Re-appraising the situation and its impact on aggressive behavior

139 Pages·2017·1.41 MB·English

Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and
Graduate Theses and Dissertations
Dissertations
2012
Re-appraising the situation and its impact on
aggressive behavior: Theoretical and applied
implications
Christopher Paul Barlett
Iowa State University
Follow this and additional works at:https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd
Part of theSocial Psychology Commons
Recommended Citation
Barlett, Christopher Paul, "Re-appraising the situation and its impact on aggressive behavior: Theoretical and applied implications"
(2012).Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 12567.
https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/12567
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Re-appraising the situation and its impact on aggressive behavior: Theoretical and applied
implications

Christopher P. Barlett

A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Major: Psychology
Program of Study Committee:
Craig A. Anderson, Major Professor
Douglas A. Gentile
Zlatan Krizan
Nathanial Wade
Robert West

Iowa State University
Ames, Iowa
2011

Copyright © Christopher P. Barlett, 2011. All rights Reserved
ii

DEDICATION

This dissertation is dedicated to my beautiful wife, Natalie. I could not have asked for a
better best friend and wife. Thank you for everything.
iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF FIGURES vii

LIST OF TABLES viii

ABSTRACT ix

CHAPTER 1: OVERVIEW 1

CHAPTER 2: CONTEXT OF RE-APPRAISAL 3
Emotion Regulation 3
Re-appraisal 3

CHAPTER 3: ANGER, AGGRESSION, AND RE-APPRAISAL 9
General Aggression Model 9
Integrative Cognitive Model of Trait Anger 12

CHAPTER 4: RE-APPRAISAL AS AN INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCE 15
Trait Aggression 15
Vengeance 16
Control Aggression Schemas 16

CHAPTER 5: CUEING RE-APPRAISAL 18
Mitigating Information 18
Apologies 19
Mediators 20

CHAPTER 6: APPLIED EXTENSIONS 21

CHAPTER 7: STUDY 1 HYPOTHESES 23
Overview 23
Hypotheses 23

CHAPTER 8: STUDY 1 METHODS 24
Participants 24
Measures 24
Trait Aggression 24
Trait Empathy 24
Vengeance 25
Impulsive and Premeditated Aggression 25
Re-Appraisal 26
Normative Aggressive Beliefs 26
Demographics 26
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Violent Behavior 26
Control Aggression Schemas 27
Aggressive Behavior 27
Procedure 27

CHAPTER 9: STUDY 1 RESULTS 29
Zero-Order Correlations 29
Content Analysis 31
Correlations from Item Analysis 37
Conclusion 38
Moderation Tests 38
Control Aggression Schemas 38
Vengeance 39
Anger 40
Hostility 41
Conclusion 44

CHAPTER 10: STUDY 1 CONCLUSION 46

CHAPTER 11: STUDY 2 HYPOTHESES 47
Overview 47
Hypotheses 47

CHAPTER 12: STUDY 2 METHODS 48
Participants 48
Phase 1 48
Measures 48
Procedure 48
Phase 2 49
Measures 49
Aggressive and Prosocial Behavior 49
State Hostility Scale 50
Partner Rating 50
Revenge Motives 51
Need for Cognition 51
Need for Closure 51
Positive and Negative Affect 52
` Procedure 52

CHAPTER 13: STUDY 2 RESULTS 60
Suspicious Participants 60
Correlations 60
ANOVA for Aggressive and Prosocial Behavior 64
v

ANOVA for Aggressive Behavior 65
ANOVA for Prosocial Behavior 66
Other Key Variable Analyses 67
Revenge Motives 67
Positive and Negative Affect 67
Mean 67
Aggravated 68
Partner Rating Form 68
Multiple Mediation Tests 68
Moderated Mediation Test 70

CHAPTER 14: STUDY 2 CONCLUSION 72

CHAPTER 15: STUDY 3 HYPOTHESES 74
Overview 74
Hypotheses 74

CHAPTER 16: STUDY 3 METHODS 75
Participants 75
Measures 75
Homework Assignments 75
Procedure 76

CHAPTER 17: STUDY 3 RESULTS 79
Preliminary Analyses 79
Manipulation Check 79
Effect of Intervention on Re-Appraisal and Vengeance 80
Moderating Effect of Re-Appraisal Change on Vengeance Change 81

CHAPTER 18: STUDY 3 CONCLUSION 84

CHAPTER 19: GENERAL DISCUSSION 85
Re-Appraisal and Aggressive Behavior 85
Mediators 86
Moderators 87
Implications for Aggression Theory 89
Implications for Emotion Regulation Theory 91
Limitations and Future Research 91
Final Comments 92

FOOTNOTES 94

APPENDIX A. BUSS PERRY AGGRESSION QUESTIONNAIRE 96

APPENDIX B. TRAIT EMPATHY QUESTIONNIARE 97
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APPENDIX C. VENGEANCE SCALE 98

APPENDIX D. IMPULSIVE AND PREMEDITATED AGGRESSION SCALE 99

APPENDIX E. RE-APPRAISAL 100

APPENDIX F. NORMATIVE AGGRESSIVE BELIEFS (MODIFIED) 101

APPENDIX G. DEMOGRAPHICS 102

APPENDIX H. MODIFIED NATIONAL YOUTH SURVEY 103

APPENDIX I. CONTROL AGGRESSION SCHEMA SCALE 104

APPENDIX J. AGGRESSIVE AND PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR QUESTIONNAIRE 105

APPENDIX K. TANGRAMS 106

APPENDIX L. STATE HOSTILITY SCALE 107

APPENDIX M. PARTNER EVALUATION FORM 108

APPENDIX N. REVENGE MOTIVATION 109

APPENDIX O. NEED FOR COGNITION 110

APPENDIX P. NEED FOR CLOSURE 111

APPENDIX Q. POSITIVE AFFECT NEGATIVE AFFECT SCHEDULE 113

APPENDIX R. ESSAY WRITING FORM 114

APPENDIX S. ESSAY EVALUATION FORM 115

APPENDIX T. DEBRIEFING FORM 116

APPENDIX U. HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS FOR INTERVENTION 117

REFERENCES 119

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 127
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Process Model of Emotion Regulation 5
Figure 2. Emotion generative cycle 6
Figure 3. Emotional intensity during an emotional episode 7
Figure 4. Proximate General Aggression Model 11
Figure 5. Decision making and re-appraisal process in GAM 12
Figure 6. Integrative Cognitive Model of Trait Anger 13
Figure 7. Re-appraisal X control aggression schema interaction for aggressive
behavior 39
Figure 8. Re-appraisal X vengeance interaction for premeditated aggressive
behavior 40
Figure 9. Re-appraisal X anger interaction for aggressive behavior 41
Figure 10. Re-appraisal X hostility interaction for premeditated aggressive
behavior 42
Figure 11. Outcome of random assignment in Study 2 55
Figure 12. Condition Effect of Intervention at Values of Baseline Re-Appraisal
on Post-Test Re-Appraisal 80
Figure 13. Conditional Effect of Intervention at Values of Re-Appraisal
Change on Vengeance Change 82
viii

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Order of questionnaires in Study 1 28
Table 2. Zero-order correlations 30
Table 3. Study 1 descriptive statistics 31
Table 4. Classification of items into factors 32
Table 5. Zero-order correlations 37
Table 6. Re-appraisal X moderator interaction statistics 43
Table 7. Condition effects of re-appraisal X moderator interactions 44
Table 8. Suspicious breakdown in Study 2 60
Table 9. Zero-order correlations 62
Table 10. Study 2 descriptive statistics 64
Table 11. Means and standard deviations for aggressive behavior 65
Table 12. Means and standard deviations for prosocial behavior 66
Table 13. Mediation tests 70
Table 14. Outline of intervention 78
ix

ABSTRACT
Extant research has tested the processes explicating how individuals use re-appraisal
(an emotion regulation strategy) to down-regulate negative emotions, including anger.
However, no research has tested how re-appraisal is related to aggressive behavior despite
several theoretical claims regarding its relations. Three studies tested the general hypothesis
that re-appraisal will be negatively related to aggressive behavior while also testing what
variables moderate and mediate these relations. Using a cross-sectional design, Study 1 found
that re-appraisal was negatively related to aggressive behavior and that re-appraisal
significantly mediated the relations between known aggression-related variables (e.g.,
vengeance, anger) and several indices of aggressive behavior. Study 2 used an experimental
design to further test the findings in Study 1. Employing a mixed factorial design, some
participants were provoked, praised, or given no feedback from a same-sex “partner” on an
essay writing task. Some participants were then given mitigating information – information
that should cue re-appraisal processes – regarding the feedback prior to completing an
aggressive and prosocial behavioral measure. Results showed that provoked participants who
did not receive the information were significantly more aggressive than those provoked
participants who received the information. Revenge motives significantly mediated these
relations and trait levels of re-appraisal moderated these mediated effects. Study 3 was an
intervention designed to reduce vengeance by teaching participants how to re-appraise.
Results showed that participants who were low at baseline levels of re-appraisal and were in
the intervention condition had the highest increase in re-appraisal. Most importantly, the
largest decrease in vengeance was observed for participants who were in the intervention