Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

An Empirical Test Of A Communibiological Model Of Trait Verbal Aggressiveness, Kristin M. Valencic, Michael J. Beatty, Jill E. Rudd, Jean A. Dobos, Alan D. Heisel

Communication Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to test Beatty and McCroskey's communibiological model of trait verbal aggressiveness. In general, this model views trait verbal aggressiveness as an expression of temperament; specifically, that trait verbal aggressiveness represents low thresholds for the fight or flight (FFS) neurobiological system. This model further contends that behavioral inhibition circuitry (BIS) moderates FFS activation by tempering aggressive impulses, otherwise FFS activation would manifest itself in the form of physical rather than verbal attacks. Beatty and McCroskey (1997) propose that low thresholds for stimulating the behavioral activation system (BAS) should be related to trait verbal aggressiveness to …