PSYC 312
ACTIVITY ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS AND ANSWER SHEET
DIRECTIONS:
Read each scenario or brief question and respond in the boxes provided (they will expand to fit your
answer). All information needed to answer these questions can be found in this week’s readings. Note that
each question is worth up to 5 points.
To earn maximum credit please include:
A response that is concise but thorough (3-5 sentences for each answer).
An in-text citation to identify the source of any information that is not common knowledge.
Correct spelling and grammar.
Proper APA formatting.
To avoid point deductions please:
Do not copy and paste information from your textbook. Instead, paraphrase/rewrite in your own
words to demonstrate your knowledge.
Do not include any direct quotes.
Markus was excited to finally arrive in Metrocity and was eager to explore. He stepped out of the
crowded subway car and headed for the long, steep stairway that led to street-level. He was shocked
to see a group of young men forcing their way through the crowd on the stairway, pushing people
aside, shouting about trying to catch the next train. Several people were hurt including a young
woman who fell down and was bleeding. Her husband grabbed one of the young men and began
shaking and punching him.
1. Two types of aggression are described in this scenario. Describe each type, identify which person or
persons exhibited each type of aggression and support your answer with information from our textbook.
The group of young men displayed instrumental aggression which is defined as harm of a person
while striving for another goal (Myers & Twenge, 2019). This is the case because they were
attempting to catch the train. The husband displayed hostile aggression which is brought on by anger
and the desire to hurt someone (Myers & Twenge, 2019). This desire was brought about when the
group injured his wife.
2. Based on empirical evidence described in our textbook, would you say that aggressive behavior is
learned or are we all born with aggressive tendencies? Be sure to include examples from our textbook
(cited) to support your answer.
Aggressive behavior is learned from our parents and our society. Aggression is prompted by any
number of averse events but the way one responds to the event depends on the expected
repercussions (Myers & Twenge, 2019). If society rewards aggression, one is more likely to aggress
(Myers & Twenge, 2019).
3. A man was punched and knocked unconscious when he was caught in the act of breaking into
another man’s home. Which of these men is more likely to have reacted to the home invasion in this
aggressive manner: Mitchell (who was born and raised in an area historically inhabited by sheep
farmers in a Southern state) or Steven (who was born and raised in an industrial Northern city).
Page 1 of 5
PSYC 312
Explain your choice based on what Myers and Twenge wrote about culture and aggressive
behavior.
Mitchell is more likely to respond in an aggressive manner since he is from a culture of honor (Myers
& Twenge, 2019). Nisbett and Cohen found that southern white males expressed more aggressive
behaviors than northern white males because they believe any offense deserves retribution (Myers &
Twenge, 2019). This could be the reason why southern states have three times as many school
shootings as northern states (Myers & Twenge, 2019).
4. Based on information provided in our textbook, how is aggression related to social status?
Relative deprivation is believing that you are less well off than someone you compare yourself with
(Myers & Twenge, 2019). When the income inequality is higher frustration rises because one group
feels that they are being deprived of something the other group has (Myers & Twenge, 2019). For
people who believe they are low income, whether they actually are or not, frustration is
commonplace and that frustration often begets hostility (Myers & Twenge, 2019).
5. Describe the experiment Albert Bandura conducted that provided important information related
to aggressive behavior. What did this research tell us about aggressive behavior? Why was this
landmark study so significant?
Bandura had two groups of children in which one group watched an adult aggressively attack a blow
up clown named Bobo and the other group did not witness the attack (Myers & Twenge, 2019). After
the children watched the attack (or did not witness the attack) they were then placed in a situation
that caused frustration and then moved to the room with Bobo (Myers & Twenge, 2019). The
children who observed the adult attacking Bobo then took their frustrations out on the doll often
mimicking what the adult had previously done to the doll while the children who did not observe the
attack played calmly (Myers & Twenge, 2019). This study was significant because it showed how
witnessing aggressive behavior can lower our inhibitions and show us how to be aggressive ourselves
(Myers & Twenge, 2019).
Pat has been arrested several times for crimes involving aggressive behavior. Explain how the
following factors may be impacting Pat’s behavior.
6. Alcohol:
Alcohol releases aggression when an inebriated person is provoked (Myers & Twenge, 2019).
Alcohol reduces self-awareness and enhances attention to provocation (Myers & Twenge, 2019).
50% of murders worldwide involve alcohol because it lowers inhibitions and predisposes people to
aggressive misinterpretations (Myers & Twenge, 2019).
7. Gender. Did you assume Pat was male or female? Explain why. Does gender typically have an impact
related to aggressive behavior?
Page 2 of 5
PSYC 312
I assumed Pat was a male because the male sex hormone testosterone correlates to aggression (Myers
& Twenge, 2019). Testosterone levels and violent crime rates are positively correlated (Myers &
Twenge, 2019). Men with higher levels of testosterone are more prone to crime, drug use, and
aggressive responses to provocation (Myers & Twenge, 2019).
8. Family Background:
Children who come from a physically aggressive family are more prone to physical aggression in
adulthood (Myers & Twenge, 2019). Individuals who were abused as children are four times more
likely to abuse their own children (Myers & Twenge, 2019). We model aggressive acts just as the
children in Bandura’s social learning experiment.
9. Personal Discomfort or Pain:
Aversive stimulation such as pain or discomfort is a basic trigger for aggression (Myers & Twenge,
2019). Nathan Azrin experimented with shocks and animals and discovered the greater he shocked
the animal the more violent their attack on a nearby animal would be (Myers & Twenge, 2019). Pain
heightens aggression (Myers & Twenge, 2019).
Respond to the next two statements based on the information provided by Myers & Twenge
regarding violence and the media.
10. Violent movies and television programs should be banned because they cause people to commit
violent acts. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
I disagree that violent movies and television should be banned because they aren’t the sole cause of
violent acts. Violent programs are only one of the several risk factors that lead to aggressive behavior
(Myers & Twenge, 2019). Although it is a predictor of aggression, we cannot protect everyone from
every risk factor and so banning movies and programs that depict violence isn’t reasonable.
11. People are responsible for choices they make. Violent movies and television programs are purely
entertainment and have no impact on violent behavior. Do you agree or disagree? Why?
I do not agree that violence in the media has no effect on behavior but I do agree that people are
responsible for their own choices. There is a modest correlation between watching aggressive
programs and predicting aggressive behavior (Myers & Twenge, 2019). Other factors that influence
the choices an individual makes are parenting style, IQ, sex, and socioeconomic status (Myers &
Twenge, 2019). These factors together influence our choices.
12. Myers and Twenge identify eight factors associated with (or predictive of) aggressive behavior.
Please list all eight.
Page 3 of 5
PSYC 312
The factors associated with aggressive behavior are being of the male gender, having an aggressive
personality, alcohol usage, viewing violence, feeling of anonymity, provocation, the presence of
weapons, and group interaction (Myers & Twenge, 2019). These eight factors predicted increased
aggression in both the laboratory and in real life scenarios (Myers & Twenge, 2019).
13. What are some ways Myers and Twenge suggest that could help reduce cyberbullying? Please
provide at least two specific examples from our textbook and explain why each of these might be
successful.
Cyberbullying can be reduced when children are monitored more closely (Myers & Twenge, 2019).
Education on the subject of cyberbullying and what behaviors it includes along with educating
children about empathy can reduce the occurrence of cyberbullying (Myers & Twenge, 2019). We
can also encourage children to stand up and put a stop to it instead of being a bystander (Myers &
Twenge, 2019).
14. What role does parenting play in reducing aggressive behavior? Provide an example from
research cited in our textbook. Explain from a Biblical perspective why parenting has such a
powerful effect.
Positive communication skills between parents and children is a start to reducing aggressive behavior
(Myers & Twenge, 2019). Parents are responsible for training their children to control their anger and
instilling moral reasoning (Myers & Twenge, 2019). Teaching discipline without violence reinforces
good behaviors and deters aggression (Myers & Twenge, 2019). Jesus taught us to love the little
children and to love one another as He loved us and I believe it is a parent’s job to nurture that love
in their children. Treating children with gentleness helps them remain responsive to correction
(Myers & Twenge, 2019).
15. Explain how anger and aggression may or may not be connected. What is the best way to
manage anger or frustration (venting, holding it in or other?). Use information and scenarios from
our textbook rather than from personal experience.
Venting anger causes more aggression (Myers & Twenge, 2019). In an experiment that had one
group of participants hit a punching bag while remembering something that angered them and
another group that did not hit the punching bag, the group who did hit the bag were angrier and more
aggressive than the group who did not (Myers & Twenge, 2019). Internet users who frequent rant
sites felt more hostile afterwards (Myers & Twenge, 2019). Instead of holding onto our anger or
venting it, we can learn to communicate our anger effectively and give the source of our anger the
opportunity to respond positively (Myers & Twenge, 2019).
Reference
Page 4 of 5
