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If It Feels Good, View It: Selective Exposure And Desensitization Moderate The Association Between Video Gameplay And Pleasure-Oriented Aggression, Mejdy M. Jabr

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

A number of studies have indicated that violent video gameplay is associated with higher levels of aggression, and desensitization to violent content contributes to this association. Utilizing a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task, the current study used event-related potentials (ERPs) to investigate selective attention (N1 activation), cognitive control (N2 activation), and desensitization (P3 activation) as neurocognitive mechanisms potentially underlying the association between gameplay and subtypes of aggression. Results showed video game players and non-players differed significantly in brain activation when engaged with violent imagery. N1 and P3 amplitude moderated the association between gameplay and pleasure-oriented aggression. Follow-up analyses further …

A Daily Diary Investigation Of Behavioral Disinhibition And Alcohol-Related Aggression, Brynn Elizabeth Sheehan

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Experimental demonstrations and theoretical developments have identified that the ability to control one’s own behavior (i.e., trait self-control, state self-regulation) may be particularly influential in the prediction of aggression and alcohol-related aggression. The research investigating alcohol-related aggression, however, has neglected a large body of research focused on state variation of self-regulation. Consequently, the current study aimed to use a daily diary methodology design to examine associations between daily alcohol use and aggressive behaviors (i.e., direct, indirect), as well as the influence of trait self-control and state self-regulation on these relationships. Participants were 105 (80% female) college student drinkers. Mean age …

Neural Mechanisms Of Action Switching Moderate The Relationship Between Effortful Control And Aggression, Eric L. Rawls

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Aggression and violence are social behaviors that exact a significant toll on human societies. Individuals with aggressive tendencies display deficits in effortful control, particularly in affectively charged situations. However, not all individuals with poor effortful control are aggressive. This study uses event-related potentials (ERPs) to decompose the chronology of cognitive functions underlying the link between effortful control and aggression. Specifically, this study investigates which ERPs moderate the effortful control - aggression association. We examined three successive ERP components (P2, N2 and P3) for stimuli that required effortful control. Results indicated that N2 activation, but not P2 or P3 activation, moderated …

Functions Of Aggression And Peer Victimization In Elementary School Children: The Mediating Role Of Social Preference, Samantha Manring

Masters Theses

This study examined the longitudinal associations among functions of aggression, social preference, and peer victimization. Participants were 492 children (249 girls, 227 boys) in grades 2-5. Proactive and reactive aggression was assessed via a self-report measure and indices of social preference and peer victimization were assessed via a peer nomination inventory. Data was collected during the fall and spring of two academic years. Results suggest that the relation between aggression, social preference, and peer victimization varied by the function of aggression and gender. For girls, reactive aggression was a significant negative predictor of social preference. Findings also revealed social preference …

News Outlets In Social Media: Aggression In Comments, Leslie G. Holt

Theses and Dissertations

Facebook has played a significant role in society since 2004. Not only do individuals use the social media platform, but most prominent news sources have their own Facebook pages which serve as a primary news source for many people. Individuals can comment publicly under any article, thus creating a type of community in which Facebook users can share their opinions and debate with one another. The purpose of this study was to examine specific news source postings on Facebook on October 1, 2015 through October 2, 2015. The study analyzed the first 500 comments under each article posted about the …

The Relationship Between Executive Dysfunction And Criminality In Forensic Psychiatric And Correctional Populations, Erin J. Shumlich

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Crime has immense social and economic impact. Understanding and treating the underlying factors of criminal behavior is essential to creating an overall safer society. Deficits in executive functioning — inhibition, cognitive shifting, and working memory — have been implicated as a factor contributing to criminal behavior. Method: Manuscript 1 examines the relationship between executive dysfunction and severity and frequency of criminal behavior of forensic psychiatric patients, individuals who committed crime under the influence of a severe mental disorder. Manuscript 2 compares the executive functioning of two unique criminal populations — forensic psychiatric patients and correctional offenders. Results: Poorer executive functioning …

Beauty, Sex, And Death: The Role Of Mortality Salience In Objectification Processes, Kasey Lynn Morris

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although much attention has been paid to the consequences of objectification, relatively little research has focused on the question of why women are objectified. From a terror management theory perspective, the association of women with (literal) objects strips them of the qualities that are threatening (on account of mortality concerns). Sexualization, however, underscores women’s animal nature, and this association is problematic in the management of existential anxiety. The current research builds on a distinction between sexual and appearance-focused objectification to identify the existential mechanisms in the motivation to dehumanize, and subsequently harm, women. Consistent with the hypothesis, participants primed with …

Differential Styles Of Emotional Reactivity And Antisocial Behavior Relative To Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Expression In Detained Youth, Molly A. Miller

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This study sought to explore whether PTSD symptoms in detained adolescents were differentially related to high and low patterns of emotional reactivity, as determined based on callous-unemotional (CU) traits and emotion dysregulation. Analyses revealed four distinct groups based on these criteria: a low/no trauma control group with few PTSD symptoms, and three groups whose PTSD symptoms were distinguished by symptoms of emotional numbing. The study sought to determine whether these profiles were related to distinct patterns of aggression and delinquency. Results revealed that the low/no PTSD symptom group exhibited the least aggression and delinquency. Further, results indicated that higher CU …

Why Are Some Aggressive Adolescents Popular: Subgroups Of Chinese Aggressive Youth, Li Niu

Open Access Theses

This study examined the heterogeneity of Chinese aggressive adolescents to assess why some aggressive youths are popular and others are not. The sample included 1548 adolescents from eighth and eleventh grade in China and data were obtained from self-reports, teacher reports, and peer assessments. Results from a subgroup analysis in which aggressive youths were classified into high, average, and low popularity subgroups and a k-means cluster analysis indicated that there were two heterogeneous subgroups of aggressive youths who exhibited distinct behavioral profiles. Popular aggressive youths differed from less popular aggressive youths in their higher levels of aggression, prosocial behavior, …

Untangling The Relationship Between Narcissistic Traits And Behavioral Aggression Using A Ffm Framework, Colin Edward Vize

Open Access Theses

Recent work on the construct of narcissism has identified two distinct subtypes: grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. The two variants share an antagonistic core, but differ from one another in traits related to neuroticism and extraversion. We sought to explore how the differences between the subtypes may manifest in relation to behavioral aggression in the laboratory following provocation as well as in relation to a variety of self-report measures of aggression. In the case of behavioral aggression following provocation, our results showed a three-way interaction between gender, threat condition, and vulnerable narcissism such that males who reported higher levels of vulnerable …

Aggression Among Children And Youth: An Examination Of Service Allocation For Subtypes Of Aggression, Kari-Ann Clow

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

To date, there is a paucity of research examining service utilization in relation to aggression in youth, particularly when addressing the typologies of reactive and proactive aggression. This study aimed to determine how subtypes of aggression (reactive, proactive or comorbid) present for service allocation and cost. Participants consisted of 1283 youth receiving care in the province of Ontario, Canada. Bivariate and multivariate analyses using logistic regression were used. Results revealed significant associations between age and aggression type with service utilization. In particular, service complexity was most present for those with comorbid aggression. Those who were identified as reactive were significantly …

An Examination Of The Specificity Of Economic Loss And Deprivation And Community Violence On Depressive Symptoms And Aggressive Behavior In Urban, Low-Income Adolescents, Jarrett T. Lewis

College of Science and Health Theses and Dissertations

Based on the current literature examining associations of stress and psychopathology in adolescents, several types of stress (e.g., violence exposure, economic-related stress) have been identified as particularly salient in lowincome, urban adolescent populations (Grant et al., 2003; Natz et al., 2012). This population also has been shown to be at heightened risk for problems including internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Identifying specific pathways through which urban, low-income adolescents develop specific emotional and behavior problems in response to particular stressors would be helpful in the development and selections of as the targets of interventions that disrupt mediators that link particular stressors to …

Music And Aggression: Effects Of Lyrics And Background Music On Aggressive Behavior, Andrew Triplett

Master's Theses

Given the ever-growing popularity of music in daily life, it is of the utmost

importance to understand how it influences affect, cognition, and behavior, especially given the violence of certain genres of music. The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between music and behavior, specifically to examine how the lyrics and background music interact to influence affective hostility and aggressive behavior. Data were collected from a sample of 168 students (61% Female; MAge = 19.24, SD = 2.470) at a large, private, Midwestern university to investigate this relationship. The music was manipulated by randomly assigning the participant to …

Relations Among Dimensions Of Emotion Regulation And Aggressive Behavior, Jessica M. Baker

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

In the absence of the ability to adaptively regulate one’s emotions, individuals may turn to impulsive and maladaptive methods of regulation, including engaging in aggressive behavior. Gratz and Roemer’s (2004) model of emotion regulation (Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 26(1), 41-54) includes the dimensions of nonacceptance, difficulties engaging in goal-directed behavior, impulse control difficulties, lack of emotional awareness, access to emotion regulation strategies, and lack of emotional clarity. This study sought to identify the relations among these dimensions and …

The Effects Of Mortality Salience And Team Identification On Sports Fans' Willingness To Consider Anonymous Acts Of Aggression, Sagan L. Ladd

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

The current study sought to understand if mortality salience and identification with the University of Kentucky men’s varsity basketball team (UK) would interact in such a way as to influence participants’ willingness to engage in anonymous acts of aggression toward fans, coaches and players of rival sport teams. A research question was also evaluated which asked if mortality salience might be a potential mediator between participants’ identification and their likelihood to engage in anonymous acts of aggression. Results indicated that mortality salience was not a significant predictor and there was no significant interaction between identification and mortality salience. As a …

Outcomes Of Aggression Replacement Training For U.S. Adolescents In Residential Facilities, Coral Ann Ondrus

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A National Survey indicated that 1.6 million adolescents in the U.S. were arrested in 2010 and 1.5 million in 2011 for erratic aggressive behaviors, thus showing a decline from the 2.18 million adolescent arrests in 2007. Residential facilities in the state of Pennsylvania offer a group intervention called Aggression Replacement Training (ART) to help adjudicated adolescents regain control of erratic behaviors. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which level of group participation in ART and certain demographic factors (age, gender, ethnicity, family socioeconomic status, parental involvement, and education) predict decreased aggression and increased anger control …

Longitudinal Examination Of Family Violence, Posttraumatic Stress, Social Skills, And Aggression : An Exploratory Analysis, Shawn Wilson

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Aggression in adolescence is associated with many negative outcomes both during adolescence and later in adulthood. In order to properly prevent and treat aggression, it is important to understand what factors are associated with the development of aggression. This study examined how exposure to family violence, posttraumatic stress, and social skills were related to both parent- and adolescent-rated aggressive behavior. This study was comprised of two components. First, a series of mediation models were examined using structural equation modeling. Second, exploratory analyses of the moderating effects of adolescent race and gender were conducted using multiple regression. The sample consisted of …

Does The Pain Of Rejection Promote The Pleasure Of Revenge? A Neural Investigation Of Cingulo-Striatal Contributions To Violence, David Chester

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Aggression is a dynamic and costly feature of human behavior. One reliable cause of aggression is social rejection, though the underlying mechanisms of this effect remain to be fully understood. Previous research has identified two psychological processes that are independently linked to aggressive retaliation: pain and pleasure. Given recent findings that pain magnifies the experience of pleasure, I predicted that the pain of rejection would promote the pleasure of aggression and thus, aggression itself. I also expected that this indirect effect of aggressive pleasure would only be observed among individuals with weaker self-regulatory abilities that are necessary to cope with …

Factors Influencing Young Bystanders' Decisions To Intervene When Witnessing Cyber-Aggression: A Mixed Methods Exploration, Lisa Jodi Patterson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

With the modern proliferation of computers, the Internet and smart phones, adolescents are at increased risk of cyber-aggression: negative, harmful behaviour expressed through electronic means and aimed at an individual (or group of individuals). Cyber-aggression can have serious consequences for the social, emotional and physical health of both targets and perpetrators. Some experts recommend tackling cyberaggression using the strategies applied to face-to-face forms of aggression and bullying in school environments. One such strategy is to encourage peer bystanders to intervene in a positive way, which has been demonstrated to influence both the duration and severity of bullying episodes in the …

Longitudinal Relations Between Parental Messages Supporting Fighting And Aggressive Behavior In Early Adolescence: The Moderating Role Of Positive Parenting Practices, Megan M. Carlson

Theses and Dissertations

The prevalence of physical aggression increases during adolescence and is associated with negative health outcomes. It is important to identify risk and protective processes for adolescent aggression in the context of the parent-adolescent relationship. The current study examined the potential moderating role of positive parenting at Wave 1 on relations between perceived parental messages supporting fighting at Wave 1 and adolescent aggression based on parent- and student-report at Wave 2. Participants included a sample of 537 adolescents and their primary caregivers, recruited from four sites in the U.S. No significant moderating effects were found. However, parental messages supporting fighting were …