Social

521428 Is aggressive behaviour something that is learned, or do its origins lie elsewhere' There are many psychological explanations for aggression occurring, these are, bio-social models, reinforcement and social learning. Aggression takes many forms of behaviour including verbal, physical and facial expressions, all of which, are viewed differently across cultures. Baron (1977) believes ‘Aggression is any form of behaviour directed toward the goal of harming or injuring another living being’. Bio – social models of aggression include the frustration aggression hypothesis which states that aggression is caused by frustration, this comes about through not gaining a desired goal. (Miller 1941). For example, an individual who is recovering from some type of addiction like tobacco products, often feel agitated and may exhibit behaviours such as short tempers and impatience while the body goes through withdrawal. Bandura (1973) criticised this hypothesis and believed that aggression could occur in the absence of frustration. The Excitation transfer model which is supported by Zillmann (1979) argues that residual arousal from an unrelated event can feed readiness to aggress in a new situation. The outcome of behaviour depends on residual non-specific arousal labelled from cues in the environment. Aggressive behaviour causes can also stem from the presence of some type of disease or brain disorder. People with autism or some form of mental retardation may exhibit aggression in spurts, while appearing docile in between explosions of anger. In like manner, people suffering with epilepsy are also more likely to become aggressive. When the individual suffers with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), the aggression may develop out of sheer frustration, especially if the ADD has not been diagnosed and the individual has no idea why these sudden moods of aggressive conduct occur. Injuries to the brain can also lead to the development of aggression. In humans, the brain has several sections, each of which controls different physical or mental functions. At the top of the spinal column, the brain stem regulates involuntary functions such as breathing and circulation and connects the spinal cords nerves with the rest of the brain. Nearby structures called the thalamus and hypothalamus deal with pain, the sex drive, and sleep. Motor functions and balance are maintained by the cerebellum, also located at the base of the brain. Therefore, changes to either one of these sections is detrimental to the individual when considering aggression. Severe trauma to the head causes the brain to bounce within the skull may lead to bruising that in turn impacts the brain’s production of different types of neurotransmitters. The end result is that the individual is overcome with intense feelings of anger and is likely to lash out at anyone within relatively close vicinity. Cerebral contusions tend to occur at the tips of the frontal and temporal lobes where they bang up against the interior of the skull. Diffuse axonal injury occurs more toward the centre of the brain where axons are subjected to maximal stretching. Often, the behaviour will fade as the brain begins to heal, especially if medication is taken to help compensate for the imbalance of neurotransmitters. Social – learning models of aggression take the form of operant conditioning (sometimes referred to as instrumental conditioning) is a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behaviour. Through operant conditioning, an association is made 521428 between a behaviour and a consequence for that behaviour. Consider the case of children completing homework to earn a reward from a parent or teacher, or employees finishing projects to receive praise or promotions. In these examples, the promise of reward causes an increase in behaviour, but operant conditioning can also be used to decrease a behaviour. The removal of an undesirable outcome or the use of punishment can be used to decrease or prevent undesirable behaviours. For example, a child may be told they will lose recent privileges if they talk out of turn in class. This potential for punishment may lead to a decrease in disruptive behaviours. The aim of Bandura Ross and Ross’s (1963) experiment was to demonstrate that if children were witnesses to an aggressive display by an adult they would imitate this aggressive behaviour when given the opportunity. The design of the experiment has three major conditions; the control group, the group exposed to the aggressive model, and the group exposed to the passive model. Children watching an adult act aggressively toward a bobo doll showed greater tendency to subsequently aggress towards the bobo doll and also demonstrated how adult modelling influenced children’s’ aggressive behaviour via a range of mediums. Vicarious learning takes place when an observer can see an individual, in this case, the adult, being rewarded and praised for their behaviour. This would lead to aggressive behaviour being repeated as they see no wrong in doing it. Baron and Richardson (1994) criticised Bandura’s work by saying the research did not show aggression in its truest form. The role of the media has some influence on aggression as individuals especially youths today rely on TV and games in everyday life. Libert & Baron (1972) tested whether 5-9 year-old children who watched a violent video were more willing to hurt others versus children who did not. Half of the children were randomly assigned to view a violent 3 minute sports film; the other half were randomly assigned to view a non - violent 3 minutes sports film (the independent variable). Children were then led to another room and seated in front of a help/hurt box. Wires from the box were supposedly connected to a game another child was playing in a different room. The game involved turning a handle. When the handle was being turned, a white light would appear. The help button made the handle easier to turn; the hurt button made it hot. The more times and the longer the button was depressed, the greater the aggression. The light came on 20 times. It is believed that individuals who watch violence on TV are more than likely to repeat certain behaviours as they have been pre exposed to that behaviour. Anderson and Bushman (2001) reviewed meta analysis of 35 research reports (totalling 4262 participants) and found that video game exposure was associated with significantly increased aggressive behaviour, reduced pro-social (helping) behaviour, increased aggressive thoughts (cognition), increased aggressive feelings (affect), and increased physiological arousal. 521428 References Anderson, C. A., Bushman, B. J. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behaviour, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behaviour: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. Psychological Science, 12, 353-359. Baron, R. A. & Richardson, D. R. (1994). Human Aggression: Second Edition. London: Plenum Press. Bandura, A., Ross, D. & Ross, S. A. (1961). Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 63, 575-582. Bandura, A., Ross, D. & Ross, S. A. (1963). Imitation of film-mediated aggressive models. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 66, 3-11. Berkowitz, L. (1993). Aggression: Its Causes, Consequences and Control. London: McGraw-Hill. Hogg, M. A. & Vaughan, G. M. (2005). Social Psychology: Fourth Edition. London: Prentice Hall http://www.braininjury.com/injured.html