Modeling, Arousal, and Aggression

The results supported the arousal theory rather than the incompatible response theory of sexual stimulation, and a significant treatment × insult interaction indicated that Ss in the no-insult-aggressive and insult-neutral conditions were significantly less aggressive than those in the other four groups.

Abstract

Summary In order to determine the effects of reading aggressive, neutral, and erotic passages on subsequent aggressive responding, 89 female and 61 male undergraduates were randomly assigned to six conditions, with Ss either insulted or not insulted while reading one of the three types of passages. The dependent measure of aggression was a questionnaire which evaluated the study by using a rating scale and a choice of adjectives measure. Analysis of the rating scale evaluations showed a significant treatment effect such that the erotic group was more aggressive than the neutral group, which did not differ from the aggressive group. A significant treatment × insult interaction also indicated that Ss in the no-insult-aggressive and insult-neutral conditions were significantly less aggressive than those in the other four groups. Similar trends were found for the adjective choice measure. The results supported the arousal theory rather than the incompatible response theory of sexual stimulation. The interaction was interpreted in terms of the inhibition of aggressive behavior in the presence of weak provocation to aggression.