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Temperature
Suggested increased temperatures lead to increase in display of aggressive behaviours.
- Lab experiments show relationship is complex.
- Baron and Bell (1976) – developed idea of Negative Effect Relief. Suggests;
- Temperature causes discomfort and irritation, which creates a disposition towards aggressive behaviour, which is triggered by frustrating experience.
Supported by:
- Kenrick and Macfarlane (1986) – Confederates stalled a car at green traffic lights, which frustrated blocked motorists. Hotter weather led to more car horn honks.
However, is a car honk aggressive? Doesn’t fit in with definition by Aronson (1997)
Baron and Bell later go on to postulate that extreme temperature increases negative effect, but to a decrease in aggression. At this point, people are too exhausted to act aggressively, or put energy into trying to escape the unpleasant stimulus.
This leads to there being a curvilinear relationship, also giving rise to a peak temperature. Not for the first time.
Carlsmith and Anderson (1979) found peak temperature during their study of 79 US cities. They found a proportional relationship between hot weather and number of riots, with a peak temp lying around 27-32٥C – corroborates Baron and Bell.
Baron and Bells lab experiment may be limited because a lot of its core principals center around escaping the temperature if its too high, however, Geen (1990) suggested escape is often not possible in real life, which may negate the curvilinear relationship, found in the escapable lab.
However Carlsmith and Andersons study was a naturalistic observation, with high ecological validity due to no iatrogenic effects, lending credence to Baron and Bell. But can it be applied universally or just in western civilisations?
Reductionist; Suggests a fairly simple relationship for a complex reaction and ignores many other possible factors. In hotter months, there is more social interaction, as more people go outside, giving more opportunity for rape/homicide. The fact that it could be this social interaction causing aggression is supported by research that showed that apart from hot summer months, the period with highest rape/homicide is Christmas, which has massive social interaction, but also cold temperatures. Again, this research only applies to western cultures.
Regional differences;
- Southern US states = Hotter →higher rate of homicide
- Northern US states = Cooler→ lower rate of homicide
only superficially supports, as Nisbett (1993) investigated and found southern states have a ‘culture of honour’ which instigates more aggression.
Crowding
The reactionary emotional response from the increase in density of people. Difficult to assess due it its socially constructed nature, so unique to individuals.
Studies suggest that crowding is a contributing factor in the frustration-aggression hypothesis.
Matthews (1979) suggested relationship is curvilinear as with temperature, including a peak crowding that initiates the escape mechanism and aggression decreases.
However, later studies show that this is inconclusive.
- Mummendy (1996) found no link between aggression and crowding
- Stokols (1973) found that male aggression increased with crowding, but female aggression decreased.
Shows that many circumstances or situations can give a multitude of outcomes, crowding must be a complex mechanism to instigate aggression.
Freedman (1975) suggested that crowding doesn’t necessarily lead to aggression, but intensification. Crowding intensifies current feelings. Someone doesn’t like trains, they’ll hate crowded trains. But if someone likes to dance, they’ll love a crowded dance floor.
Good – doesn’t assume relationship is simple, allows for individual differences, and can explain how many experiments have different outcomes, depending on method.
Sherrad (1974) did an experiment, and attained that the control people have over the crowding is a determining factor of aggression, rather than the crowding itself.
Cross Cultural studies show social constructiveness, where different cultures have different norms.
Hall (1959) proved individuals from southern USA require less distance between people during polite conversation than members of northern states. This shows that socialisation will have an effect on the emotional response people can get from their environment, which could again be related to aggression among other things.
Freedman (1972) Significant gender differences; Showed men were more readily aggressive than women when immersed in a crowded environment; this is also a type of socialisation, in the form of role acquisition (or is it the evolutionary response to the fact males need to be more competitive, or their physiological make-up?)
Overall; Multiple factors lead this to be a very complex human mechanism
lots of factors are socially constructed so there will always be great variation, not only between cultures, but also amongst it.
Factors proven to effect aggression are also manipulated by many other factors in turn, where does the chain end?
Although it may be not clear how, it is still evident that the environment does have a role to play in the manifestation of aggressive behaviour.
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