A cross-cultural study of the psychometric properties of the Reactive–Proactive Aggression Questionnaire among Italian nonclinical adolescents.

Five independent studies were used to test the hypothesis that a reliable 2-factor structure underlies the Reactive–Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ) items and that the 2 scales show distinct patterns of association with personality and bullying behavior measures. Study 1 (N = 1,447) gave evidence of a clear 2-factor structure of RPQ items with factor loading matrices closely matching reactive (congruence coefficient = .90) and proactive (congruence coefficient = .91) models of item assignment. The RPQ 2-factor structure was consistently replicated in Study 2 (N = 662), as well as across the remaining 3 studies. In Study 3 (N = 536), Neuroticism differentiated reactive and proactive forms of aggression. In Study 4 (N = 674), self-reports of bullying behaviors were selectively correlated with proactive aggression. Findings confirm and extend the differential correlates of proactive–reactive aggression and also support the psychometric properties of the RPQ in a different cultural context. Finally, in Study 5 (N = 347), the RPQ scales showed adequate 2-month test–retest reliability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The latent structure of childhood aggression: A taxometric analysis of self-reported and teacher-rated aggression in Israeli schoolchildren.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the latent structure of childhood aggression, like the latent structure of adult antisocial behavior, is dimensional. One thousand and five Israeli schoolchildren completed a translation of the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ; Buss & Perry, 1992) and were rated by their homeroom teachers on the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory (ECBI; Robinson, Eyberg, & Ross, 1980). The AQ Physical Aggression and Verbal Aggression scales were combined to form the 1st indicator, the AQ Anger and Hostility scales were combined to form the 2nd indicator, the 10-item ECBI Oppositional Defiant Behavior Toward Adults scale composed the 3rd indicator, and the 8-item ECBI Conduct Problem Behavior scale composed the 4th indicator. Subjecting these indicators to taxometric analysis revealed consistent support for dimensional latent structure in the full sample as well as in 5 of the 6 subsamples. Childhood aggression, it would seem, differs quantitatively along a dimension (degree of aggression) rather than bifurcating into qualitatively distinct categories (aggressive vs. nonaggressive). (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Definitions and methodology in the study of aggression.

Literature on aggression and hostility is viewed in the light of 2 major criticisms: (1) Definitions of terms with obvious denotations of hypothetical constructions are attempted in purely operational terms, (2) The phenotype of aggression has impaired a sound investigation of the many genotypic determinants of aggressive behavior. Present trends of studying aggression as an end result of a variety of stimulus, dispositional, and reward variables are considered, and some amplifications are suggested. (2 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationships between overt and fantasy aggression.

The interrelationships among aggressive needs, anticipation of punishment, and overt aggressive behavior in 29 lower-class boys were investigated in this study. Three hypotheses were tested: 1) among lower class boys, those having a relatively great amount of fantasy aggressive needs indulge in more overt aggressive behavior than those who have relatively few aggressive fantasy needs; 2) Ss whose TAT stories included a great deal of punishment press relative to the number of their aggressive needs demonstrate less overt aggression than Ss whose ratios of punishment press to aggressive needs are low; and 3) Those with low punishment press/aggressive fantasy ratio show more aggression in their behavior than those with high P/A ratio. All three hypotheses were supported by the data. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Maternal permissiveness toward aggression and subsequent TAT aggression.

To test the hypothesis that the effect of permissiveness towards the expression of aggression in childhood extends into adulthood, 2 groups of Ss (100 college girls), distinguished by the degree of maternal permissiveness towards the expression of aggression (derived from questionnaires answered by the mothers), were placed in an aggression-arousing situation (inducted by making highly insulting and deprecating comments to them). Subsequently, Ss were asked to respond to TAT cards (selected on the basis of being high or low in aggressiveness and presented on a screen for 20 sec.). Ss reared under conditions of high maternal permissiveness responded more frequently with aggressive responses to the "aggressive" cards than did the low permissive group. The low permissive group felt more uncomfortable and dysphoric than Ss reared under conditions of greater permissiveness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of displaced aggression on systolic blood pressure.

80 college age Ss were placed in a 2 X 5 factorial design involving a high or low frustration experience followed by opportunity to express physical aggression towards objects varying in similarity to the frustrator. Postaggression systolic blood pressure elevation relative to prefrustration base level was the primary dependent measure. The results indicated that among frustrated Ss the expression of aggression directly to the frustrator resulted in a significant degree of "physiological tension" reduction relative to a no aggression control group; whereas the same amount of aggression expressed to substitute targets did not significantly reduce blood pressure. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

THE REPORTING OF AGGRESSION AS AN INDICATION OF AGGRESSIVE TENSION.

"Dynamic personality theory has hypothesized that individuals who over-report and under-report aggressive implications in situations are both charged with greater aggressive tension than average reporters. The present experiment attempted to verify these hypothesized relationships… . The results of the experiment offer support for the basic hypothesis of this study." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transmission of aggression through imitation of aggressive models.

In a previous study (see 37: 856) children imitated the behavior of a model in the presence of the model. The present study investigated the degree of imitation when the model was not present. Degree to which like-sexed model behavior would be followed was also studied. Nursery school children exposed to aggressively behaving models tended to imitate not only their aggressiveness but other behavior as well. There was some confirmation of like-sex imitation. The results were related to the psychoanalytic theory of identification. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Multivariate models of men's and women's partner aggression.

This exploratory study was designed to address how multiple factors drawn from varying focal models and ecological levels of influence might operate relative to each other to predict partner aggression, using data from 453 representatively sampled couples. The resulting cross-validated models predicted approximately 50% of the variance in men's and women's partner aggression. The 3 strongest direct predictors of partner aggression for men and women were dominance/jealousy, marital adjustment, and partner responsibility attributions. Three additional direct paths to aggression for men were exposure to family-of-origin aggression, anger expression, and perceived social support. The 1 additional direct path for women was a history of their own aggression as a child or teenager. Implications for more integrative theories and intervention are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anti-semitism and the displacement of aggression.

"… an object's likelihood of receiving displaced aggression varies not only with the objective stimulus factors… but also with the personality characteristics of the angered person… . it was hypothesized… that highly anti-Semitic Ss would be more likely to displace aggression when angered than less anti-Semitic Ss. The results support the hypothesis. Several factors possibly accounting for this displacement are discussed." 17 refs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Persuasibility in young children as a function of aggressive motivation and aggression conflict.

This study investigating the dynamic bases of the reported negative relationship of overt aggression to persuasibility postulated that low persuasibility is associated with an overtly aggressive orientation, high persuasibility with a defensive need to inhibit strong aggressive motivation, and medium presuasibility with a relative absence of aggressive motivation and inhibitions against aggression. 3 groups of 15 were selected from an initial sample of 169 1st-grade boys for high, medium, and low presuasibility, and were compared on aggressive motivation and an aggression conflict ratio. The results are that High and Low persuasible (P) Ss have more aggressive motivation than Medium P Ss; High P Ss have a smaller aggression conflict ratio than Low P Ss. The results thus support the initial postulates. (16 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Agreeableness and alcohol-related aggression: The mediating effect of trait aggressivity.

This study investigated the mediating effect of trait aggressivity on the relation between agreeableness and alcohol-related aggression in a laboratory setting. Participants were 116 healthy male social drinkers between 21 and 30 years of age. Agreeableness and trait aggressivity were measured using the Big Five Inventory and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, respectively. Following the consumption of an alcohol or no-alcohol control beverage, participants completed a modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm, in which electric shocks were received from and administered to a fictitious opponent during a competitive task. Aggression was operationalized as the proportion of the most extreme shocks delivered to the fictitious opponent under conditions of low and high provocation. Results indicated that lower levels of agreeableness were associated with higher levels of trait aggressivity. In turn, higher levels of trait aggressivity predicted extreme aggression in intoxicated, but not sober, participants under low, but not high, provocation. Findings highlight the importance of examining determinants of intoxicated aggression within a broader theoretical framework of personality. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The anal character and political aggression.

"Two scales were developed, one to measure anal character traits as described in Freudian psychoanalytic theory, and the other politically aggressive attitudes. These were administered to 130 college student subjects. A significant positive relation was obtained between the two scales, which is interpreted as indicating that psychoanalytic factors play a role in political attitudes." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Abusive supervision and family undermining as displaced aggression.

This study focuses on factors that contribute to abusive supervision, one form of nonphysical aggression, and the results of such abuse on subordinates and their family members. Using a "kick the dog" metaphor (As Marcus-Newhall, Pedersen, Carlson, and Miller (2000) state, this is a "commonly used anecdote to illustrate displaced aggression. . .a man is berated by his boss but does not retaliate because he fears losing his job. Hours later, when he arrives home to the greeting barks of his dog he responds by kicking it," p. 670), the authors investigated whether abusive supervision may be the result of a supervisor's displeasure with his or her organization. Using a sample of 210 supervisors, their subordinates, and the subordinates' family members or partners, the authors hypothesized that supervisors' reports of psychological contract violations, moderated by hostile attribution bias, would be associated with subordinates' perceptions of abusive supervision. In turn, the authors hypothesized that abused subordinates' family members would report sustained negative affect and negative evaluations directed toward them in the home. The hypotheses were supported. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The moderating effects of dispositional empathy on alcohol-related aggression in men and women.

The author investigated the influence of dispositional empathy on alcohol-related aggression in men and women. Participants were 204 (111 men, 93 women) healthy social drinkers, 21-35 years old. Dispositional empathy was measured with the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Following the consumption of either an alcoholic or a placebo beverage, participants were tested on a modified version of the Taylor Aggression Paradigm in which mild electric shocks were received from, and administered to, a fictitious opponent during a competitive task. Alcohol increased aggression for persons (particularly men) with lower, as opposed to higher, levels of empathy. Men with lower empathy levels exhibited the most aggression followed by men with higher empathy levels. Women displayed the least aggression regardless of their empathy levels. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Trajectories of change in physical aggression and marital satisfaction.

Physical aggression and marital satisfaction were assessed in 172 newlywed couples annually over the first 4 years of marriage to examine (a) stability of aggression over time and (b) the degree to which fluctuations in aggression precede versus follow fluctuations in marital satisfaction. The stability of aggression varied as a function of initial levels of severity; spouses who were most aggressive early in marriage had greater fluctuations in aggression. Rates of change in aggression predicted changes in satisfaction more than dissatisfaction predicted aggression. Husbands' physical aggression predicted marital discord, whereas wives' aggression predicted marital dissolution. By indicating that aggression (a) is a precursor to adverse marital outcomes and (b) varies across spouses in initial levels and in patterns of temporal change, the present findings highlight the need to understand the contextual factors that govern within-person and within-couple fluctuations in intimate violence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Anality, political aggression, acquiescence, and questionnaire construction.

A criticism of methodological deficiencies in Rabinowitz's attempt to demonstrate that Farber's "reported correlation between anality and political aggression can be explained away as a result of an acquiescence response set." From Psyc Abstracts 36:01:1HE78F. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived victimization moderates self-reports of workplace aggression and conflict.

A sample of 489 employed men between 32 and 36 years old responded to questions concerning rates of having engaged in workplace aggression and conflict. These individuals also completed a personality inventory and questionnaires related to past antisocial behavior and alcohol abuse. Consistent with prior research, workplace aggression and conflict were significantly correlated with particular personality variables (stress reaction, aggression, and control) as well as with general past antisocial behavior and alcohol abuse. Furthermore, these relationships were moderated by the perception of being victimized by others (alienation), with such perceptions strengthening associations between workplace aggression and other risk factors. These interaction effects, which cannot plausibly be attributed to the use of a self-report criterion, could have important implications for understanding and predicting aggression and conflict behavior within organizations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Contagion of aggression in day care classrooms as a function of peer and teacher responses.

The authors examined whether aggression is contagious in day care classrooms. In a low-income, urban day care center, it was hypothesized that aggression was more likely to occur immediately following an aggressive act than when no aggression occurred. This prediction was tested with a newly developed randomization procedure, and the hypothesis was supported. It was also found that aggression receiving a positive outcome was associated with more contagion than was aggression receiving an aversive response. Furthermore, aggressive acts receiving negative attention were associated with higher frequencies of contagion than were aggressive acts receiving other responses. In addition, aggressive acts directed at individuals were associated with higher rates of contagion than were impersonal aggressive acts. Finally, teachers' presence was associated with less contagion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)