Fighting words
Laura Stockdale et al.
Aggressive Behavior, forthcoming
Abstract:
Although there have been hundreds of studies on media violence, few have focused on literature, with none examining novels. Accordingly, the aim of the current study was to examine whether reading physical and relational aggression in books was associated with aggressive behavior in adolescents. Participants consisted of 223 adolescents who completed a variety of measures detailing their media use and aggressive behavior. A non-recursive structural equation model revealed that reading aggression in books was positively associated with aggressive behavior, even after controlling for exposure to aggression in other forms of media. Associations were only found for congruent forms of aggression. Implications regarding books as a form of media are discussed.
----------------------
Peaceful Warriors: Codes for Violence among Adult Male Bar Fighters
Heith Copes, Andy Hochstetler & Craig Forsyth
Criminology, forthcoming
Abstract:
Considerable theoretical and empirical inquiry has focused on the role codes for violence play in generating crime. A large part of this work has examined the attitudes and codes condoning retaliation and violence as well as the prevalence of these among minorities residing in impoverished neighborhoods. Much about the nature of codes remains unknown, however, and this may in part reflect a narrow interest in beliefs about provocation and uses of violence among the inner-city poor. In this study, we elaborate on a code of violence as part of a system of order and honor as articulated by a network of White, working-class males in a southern U.S. city who participate in bar fights. The findings suggest that the code these men use prohibits predatory violence, puts exclusive limitations on situations that warrant violence, and constrains the level of violence in a fight. We detail the contours of this code (e.g., purpose of fighting, the rules of honorable fighting, and justifications for violating these rules) and discuss the code as both a cause and a consequence of behavior.
----------------------
Motion capture controls negate the violent video-game effect
Eric Charles et al.
Computers in Human Behavior, November 2013, Pages 2519-2523
Abstract:
Considerable research suggests that violent video game play increases players' aggression. However, few studies have investigated this effect in the now ubiquitous context of motion-capture technology. Study 1 used a 2 × 2 design, with a violent (Soul Calibur) and non-violent (Lego Indiana Jones) game, played under analog (Playstation 3) and motion-capture (Nintendo Wii) conditions. Violent video game play led to less aggression when participants used motion-capture controls. Study 2 eliminated potential confounds by using the only game on the Wii system that can be played identically with or without motion capture (Punch-Out!!). Again, participants who used motion-capture were less aggressive. Study 3 looked for effects of cooperative vs. competitive play during 2-player motion-capture gaming (Soul Calibur, Wii). Participants using motion-capture controls in competitive and cooperative scenarios did not differ from baseline. These results run counter to standard models relating violent video game play to aggressive behavior, highlighting the difficulty in anticipating the effects of newer, more immersive technology.
----------------------
False memories for aggressive acts
Cara Laney & Melanie Takarangi
Acta Psychologica, June 2013, Pages 227-234
Abstract:
Can people develop false memories for committing aggressive acts? How does this process compare to developing false memories for victimhood? In the current research we used a simple false feedback procedure to implant false memories for committing aggressive acts (causing a black eye or spreading malicious gossip) or for victimhood (receiving a black eye). We then compared these false memories to other subjects' true memories for equivalent events. False aggressive memories were all too easy to implant, particularly in the minds of individuals with a proclivity towards aggression. Once implanted, the false memories were indistinguishable from true memories for the same events, on several dimensions, including emotional content. Implications for aggression-related memory more generally as well as false confessions are discussed.
----------------------
Wesley Jennings, Alex Piquero & David Farrington
Journal of Criminal Justice, July-August 2013, Pages 213-219
Purpose: There is a sizable literature documenting the relationship between resting heart rate and antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. Absent from the literature is the extent to which heart rate has long-term prediction into late middle adulthood and the extent to which such effects are specific to certain crime types, such as violence, or whether heart rate effects are more general.
Methods: This study uses data from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, a longitudinal study of 411 South London males followed through age 50 in order to examine these two research questions.
Results: Results suggest that lower heart rates are significantly associated with total conviction frequency and involvement in violence. This pattern of relationships is not altered by the inclusion of additional risk factors such as early childhood risk factors, adolescent involvement in smoking, body mass index, participation in team sports, binge drinking, or a measure of impulsivity.
Conclusions: Heart rate was found to be a significant correlate of criminal offending. Study limitations and implications are discussed.
----------------------
Rethinking Indirect Aggression: The End of the Mean Girl Myth
Sibylle Artz, Wassilis Kassis & Stephanie Moldenhauer
Victims & Offenders, Summer 2013, Pages 308-328
Abstract:
Although much has been made of the "mean girl" and her use of indirect aggression, this cross-cultural study of 5,789 adolescents from six countries (Austria, Canada, Germany, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland) found that significantly more boys (46.8%) than girls (31.7%) reported using indirect aggression against peers. Additionally, because females reported an almost 19 times higher probability than males for using indirect aggression against opposite sex peers, males are by far the more likely targets of indirect aggression - thus suggesting that indirect aggression is a male, not a female, issue.
----------------------
Perceived Aggressiveness Predicts Fighting Performance in Mixed-Martial-Arts Fighters
Vít Třebický et al.
Psychological Science, forthcoming
Abstract:
Accurate assessment of competitive ability is a critical component of contest behavior in animals, and it could be just as important in human competition, particularly in human ancestral populations. Here, we tested the role that facial perception plays in this assessment by investigating the association between both perceived aggressiveness and perceived fighting ability in fighters' faces and their actual fighting success. Perceived aggressiveness was positively associated with the proportion of fights won, after we controlled for the effect of weight, which also independently predicted perceived aggression. In contrast, perception of fighting ability was confounded by weight, and an association between perceived fighting ability and actual fighting success was restricted to heavyweight fighters. Shape regressions revealed that aggressive-looking faces are generally wider and have a broader chin, more prominent eyebrows, and a larger nose than less aggressive-looking faces. Our results indicate that perception of aggressiveness and fighting ability might cue different aspects of success in male-male physical confrontation.
----------------------
Mass Shooters in the USA, 1966-2010: Differences Between Attackers Who Live and Die
Adam Lankford
Justice Quarterly, forthcoming
Abstract:
Previous research suggests that there are fundamental psychological and behavioral differences between offenders who commit murder and offenders who commit murder-suicide. Whether a similar distinction exists for rampage, workplace, and school shooters remains unknown. Using data from the 2010 NYPD report, this study presents results from the first regression analysis of all qualifying mass shooters who struck in the USA between 1966 and 2010 (N = 185). Findings suggest that there are fundamental differences between mass shooters who die as a result of their attacks and mass shooters who live. Patterns among offenders, the weapons they use, the victims they kill, and the locations they attack may have significant implications for scholars and security officials alike.
----------------------
Sun-induced frowning fosters aggressive feelings
Daniele Marzoli et al.
Cognition & Emotion, forthcoming
Abstract:
We tested whether aggressiveness can be triggered by the involuntary frowning that occurs when people face the sun, due to the fact that sun-induced frowning involves the same pattern of facial muscle activation as in the expression of anger (interestingly, Charles Darwin remarked on the sunshade-like nature of frowning). In line with data showing that experimentally and unobtrusively induced facial and body displays facilitate congruent feelings, we found that participants walking against the sun without sunglasses scored higher in a self-report measure of anger and aggression compared to those walking with the sun behind and/or wearing sunglasses. We also suggest that frowning at the sun affects mood very quickly, because we did not find any effect of walking time on self-reported aggressiveness. Our results provide the first evidence of the ecological validity of the facial feedback hypothesis.
----------------------
Amy Byrd & Stephen Manuck
Biological Psychiatry, forthcoming
Background: In a seminal study of gene-environment interaction, childhood maltreatment predicted antisocial behavior more strongly in male subjects carrying an MAOA promoter variant of lesser, compared with higher, transcriptional efficiency. Many further investigations have been reported, including studies of other early environmental exposures and female subjects. Here, we report a meta-analysis of studies testing the interaction of MAOA genotype and childhood adversities on antisocial outcomes in predominantly nonclinical samples.
Methods: Included were 27 peer-reviewed, English-language studies published through August, 2012, that contained indicators of maltreatment or other family (e.g., parenting, sociodemographic) hardships; MAOA genotype; indices of aggressive and antisocial behavior; and statistical test of genotype-environment interaction. Studies of forensic and exclusively clinical samples, clinical cohorts lacking proportionally matched control subjects, or outcomes nonspecific for antisocial behavior were excluded. The Liptak-Stouffer weighted Z-test for meta-analysis was implemented to maximize study inclusion and calculated separately for male and female cohorts.
Results: Across 20 male cohorts, early adversity presaged antisocial outcomes more strongly for low-activity, relative to high- activity, MAOA genotype (p = .0028). Stratified analyses showed the interaction specific to maltreatment (p = .0000002) and robust to several sensitivity analyses. Across 11 female cohorts, MAOA did not interact with combined early life adversities, whereas maltreatment alone predicted antisocial behaviors preferentially, but weakly, in female subjects of high-activity MAOA genotype (p = .02).
Conclusions: We found common regulatory variation in MAOA to moderate effects of childhood maltreatment on male antisocial behaviors, confirming a sentinel finding in research on gene-environment interaction. An analogous, but less consistent, finding in female subjects warrants further investigation.
----------------------
Superman vs. BAD Man? The Effects of Empathy and Game Character in Violent Video Games
Christian Happ, André Melzer & Georges Steffgen
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, forthcoming
Abstract:
Recent findings indicate that events in video games, as well as players' perceptions of game characters, moderate well-established video game effects. This includes the level of identification with game characters, and players' interpretation of whether or not the actions of the characters are conceived as moral. In the present study, it was tested whether manipulating empathy for well-known game characters influences video game effects in a violent beat-'em-up game. As was expected, playing the comic hero Superman led to more prosocial behavior (i.e., returning a lost letter) than playing the evil villain Joker. A similar positive effect was observed for inducing game characters as warm and empathic before playing. Compared to a neutral text, participants in the empathy text condition judged the violence in the game as less justified, irrespective of game character. When looking at hostile perception, an interaction was found between empathy and game character. For Superman, empathy led participants to interpret neutral faces as less aggressive. When playing the evil Joker, however, empathy even increased hostile perception. This is in line with previous findings that empathy may not be positive per se. In fact, it may backfire depending on the interaction of game characters and the empathy players feel for them.
----------------------
Efficacy of a brief intervention on attitudes to reduce school violence: A randomized clinical trial
Jose Antonio Jiménez-Barbero et al.
Children and Youth Services Review, September 2013, Pages 1313-1318
Abstract:
There is growing interest in the phenomenon of school violence, which has been associated in diverse works with youth's attitudes towards violence, and it has been the focus of many intervention programs. However, the high human and economic cost entailed can impede its administration in some school centers. Therefore, the goal of the present study is to assess the efficacy of a brief intervention aimed at modifying attitudes towards violence to reduce the phenomenon of school bullying. The sample was obtained from a Secondary Education Institute during the 2010-2011 school term, and was made up of 252 students aged between 12-15 years. A controlled and randomized design was used in order to assess the effects of the program "Count on Me." Ten classrooms were randomly assigned either to the intervention or to a waiting-list. Results show a significant reduction of playground violence perceived by the students, especially among the girls. Implications for the development of future brief programs for the prevention of school violence are discussed.
----------------------
Bullying the bully: Why zero-tolerance policies get a failing grade
K. Borgwald & H. Theixos
Social Influence, Spring 2013, Pages 149-160
Abstract:
Recent studies show that the current punitive approach to bullying, in the form of zero-tolerance policies, is ineffective in reducing bullying and school violence. Despite this significant finding, anti-bullying legislation is increasing. The authors argue that these policies are not only ineffective but that they are also unjust, harmful, and stigmatizing. They advocate a broader integrative approach to bullying programs that includes both victims and bullies.
----------------------
A Partial Test of Moffitt's Developmental Taxonomy: Examining the Role of Genetic Risk
Joseph Schwartz & Kevin Beaver
Justice Quarterly, forthcoming
Abstract:
A developing line of research indicates that behavioral patterns associated with the typologies identified in Moffitt's developmental taxonomy may be influenced by genetic factors. Based on these findings, the current study examines whether Moffitt's etiological explanations of life-course persistent offenders, adolescence-limited offenders, and abstainers have merit after controlling for genetic influences. To do so, a sample of twins drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were examined. The results revealed that genetic influences significantly predicted entry into each of the typologies identified by Moffitt even after controlling for theoretically relevant factors. Implications of the findings and suggestions for future research are discussed.
----------------------
Beauty, Personality, and Affect as Antecedents of Counterproductive Work Behavior Receipt
Brent Scott & Timothy Judge
Human Performance, Spring 2013, Pages 93-113
Abstract:
Over the years, much attention has been devoted to understanding counterproductive work behavior (CWB) and its related concepts. Less is known, however, about whether certain employees find themselves more than others to be the targets of CWB. To examine this issue, we tested a model that positioned CWB receipt as a function of employees' personality (neuroticism, agreeableness), their appearance (physical attractiveness), and the negative emotions felt toward those employees by their coworkers. Two studies using multiple sources of data revealed that disagreeable and physically unattractive employees received more CWB from their coworkers, coworker negative emotion felt toward employees was associated with CWB receipt, and the relationship between employee agreeableness and CWB receipt was due, in part, to coworker negative emotion.
----------------------
Adrienne Holz Ivory & Christine Kaestle
Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, Spring 2013, Pages 224-241
Abstract:
Although effects of violence in video games have been researched extensively, no empirical studies have examined effects of profanity, a form of verbal aggression, in video games. An experiment (N = 321) investigated effects of profanity used by protagonist and antagonist characters in a "first-person shooter" game on players' hostile expectations, accessibility of aggressive thoughts, aggressive feelings, and other responses. Profanity used by both protagonist and antagonist characters increased hostile expectations, a direct precursor to aggressive behaviors. Findings suggest that profanity in video games may affect aggressive outcomes, emphasizing the need for more research investigating effects of profanity in media.
----------------------
Kirstie Farrar, Marina Krcmar & Rory McGloin
Mass Communication and Society, May/June 2013, Pages 299-324
Abstract:
In this posttest-only experimental design, participants played one of two versions of the video game Quake with either a human-looking target or a nonhuman-looking target. Dependent measures included perceived human appearance of the target, perceived violence in the game, immersive presence, physically and verbally aggressive intentions, and aggressive cognitions. Of specific interest was the relative effect of the manipulation compared to the effect of the players' perceptions (humanness of the target, experienced immersive presence) on aggressive outcomes. We utilize schema theory to argue that game perceptions, including those of the manipulation, and other perceptual variables partially mediate the relationship between game features and aggressive outcomes. First, we found that the manipulation was successful and less human-looking targets were perceived as less human. In addition, the more experience someone had playing violent games, the less violent they perceived the stimulus game to be. Second, men were more physically aggressive than women. Third, the manipulation of humanness had no direct effects on aggression. Last, the more human players perceived the aggressive targets to be, the more verbally aggressive they were and the more violent words they generated. Thus, perceptions of the manipulation were more important than the experimental manipulation itself in predicting outcomes.