gender

the best predictor of kind of aggression employed

men

responsible for 90% of murders and 80% of violent crimes in the United States (Socialization, testosterone); happens when status and dominance may be threatened; tend to be more reactive

women

aggression tends to be proactive and intended to cause verbal aggression, causing social harm 

amygdala

involved in emotional responses; Increase in activity when we are under threat

hypothalamus

regulates the autonomic and endocrine systems; Stimulation increases aggression, lesioning reduces aggression

frontal lobes

Impulsive murderers show lower activity in — —

cultural influences

… on aggression; Culture affects standards of aggressive acts by promoting or discouraging aggression; Murder rate correlates with per capita gun ownership and exposure to violence correlates with violent acts such as violent movies and video games (Learn behaviours through modelling, believe aggression is usually rewarded, and desensitized to sight and sound of violence)