Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, 1940. / Issued also without thesis note. Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-113).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Chicago, 1940. / Issued also without thesis note. Bibliography: p. 105-113.

Regensburg, Univ., Diss., 2009.

The temporal association between aggression, peer rejection, and competitiveness (i.e., the evaluation of one’s own skills and abilities compared to those of another) was examined in a sample of 615 students assessed yearly from grades 7 to 12. Using path analysis, results indicated that competitiveness predicted aggression at every time point with one exception (grade 11 to 12). Competitiveness and peer rejection were found to have a negative reciprocal association, and aggression and peer rejection were shown to be reciprocally related. Competitiveness, aggression, and peer rejection were each statistically significantly stable over time. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.

No description available.

The media is littered with various portrayals of aggression. This aggression has been shown to influence the attitudes, beliefs, and subsequent behaviors of its viewers (Bushman & Anderson, 2001). Relational aggression is a newer concern for researchers and has become more prevalent in recent research. Relational aggression is prevalent in the lives of adolescents. Using social cognitive theory (Bandura 2002), information processing theory (Huesmann, 1988), and the general aggression model (Anderson & Bushman, 2002) to justify how adolescents might be developing these relationally aggressive behaviors, this study seeks to expand the literature by evaluating the portrayals of relational aggression in popular teen movies; a genre primarily watched by adolescents. This thesis is a content analysis of the top 30 grossing teen movies for the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s for a total of 90 movies. The study examines three types of relational aggression—direct, indirect, and nonverbal. The following variables were coded for each act of relational aggression: initiator and victim age, gender, sociometrics, attractiveness, SES, and role, their relationship to each other, the context, humor, and consequence of the act of relational aggression. Analysis revealed that relational aggression is extremely prevalent (94.4%) in teen movies. Direct relational aggression is more prevalent in teen movies than both indirect and nonverbal relational aggression. Results indicate that females are portrayed as the primary initiators of relational aggression in teen films. Initiators and victims of relational aggression are primarily portrayed as characters of average attractiveness, average popularity, and as having middle class incomes. Acts of relational aggression are portrayed as not justified and not humorous. However, acts of relational aggression were portrayed as rewarded. No significant differences across decade were found for amount of relational aggression shown or for what type of relational aggression was portrayed. Results showed there were more male aggressors in the 1980s than expected and more female aggressors in the 2000s than expected.

Previous efforts to manage aggressive behavior have generally focused on the emotion of anger, as opposed to aggressive behaviors. Several small-N studies have explored the promising approach of contingency-based interventions (e.g., the effort required to respond aggressively; Zhou et al., 2000), but have produced mixed results. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine whether experimentally-manipulated response effort effectively attenuates provoked aggressive responding using a modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm (TAP; Berman et al., 2009). Participants included 123 (40 men; Mean age = 20.9, SD = 4.6) randomly assigned to either a low- or high-effort condition, crossed with a repeated measures provocation condition. Aggressive behavior was defined by the level of shock participants selected for their increasingly provocative "opponent" on a competitive reaction-time task. Results indicated that increased response effort attenuated both the overall average shock selected, as well as the use of "extreme" shocks in response to provocation.

Previous research has established that provocation increases aggression. Therefore, researchers have begun to examine factors that distinguish between people who respond to provocation with and without aggression (Bushman & Baumeister, 1998; Carlson, Marcus-Newhall, & Miller, 1990; Jacquin, Harrison, & Alford, 2006). Until the current study, no researchers had experimentally investigated provocation in dating relationships. This study examined certain relationship variables that may influence whether dating partners respond to provocation with aggression. Young adult dating partners provided written responses to hypothetical relationship scenarios. As expected, jealousy-provoking scenarios resulted in more passive, verbally, and physically aggressive responses than neutral scenarios. Higher ratings of relationship commitment, investment, and satisfaction were associated with fewer aggressive responses.

No description available.

No description available.