Social (Test 4)

Aggression and Culture

• Different cultures exhibit varying behaviors towards aggression and antisocial behavior.
    - Some cultures have a stronger association of aggression with insult as a legitimate threat (e.g., cultures of honor).
    - People in honor cultures tend to respond aggressively to insults.
    - Example: Individuals feel compelled to not only respond when insulted but also to escalate confrontations by getting physically closer prior to moving away.

Depression and Self-Control

• Self-control is directly linked to depression.
    - Factors inhibiting self-control include:
      - Fatigue (being overtired)
      - Limited cognitive resources
      - Intoxication

• Alcohol's effect on aggression and depression is misunderstood.
    - Alcohol does not directly cause depression.
    - Instead, it lowers self-control and inhibitions:
      - Increased likelihood of aggressive behavior due to lower self-control.

Gender Differences in Aggression

• Studies suggest no significant difference in aggressiveness between genders regarding experimental subjects.

• There are differing expectations in how genders handle threats:
    - Men often resort to physical aggression (fight response).
    - Women more likely utilize social responses to manage threats (flight or avoidance).

Hostile Attribution Bias and Expectation Bias

• Hostile attribution bias:
    - The tendency to interpret ambiguous actions as hostile or aggressive.

• Flexible expectation bias:
    - Expectation that others will respond aggressively in social situations.

Social Influence in Aggression

• Social influence can affect aggressive behavior:
    - Group dynamics may lead individuals to incite aggression in peers.
    - Quality and expectation of reward are key factors:
      - The perceived benefit of aggression drives involvement.

Environmental Factors and Aggression

• External factors such as temperature have correlations with behavioral trends:
    - Increased temperatures correlate with higher aggression rates.
    - Notable examples:
      - Positive correlation between ice cream sales and murder rates, wherein both are driven by warmer weather.

Hormonal Influence on Aggression

• Fluctuations in testosterone levels correlate with increased aggression:
    - Higher testosterone levels typically relate to more aggressive behaviors.

Biological Basis of Self-Control

• The prefrontal cortex is crucial for self-control:
    - Smaller prefrontal cortex size could lead to decreased self-control and heightened aggression.

Familial Aggression and Child Welfare

• Studies show children living without biological parental figures have significantly higher risks of fatal harm:
    - Research indicates children with non-biological parental figures were 70-100 times more susceptible to fatal diseases.

• Adopted children do not face the same risks:
    - Adopted parents often undergo rigorous vetting processes, leading to better care environments.

Age and Aggression

• Age impacts levels of aggression:
    - Generally, children display different patterns compared to teenagers or adults.
    - Common perception is that children are the most aggressive, but nuances exist based on context and presentation of threats.

Gender Roles and Aggression

• Men and women respond to threats differently:
    - Men's aggression is often physical and more visibly harmful.
    - Women's aggression may manifest as less direct or physically harmful than men’s.

Problematic Norms in Aggression Perception

• Misconceptions about aggression responses can lead to biased assumptions:
    - In high-stress environments, people inaccurately assess others’ responses.

Legal System Responses to Aggression

• Recidivism is a key focus in understanding criminal behavior:
    - Recidivism refers to the tendency of convicted criminals to reoffend.
    - Punitive systems (e.g., the U.S.) see higher rates of recidivism compared to rehabilitative models used in Scandinavian countries.

• The efficacy of legal systems often hinges on precedents and economic incentives:
    - Existing structures reward maintaining the status quo rather than reform.

Psychological Terminology

• Important terms regarding prejudice:
    - Prejudice: Evaluative reactions to others based on their characteristics; shaped by emotions.
    - Discrimination: Unequal treatment based on prejudice.

• Distinctions:
    - Descriptive stereotypes predict behaviors based on observed actions.
    - Prescriptive stereotypes dictate behaviors, suggesting how individuals should act based on social constructs, particularly in gender contexts.

Gender and Prejudice

• Gender roles in prejudice are complex:
    - Ambivalent sexism includes both negative and exaggeratedly positive attitudes toward genders.
    - Hostile sexism often targets perceived gender roles negatively while benevolent sexism includes patronizing attitudes framed as affectionate.