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Slide 1
Area of Study 1: Interpersonal and Group Behaviour Unit 2: Self
and Others
Slide 2
What is an attitude?? Write your own definition. Compare your
definition to the definition below: An attitude is an evaluation
that a person makes about an object, a person, group, event or
issue. Or about anything!!
Slide 3
What is your attitude towards: Homework Three day weekends VCE
The world cup Your best friend The person sitting on your right
Your teachers (be nice!)
Slide 4
Strong, Weak, Accessible Attitudes can be strong or weak. A
strong attitude is more likely to be long-lasting, character
defining and influence your behaviour. A weak attitude may not be
long lasting and is less likely to effect your behaviour. An
attitude is said to be accessible if you use if often. An
accessible attitude may further be strong or weak.
Slide 5
How did you form these attitudes? Most likely explanation is
from life experience. Forming attitudes is a continual process
occurring throughout our lives Attitudes can be modified when new
experiences interact with already existing attitudes There are many
ways an attitude can be influenced- by parents, teachers, peers,
the media etc Try to identify where some of the attitudes you have
already identified have come from. Have any of these attitudes
changes over time? Who may have influenced the change?
Slide 6
Did you know that it is likely that the attitudes you form now
will stay with you into adulthood?
Slide 7
A stable unchanging world Before we go on I think I need to
mention that we as humans want a stable and unchanging world. We
want to be able to make sense of our world and predict the
behaviour of others. Try to keep this idea in mind as it is central
to much of the concepts we will study soon.
Slide 8
The Tri-component Model of Attitudes There are three parts to
every attitude: 1) Affective component- the feelings and emotions
associated with the attitude 2) Behavioural component- the actions
and behaviours that you do to express the attitude 3) Cognitive
component- the beliefs and thoughts that you have associated with
the attitude The tri-component model argues that an attitude has
all three of the above. If one is missing, it is not an attitude.
Try to identify the affective, behavioural and cognitive components
of the attitudes already explored.
Slide 9
Attitudes and Advertising Out attitude towards a particular
product will determine whether or not we purchase the product. If
you have a favourable attitude towards a product you are more
likely to purchase it. Advertising companies will attempt to change
peoples attitudes in favour of you purchasing a product They may
act to influence or change the affective, cognitive or behavioural
component of your attitude towards their product.
Slide 10
Changing behaviour- coupons, price reductions, free samples
Changing cognitions- change beliefs about a brand, make the item
more important, add beliefs Changing Affective response- tie
positive emotions to the brand or item; may use humour, fear,
childhood memories; may use colour and music to evoke emotion
Attitudes and Advertising
Slide 11
The Tri-component Model of Attitudes In general, all three of
the components of an attitude will be consistent. For example, if
you do not like vegetables you will get upset when you are given
them (affective), you will avoid eating them (behavioural) and you
will believe that they are not necessary and you can get your
vitamins from other foods (cognitive). Another example my best
friend really likes chocolate. She feels happy when she sees it
(affective), she eats it regularly (behavioural) and she believes
that a small amount is not bad for her health (cognitive).
Slide 12
Cognitive Dissonance But are your feelings and beliefs always
consistent with your actions? When any one of the three components
of an attitude is not consistent with the other two components, we
experience discomfort. We know that there are inconsistencies in
our attitude. This discomfort is known as cognitive
dissonance.
Slide 13
Lets experience some cognitive dissonance... Rate each of the 5
statements below on a 5 point Likert scale with 1 = strongly
disagree and 5 = strongly agree Global warming is a serious problem
and is having disastrous effects on our planet. We as a society are
too reliant on fossil fuels. Every human has the right to shelter
and food No child should die of preventable diseases. We have a
large impact on the natural environment and should protect our
native plants and animals.
Slide 14
1) Do you choose to walk or take public transport whenever
possible to reduce carbon gas emission? Do you take shorter
showers, turn your heater down and turn off you appliances at the
power-point when you have finished using them? 2) Do you have solar
panels at home to reduce the amount of electricity you need that is
produced from coal? Will you buy a hybrid for your first car? 3) Do
you donate food and clothes to local charity organisations? 4) Have
you ever considered sponsoring a child in a third world country? Do
you donate money to organisations that vaccinate children against
preventable diseases? 5) Do you plant native plants in your garden
at home to provide food and shelter to native animals? Do you
donate time or money to organisations that rehabilitate land? Too
what extent do you display the above behaviours? Do your beliefs
(cognitions) and emotions match your behaviour? How do you feel if
they dont? This is cognitive dissonance.
Slide 15
How do we deal with cognitive dissonance? Ignore the cognitive
dissonance (but this can be difficult) Change your attitude by
changing your cognitions or behaviour Studies have found that
people will often change their cognitions to fit with the
behavioural and affective components of an attitude. Explain some
ways that you might deal with any cognitive dissonance encountered
on the previous slide.
Slide 16
The Influence of Attitudes on Interactions When you meet
someone for the first time you make judgements about them- even
after a brief meeting This judgment may be based on what the person
looks like, how they approach you and what they say. Why do we do
this? It is helpful to categorise people. This helps us to adjust
our behaviour accordingly and know what to expect from the other
person.
Slide 17
Sterotyping A stereotype is a set of commonly held beliefs and
ideas about a person or group These beliefs and ideas may or may
not be true Stereotypes can be positive or negative e.g. Boys are
good at maths (good stereotype) and girls are not (bad stereotype)
Stereotypes ignore individual characteristics Stereotypes help us
to better understand our world and save us work mentally. They help
us to make faster decisions. They help us to better interact with
other people. While stereotypes may be helpful, they also lead to
prejudice and discrimination
Slide 18
Prejudice Prejudice is a negative judgement made about a person
just because they belong to a particular group Often a the person
holding the prejudiced attitude will not personally know any member
of the group Often directed at minority groups A person or group
can be prejudiced against for any reason- sex, race, age, hair
colour, religion, sexual preference, looks, profession, etc. Can
you think of some groups that may experience prejudice in our
culture?
Slide 19
Discrimination Prejudice involves negative ideas the thoughts.
When these negative thoughts are acted on discrimination occurs.
Discrimination can take many forms including violence, name
calling, ignoring, put-downs, segregation and exclusion.
Slide 20
Measuring Attitudes Observation of Behaviour Can provide
information regarding a persons attitudes based on their behaviour,
body language, facial expressions As we know however our behaviour
is not always an accurate indicator of our attitudes Self-Report
Participants supply responses to questions via interview or survey
by questionnaire
Slide 21
Questionnaires Can be fixed-response or free-response Fixed
response questionnaires provide numerical data that is easier to
analyse. Advantages: easy and fast to administer, can administer to
many of people, confidentiality may increase honesty, as an
experimenter is not needed social desirability is reduced
Disadvantages: still prone to some social desirability; participant
may not have a clear awareness of their true attitudes
Slide 22
Fixed Response Questionnaires Participants choose their
response to an item from given responses Advantages: easier to
analyse, quicker for respondent to complete, access first thoughts,
Disadvantages: might not get the persons true feelings, In social
psychology, Likert-scale questionnaires are often used to
investigate attitudes. They can convey how strongly a participant
feels about a particular statement revealing information about
their attitudes.
Slide 23
Likert-type Rating Scales Typically have 20 items All items
focus on a particular attitude Half the statements are expressed
positively, half negatively Participants can select their agreement
with a particular statement from strongly agree to strongly
disagree with generally 3 5 items in-between. The questionnaire is
scored with each participant receiving a score after completion.
The positive statements are scored high while the negative
statements score low. The higher the score, the more positive the
attitude.
Slide 24
Slide 25
Slide 26
Slide 27
Design-Your-Own Questionnaire Your task is to design your own
questionnaire investigating attitudes towards a topic of your
choice. Your questionnaire must use a 5 point Likert-scale and have
at least 15 items. You will need to address the three components of
an attitude in your statements. You will need to use both positive
and negative statements and score them accordingly. You will need
to give the questionnaire to 5 classmates and score their
responses. This task comprises your second portfolio task.
Slide 28
Reducing Prejudice and Discrimination Prejudice and
discrimination can be reduced using the following: Inter-group
Contact Sustained Contact- when people spend time with each other
over an extended period Mutual Interdependence- two groups are
dependent on each other in some way Equality- both groups must have
equal status and be treated equally Super-ordinate goals- two
groups of people are required to complete a task with each group
equally important to the task Cognitive Interventions- changing the
way that people think about others and other cultures
Slide 29
No one strategy alone is adequate- they must exist in
combination Each group has been given a scenario. Suggest
activities that you may use to reduce the prejudice/discrimination
in the scenario. Relate these activities to the strategies outlined
on the previous slide.
Slide 30
Robbers Cave Experiment Complete a flow chart outlining the
Robbers Cave Experiment conducted by Sherif in 1956.
Slide 31
Social Influence Social Influence- the ways in which people
change their behaviour or attitudes because of the direct or
indirect influence of others People are influenced by others in
many ways. The first type of influence that we will look at is
group influence.
Slide 32
Status and Power within Groups What is a group? A group is two
or more people that may influence each other or others and who are
working towards a common goal, interest or purpose. The individuals
need to feel that they are a part of the group and must interact
with each other. What is Status? Status is the level of importance
of a particular person within a group as perceived by the other
members of the group. It is relative and can easily change. What is
Power? Power is the ability of one person to influence the
thoughts, feelings and behaviours of another person or
persons.
Slide 33
Power People in groups have power for different reasons.
Slide 34
The Stanford Prison Experiment Our status, the role we play in
society and the situation we find ourselves in all influence our
thoughts, feelings and behaviour. This influence is not to be
underestimated as Philip Zimbardo found out in his famous Stanford
Prison Experiment. See video and textbook for more information.
What do you think was concluded from this experiment?
Slide 35
Obedience What is obedience? Obedience is a type of compliance
that occurs when a person complies with a demand. If you are told
to clean your room by a parent and you do then you are obeying
their order. If a parent asks you Can you please clean your room?
and you do you are complying with their request as opposed to
obeying a command. What influences people to obey a command? What
factors influence people to obey others? These questions were ask
by a famous social psychologists named Stanley Milgram.
Slide 36
Milgram See Milgram slideshow.
Slide 37
Factors Influencing Obedience It appears that people will obey
others even when it means inflicting pain on others. But they do
not enjoy it and express remorse. So why do they obey? There are
several factors that have been identified that increase the chance
of obedience Social Proximity Legitimacy of the Authority Figure
Group Pressure
Slide 38
Social Proximity Milgram modified his experiment so that more
distance separated the experimenter and the teacher. When the
teacher was not in the room and gave instructions via a phone or
tape recording, compliance to the full 450V fell from 65% to 20%.
Compliance also decreased when the teacher was closer to the
learner. Milgram concluded that the closer the participant to the
authority figure the more likely they are to obey. The closer the
participant is to the learner the less likely they are to
obey.
Slide 39
Legitimacy of the Authority Figure Milgram believed that the
legitimacy of the authority figure would influence obedience. In
his first experiment, the experimenter was a university professor
and the study took place at Yale University. Milgram modified his
experimental design to test his hypothesis. He conducted the tests
in a run down building external to the university and in some
instances dressed as a janitor. Compliance to the 450V dropped to
between 48% to 20%. With higher levels of authority, people are
more likely to obey.
Slide 40
Group Pressure Milgram also altered the number of people
present during the experiment. Milgram recruited two more teachers
(confederates). In one situation, the confederates were trained to
complain and leave the study early. When this happened, only 10% of
participants delivered the full 450V shock. Conversely, when the
confederates supported the experimenter, conformity rose to 73%. It
thus appears that group pressure is the most influential factor in
determining obedience.
Slide 41
Conformity Conformity refers to any behaviour that is motivated
by pressure from other members of a group. When we conform, we act
in a way that is expected and excepted by the others members of a
group. In some situations we conform despite a difference between
our own feelings, thoughts and behaviours and the feelings,
thoughts and behaviours of the group. Can you think of a time in
which you have conformed? You may have agrees or disagreed with the
conformity. Can you think of a time that you have been a
non-conformist and not conformed to the expectations of a
group?
Slide 42
Solomon Asch Social psychologist Solomon Asch was interested in
researching the factors that influence conformity. He conducted a
simple experiment that asked participants to judge line lengths. He
asked participants: Which of the following lines- A, B, or C-
matches line X? The answer appears simple- Line B. However, by
changing his experimental design 70% of participants answered
incorrectly. How do you think he got these results?
Slide 43
Asch Asch told participants that they were participating in a
study on perception. He had to lie about the real aim of the study-
conformity- as knowing the study was investigating conformity would
influence peoples responses. The study took place with a group of 6
participants sitting around a table. Only one was a true
participant however and the others were confederates. The
participants were shown the line X and asked to pick the line that
matched from various images one at a time taking turns. The true
participant was always seated last and so heard the response of all
of the other participants first.
Slide 44
Asch In the first few rounds the right choice was very obvious
and all participants agreed. However, after this the confederates
started answering incorrectly. Not just one of the confederates but
all of them. In all Asch ran 12 trials. He found that 75% of the
participants conformed (provided an incorrect answer to agree with
the group) on at least one occasion. Approximately 30% agreed with
the incorrect responses one 6 or more of the trials. That being
said 25% of the participants did not conform on any of the
trials.
Slide 45
Asch When Asch asked the participants why they conformed many
said that they conformed because they felt that their judgement
must have been wrong as all of the other participants made the same
judgement. This makes sense- it is more likely that one person
would be wrong than two, three, four or even five! Some
participants said that they provided the incorrect response because
they feared being the odd one out.
Slide 46
Factors Affecting Conformity Through various experiments, Asch
and other social psychologists have identified a range of factors
that influence conformity. These are: Normative Influence Culture
Informational Influence Unanimity Group Size De-individuation
Social Learning Theory
Slide 47
Normative Influence We want to be liked and accepted by others.
The normative influence theory states that we comply with others in
order to be accepted and liked by a group. We feel that people will
like us more if we agree with their thoughts, feelings and actions.
We are more likely to conform when we like the person/people in the
group. Studies have found that people who care very little about
what others think about them are less likely to conform.
Slide 48
Culture Aschs experiments described previously has been
replicated many times across many cultures. High levels of
compliance were seen in countries such as China, Japan, Fiji and
some African nations. Lower levels of compliance were seen in
countries such as the USA, Canada, and Western European countries
such as France and Portugal. Researchers have found a large
difference in the conformity between collectivist cultures and
individualistic cultures. Collectivist cultures work towards group
goals and encourage uniformity. Individualistic cultures focus on
individuality, personal achievement and independence.
Slide 49
Informational Influence We conform because we believe that the
information that we have been presented with is true. People are
more likely to conform when they feel they are incapable of making
the correct decision/judgement on their own. They may be out of
their area of expertise and need to rely on someone elses
judgement.
Slide 50
Unanimity When the all or a majority of a group holds the same
belief, we are more likely to conform. When just one other person
disagrees, conformity drops dramatically. Asch found that having
just one of the confederates in his study provide the correct
answer against the majority of the group, conformity fell to just
10%.
Slide 51
Group Size Asch varied the number of participants in his study-
from a little as 1 to as many as 15. He found that as the number of
participants increased, so did conformity. It has however been
suggested by more recent research that it is not so much the size
of the group that is important but the number of individuals whose
judgements seen independent. In the larger groups, participants
seemed to think that after the first 3 or 4 response the other
participants were just following what the first three participants
said. Therefore it appears that its the number of independent
judgements that have the most impact. This is supported by the
finding that the highest rates of conformity actually occur with a
group size of 3 -4.
Slide 52
De-individuation De-individuation is when you lose you identity
when you are in a group. You feel anonymous within the group. When
an individual feels as though the have no identity within the group
they also feel that they are no longer personal responsible for
providing a correct answer. This is the responsibility of the
group.
Slide 53
Social Learning Theory Social Learning Theory- all our
behaviours are learned and occur as a result of whether these
behaviours were rewarded or punished in the past. This theory
proposes that we conform because we have learnt to and that in the
past conformity has been rewarded. Conformity has allowed us to
avoid embarrassment in the past. When we have not conformed we may
have experienced negative feelings by expressing and incorrect
idea, displaying an inappropriate behaviour, etc
Slide 54
Group Behaviour The information presented so far focuses on the
idea that we behave differently when we are in a group compared to
our behaviour when we are alone. Peer pressure is the name given to
the influence of your peer group- those the same age, gender, etc.
Peer pressure mostly occurs during social activities and can be
associated with misconduct and family tension. It can be real or
imagined. Peer pressure is considered a type of conformity. It can
be negative (pressure to drink, take drugs, etc) or it can be
positive (pressure to attend a party that you actually have a lot
of fun at, make new friends etc).
Slide 55
Pro-social and Anti-social Behaviour Pro-social behaviour-
Behaviour that is performed with the intention of helping someone.
The soul intent of the behaviour must be to help another. We have
all performed pro-social acts. Anti-social Behaviour- Behaviour
with the intention of causing deliberate pain, discomfort or
disruption (directed towards a person, group or property) First we
will look at pro-social behaviour What do you think influences
people to act pro-socially?
Slide 56
Factors we identify: Can make you feel better about yourself
You care about the person- you know them Feel sorry for someone
Empathy/sympathy Obliged to help- Guilt if you do not help
Upbringing Courtesy- family, society, social expectations
Culture
Slide 57
Pro-Social Behaviour Under what circumstances are we more
likely to help others? Psychologists have identified 3 major
influences: Situational Factors Social Factors Personal
Factors
Slide 58
Situational Factors Bystander Intervention and Effect Bystander
Intervention is the tendency for a bystander to intervene and help
another. The bystander effect describes how bystanders are less
likely to help if other potential helpers are present. The more
people present the less likely an individual is to help.
Slide 59
Darley and Latane Bystander effect was researched by Darley and
Latane (1968). They placed college students in individual booths
hooked up using an intercom. The students spoke to each other but
only one of the students was a real subject. One of the
confederates suffered a seizure and Darley and Latane recorded how
many of the students went to assist him. When the subject believed
that they were alone with the other student, 85% left their booth
to assist. However, when the participant believed that they were
one of four students present, only 13% left to assist the student
suffering the seizure. They found that the more students the
subject believed were present, the less likely they were to get out
of their booth and help. When other people are present, the onus on
ourselves to personally assist has been dispersed to others. This
is known as diffusion of responsibility.
Slide 60
Diffusion of Responsibility The tendency for us to not help
someone in need when their are other people present because of our
belief that someone else will offer assistance.
Slide 61
Social Factors Social norms are expectations placed on us by
society. They are guided by cultural rules that define appropriate
values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours. Social norms influence
pro-social behaviour
Slide 62
Reciprocity Principle The tendency to help others if they have
or will in future help you This principle can be quite powerful as
Krishnan and Carment (1979) discovered. They had a university
student (a conferderate) offer help to another student. Later the
confederate in return asked for help from the student. They found
that 66% of the students offered the confederate help when the
confederate had earlier offered them help. 0% of students who had
not been offered help previously from the confederate helped when
asked.
Slide 63
Social Responsibility Norm The social responsibility norm
states that we should help others less fortunate than ourselves. We
are even more likely to help when we believe that the person needs
help because of their situation and not through their own wrong
doing.
Slide 64
Personal Factors Helping behaviours can be influenced by
personal factors such as empathy, mood and competence.
Slide 65
Empathy Empathy- the ability to understand and experience
situations and emotions from another persons perspective. Empathy
increases the likelihood we will help someone in distress. The more
empathy we have for someone the more likely we are to help them
(empathy-altruism hypothesis)
Slide 66
Mood Mood- an emotional state at a given time and place; can be
short lived and change with the situation we are in People in a
happy mood are more likely to help others. It is suggests that this
occurs because it is a way to share the happy mood. There has been
mixed results in the research on people in bad moods. Some studies
have found that people in bad moods can be just as likely to help
as someone in a good mood. It appears that if the person in the bad
mood focuses on the person in need they are more likely to help. If
they focus on themselves however they are not likely to help.
Slide 67
Competence The most influential personal factor The ability to
help when someone is in need (can be real or perceived). For
example, if someone falls and cut their leg, a person who has
received first aid training is more likely to help than someone who
has not.
Slide 68
Altruism
Slide 69
Personal Factors: Situational Factors: Social Factors:
Slide 70
Pro-social Behaviour Word Bank: o Social norms, culture,
up-bringing, social responsibility, reciprocity principle,
bystander intervention, mood, competence, empathy Make flash cards.
Use a different colour for each type of factor.
Slide 71
Anti-Social Behaviour Any behaviour performed with the
intention of causing pain, discomfort or disruption to an
individual, group or property. For a behaviour to be considered
Anti-social it must be deliberate, voluntary and must intend to
cause harm Anti-social behaviour is of interest to psychologists as
studying it and understanding its causes can help prevent
anti-social acts and the pain and suffering they cause One of the
largest influences of anti-social behaviour appears to be group
size
Slide 72
Factors that Influence Anti-Social Behaviour Diffusion of
Responsibility Audience Inhibition Cost-Benefit Analysis Social
Learning Theory
Slide 73
Diffusion of Responsibility The tendency for us not to help
someone in need when there are other people around as we assume
that someone else will help Example: Kitty Genovese case- no one
came to help her because they assumed someone else would Diffusion
of responsibility is reduced if you know the person needing help,
live in a small town, or are male (but not too masculine!)
Slide 74
Audience Inhibition The reluctance to help when in front of
other people (audience) to avoid embarrassment if the person does
not need/want help Is increased in ambiguous situations- when the
actions of the person make it unclear as to whether or not they
need help. Is reduced when less people are present Was investigated
by Darley and Latane (1968) in there Smoke Filled Room
Experiment
Slide 75
The Smoke Filled Room Darley and Latane (1968) Told
participants they were participating in a study on memory.
Deception was necessary as if participants knew the study was on
helping behaviours they would have been extra helpful Participants
were asked to wait in the waiting room and fill out a form
outlining their personal details. The independent variable was
whether the participant filled the form out in an empty room or in
a room with two confederates who were also filling in personal
information forms While the participants filled out forms, smoke
would enter the room through a vent. How do you think the
participants acted in the two experimental conditions?
Slide 76
The Smoke Filled Room- Results Darley and Latane found that
when the participants were alone, they all investigated the smoke
and went for help. However, when other people were present 90%
stayed in the room while it filled with smoke! They coughed, waved
the smoke away, rubbed their eyes and opened the window but did not
go for help. When the researchers asked why they didnt go for help
the participants replied that there was no fire and therefore no
danger. We would undoubtable assume that the fact that there were
other passive participants present had a large influence on their
behaviour!
Slide 77
Cost Benefit Analysis The evaluation we make about helping that
weighs up the pros and cons of a situation. The pros and cons can
be personal and social. If the pros out-weigh the cons then we will
help (pro-social). If the cons out-weigh the pros, we will not help
(anti-social). Example: A friend asks you to come watch him play
footy on Saturday. Its the last game for the season and you have
been promising you will come watch a game. Your mum has been asking
you all week to clean up your room. She wants it done by Sunday
morning as you have family coming for lunch. You also have to go to
the shops to get a new portfolio for Psychology class. Weigh up the
pros and cons and decide what you will do.
Slide 78
Role Play In groups devise a short role play that demonstrates
cost- benefit analysis.
Slide 79
Social Learning Theory Proposes that we learn how to behave by
observing others and either replicating or not replicating their
behaviour based on whether we observed positive or negative
consequences. Observing the actions of others and their
consequences is called modelling. Bandura investigated Social
Learning Theory in 1965 using a Bobo doll. The results of the
experiment quickly became well known!
Slide 80
Banduras Bobo Doll Experiment Aim: To investigate the effect of
observational learning and reinforcement (positive or negative) on
behaviour Participants: Pre-school aged children Method:
Participants watched a series of videos. The film featured an adult
and a blow up clown Bobo. In the film, the adult punched Bobo and
knocked him down while shouting phrases such as sockaroo. The film
however ended with one of thee scenarios: 1. the adult was rewarded
with praise and lollies for hitting the doll 2. the adult was
scolded and smacked for hitting the doll. 3. the adult was neither
rewarded or punished o After the videos the children were allowed
to play with the Bobo doll while being observed through double
windows. What behaviours do you think the children displayed?
Slide 81
Banduras Bobo Doll Experiment Children who saw the violent
behaviour were more likely to mimic the behaviour of the adult and
act violently towards the Bobo doll Bandura later found that if the
child waspersonally rewarded for aggressive behaviour towards the
doll they would act violently even of they had seen the adult
punished. It is however not exposure to behaviour that is the only
cause. We see violence on TV everyday and yet most of us do not
engage in such acts of violence. There are clearly many more
influences on behaviour than observation of reward and
punishment.
Slide 82
Aggression Deliberate behaviour intended to harm another (or
object). This harm can be physical or emotional. The causes and
explanation of aggression have been long debated. Today several
theories exist.
Slide 83
Aggression: Ethological Approach Proposed by Conrad Lorenz
(1930s) Ethology is a mix between psychology and zoology.
Ethologists study behaviour patterns of species in their natural
environment. Often, observations of one species are used to make
predictions about the behaviour of another species. For example,
behaviour patterns found in animals may be used to explain human
behaviour. The ethological approach believes that all living
creatures have a tendency towards aggression.- aggression is an
instinct. This idea has been supported by studies that have
observed that many animal species, even when raised in isolation,
will act aggressively. Further support has come from genetic
studies. These studies have found that aggression can be
inherited.
Slide 84
Aggression: Ethological Approach Whether this aggressive
instinct is realised or not depends on the introduction of a
releaser- an environmental stimulus that triggers the aggression.
Limitations of the Ethological Approach: Most research has been
conducted on lower order animals- animals with lower intelligence
relying on instinct to survive. The approach does not take into
account the many forms that aggression can take