PSYCHOLOGY

UNIT 3:

AGGRESSION

- Aggression: a hostile or destructive mental attitude or behaviour.

Social learning theory –

In order for an individual to learn any form of behaviour, the following four conditions must be
present:

1. Attention to action
2. Remembering the action
3. Ability to replicate the behaviour
4. Motivation to replicate the behaviour.

Observation and imitation –

It is claimed that children learn through observing behaviours carried out by role models with whom
they identify.

Operant conditioning –

Punished or reinforced; child learns about the consequences of aggressive behaviour is through
observing others.

Vicarious Reinforcement –
It is likely that we will repeat behaviour that we have seen reinforced in someone else.

 Bandura 
Aim: to identify whether children would imitate an observed display of aggressive behaviour
by an adult.
Procedure:
- 72 children (equal numbers of boys and girls) were recruited from Stanford University
nursery school.
- Four conditions; aggressive, non-aggressive and gender all set up with 24 children in each.
- Children were grouped into either; aggressive/non-aggressive male and aggressive/non-
aggressive female.
Findings:
- Children in the aggressive condition were verbally and physically abusive to the bobo doll.
- Around 1 in 3 of the children in the aggressive condition repeated the adult models whereas
none of the non aggressive condition children did so.
- The children were more aggressive to the bobo doll after observing the same sex role model.
Conclusions:
- Children develop aggressive behaviours as a result of others performing aggressive acts.
- Further research conducted by Bandura identified that children were far more likely to be
aggressive if given rewards.
- Study provides support for social learning theory as the children in the study didn’t learn the
aggressive behaviour through operant conditioning but through vicarious reinforcement.
 Evaluation:
X – Cultural bias as it’s done in the US only. Upper/middle class white people from wealthy
backgrounds is unrepresentative as it has low population validity.
X – Only children used. It could be argued that children are more likely to learn from a role
model.
X – Protection from harm; learning aggressive behaviour/may hit another child.
X – Artificial stimulus/setting; would they be aggressive in normal life.

Deindividuation Theory –
 Zimbardo 

Zimbardo claimed that deindividuation involved losing a sense of personal identity, often leading
individuals to behave in ways which they wouldn’t ordinarily. It can be described as a psychological
state which occurs once an individual has lost the notion of what makes themselves who they are.

The process of deindividuation:

- The theory assumes that there is pressure on individuals to behave in a way which is socially
acceptable.
- But once an individual loses their sense of self they are far more likely to behave in a way
which are not socially acceptable.
- This is due to the lack of responsibility an individual feels, and a lack of potential
consequences to their actions.

Factors that affect deindividuation:

- Anonymity = individuals are anonymous (usually wearing a uniform/mask) so they can’t be

identified.
- Group size = the larger the group of people, the less likely a single person will be identified.
- Diffused responsibility = the individual blames their antisocial actions on another person,
again losing their responsibility.

Research into deindividuation:

Stanford Prison Experiment:

 Zimbardo 
- 21 undergraduate students were selected for the study, all were white, male and middle
class.
- All informed that they were to be taking part in a mock prison experiment.
- The basement of the psychology department of Stanford University was arranged into a
prison setting.
- The study was designed to last for 14 days.
- Each participant underwent strict mental health testing.
- Those assigned as prison guards were informed not to cause physical harm to the prisoners.
- Participants were paid $15 a day for their participation.
 - Zimbardo tried to create a representative sample of participants in order to ensure validity.
- Clear rules were created and the aim of the study was well publicised to participants.

Factors leading to deindividuation occurring:

- Anonymity: prison guards worse uniform and the prisoners were referred to by their name
but by numbers.
- Diffused responsibility: they could diffuse responsibility onto each other, the guards or
Zimbardo.
- Group size: there’s a good group size but could be bigger.

Prison guard behaviours = Prisoners behaviours =

Volunteered to work extra hours Loss their sense of identity
Made prisoners roll-call their inmate Didn’t stick up for each other when the
numbers guards picked on set individuals
Verbally abusive Became more and more subdued
Psychologically abusive Quickly learnt to do what the guards
requested
Physical punishment through exercise Started to display mentally disturbed
behaviour
Refused prisoners the right to defecate
Prisoners forced to sleep naked, without any
bedding
Subjected some prisoners to sexual
simulation activities:
Anonymity: prisoners given numbers and had
to wear uniform.
Group size: there were a number of guards.
Diffused responsibility: prisoners blamed
each other.
A02 –

- Right to withdraw
- Protection from harm
- Culturally relative: white middle class sample which shows low population validity.
- Demand characteristics
- Done in the US so is culturally specific
- Lacks ecological validity BUT the students knew they was in an experiment and not in a real
prison setting.
- Zimbardo’s over involvement meant it was not objective.

Additional research by Zimbardo –

Conducted an experiment to test whether students would give electric shocks to their peers in a
learning activity (similar to Milgrams).

2 conditions:
 1.) Deindividuation condition = wore lab coats, spoken to as a group and not introduced to each
other.
2.) Individuated condition = wore normal clothing, given instructions individually and
introduced by name to each other.

The study found that the participants in the dindividuation condition shocked the learners for twice
as long.

A02 –

 Mann  (SUPPORTING EVIDENCE)

Tried to explain why groups of people encouraged individuals to commit suicide. 10/21 of the
threatened sucicides were cheered on by a crowd of people, this mainly took place with a
large crowd and at night. He suggested that members of the crowd lost their identity and
sense of responsibility, behaving in an anti-social way.

 Gergen et al  (CONTRADICTING EVIDENCE)

The general consensus of opinion is that deindividuation frequently leads to aggression.
However, this is not always the case. Gergen placed 12 participants (6 men and 6 women) in
a dark room with no light. They were given no specific requests or instructions, so they could
use the time as they wished. He found that behaviour was polite and social with small talk
for the first 15 minutes. But after 60 minutes intimate contact had been overcome and
inhibitions were lowered. Most participants ‘got physical’ with at least half cuddling and 80%
reported feeling sexually aroused. Therefore not all crowds and groups perform aggressive
acts.

Different cultures A02 –

For some cultures, aggressive behaviour and violence is a natural part of life.

 Watson 
Collected data on warriors who changed their appearance prior to going to war – wearing
face paint, masks etc. he looked at data which detailed the extent to which their victims
were tortured, mutilated or killed.
Evaluation:
- Over simplistic – only looks at social aspects and it only comes from a social approach.
- However, the social learning theory has aspects of the behavioural theory which could mean
that it’s multi-dimensional.
- You can say its deterministic (large group – anti social way) if you have three factors then
you will act anti-socially. But there’s always the aspect of freewill which states you can
choose to lose your identity and act aggressively.
- Social learning theory is deterministic because if you see a behaviour being done by a role
model then it will most likely be repeated.
- Free will- you have to be motivated to do it yourself as well.
- Nurture side of the debate because it’s the things around us that make us aggressive or not.
- Cultural bias- took place in America.
- Lab experiment- artificial stimulus. Everyone acts differently in different environments e.g.
demand characteristics.
- Also, issues with validity in lab experiments.