Question 1

The theory that aggression is an automatic response to any blocking of goal-directed behavior is
A) the cathartic-aggression hypothesis.
B) the indirect-aggression hypothesis.
C) the frustration-aggression hypothesis.
D) the excitation-transfer theory.

Accepted Answer

The frustration-aggression hypothesis states that when one's efforts to achieve a goal are blocked, aggression is an almost automatic response.

Question 2

Your textbook discusses how aggression may serve all of the following functions EXCEPT
A) understanding ourselves and others.
B) gaining material and social rewards.
C) gaining or maintaining social status.
D) protecting oneself.

Accepted Answer

The textbook discusses that aggression may serve the functions of gaining material and social rewards, gaining or maintaining social status, and protecting oneself. It also notes that aggression can serve the function of establishing or maintaining social norms, but does not mention that it serves the function of understanding ourselves and others.

Question 3

Studies of homicides committed by men versus women across the past four decades indicate that as sex-role norms have changed over the years,
A) men and women now commit an equal number of homicides.
B) men continue to commit the vast majority of homicides.
C) women continue to commit the vast majority of homicides.
D) women now commit a larger percentage of homicides than they used to.

Accepted Answer

Despite changes in sex-role norms, men have consistently committed the majority of homicides over the past four decades.

Question 4

Freud proposed that one major source of aggression was
A) an instinctive desire to kill others who look different.
B) a death instinct that is redirected toward others.
C) displacing our frustration at high-status individuals toward low-status individuals.
D) neurotic anxiety.

Accepted Answer

Freud believed that humans have a death instinct, or a drive towards self-destruction, which is redirected towards others in the form of aggression. This aggressive energy can be targeted towards other individuals or groups as a way of releasing this innate desire.

Question 5

If aggression is defined as including both physical violence and indirect actions such as verbal insults and social rejection,
A) there is no sex difference in aggression.
B) men commit the vast majority of aggressive acts.
C) women commit the vast majority of aggressive acts.
D) men do not commit aggression.

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that when aggression is broadly defined to include both physical violence and indirect forms such as verbal insults and social rejection, both men and women engage in aggressive behaviors, though they may do so in different ways. Men are more likely to engage in physical aggression, while women are more likely to engage in indirect forms of aggression.

Question 6

Why is it unlikely that aggression is a goal in itself?
A) Aggression carries the risk of injury or retaliation.
B) Humans are programmed to be blindly aggressive.
C) Aggression does not serve any adaptive goals.
D) Aggression is never a useful strategy.

Accepted Answer

Aggression carries the risk of injury or retaliation. Therefore, it is unlikely that aggression is a goal in itself, as individuals usually engage in aggressive behavior for some other purpose, such as defense or obtaining resources, rather than solely for the sake of being aggressive.

Question 7

Different studies of aggression have yielded conflicting results regarding the issue of whether men or women are more aggressive.Which of the following statements best clarifies this issue?
A) Men are more likely to be instrumentally aggressive, but women are more likely to be emotionally aggressive.
B) Men used to be much more aggressive than women, but in current society, women are just as aggressive as men.
C) Women are more aggressive than men, but the effects are almost always milder.
D) Men commit more acts of direct aggression than women, but women commit more acts of indirect aggression than men.

Accepted Answer

This statement accurately summarizes the findings of research on aggression, which generally shows that men tend to engage in more direct forms of aggression, such as physical violence, while women tend to engage in more indirect forms of aggression, such as social exclusion or gossip. However, it is important to note that this is a general trend, and there is significant variability among individuals of both sexes.

Question 8

________ is behavior intended to injure another person.
A) Assertiveness
B) Deviance
C) Aggression
D) Anger

Accepted Answer

Aggression is behavior that is intended to harm or injure another person. It can take many forms, such as physical violence, verbal attacks, or social exclusion. While assertiveness involves standing up for oneself and one's rights, aggression goes beyond this to actively harm another person. Deviance refers to behavior that violates social norms or expectations, but it does not necessarily involve harm to others. Anger is an emotional response that may or may not result in aggressive behavior.

Question 9

A member of a gang goes into a liquor store and insults and threatens the store owner so that he will start to pay the gang regular "protection" money.This type of aggression may be classified as
A) indirect and instrumental.
B) indirect and emotional.
C) direct and instrumental.
D) direct and emotional.

Accepted Answer

The aggression is direct because the gang member directly approaches and threatens the store owner. It is also instrumental because the goal is to obtain regular payments from the store owner. The aggression is not emotional because the gang member is not expressing strong feelings but rather using intimidation tactics to achieve their goal.

Question 10

An individual finds out he lost his job.The next day,he storms into the office where he used to work and shoots some of his coworkers because he was "just so angry at all of them." This action would be classified as
A) indirect aggression.
B) assertive aggression.
C) emotional aggression.
D) instrumental aggression.

Accepted Answer

This action would be classified as emotional aggression because it is impulsive and driven by intense negative emotions, rather than a calculated attempt to achieve a specific goal (instrumental aggression) or a strategy for asserting one's needs or rights without causing harm (assertive aggression). It is also not indirect, as the individual is directly targeting their former coworkers.

Question 11

Michael spreads vicious slander about his boss in the hope that his boss will be fired and Michael will be chosen to replace him.This is an example of
A) instrumental aggression.
B) emotional aggression.
C) assertive aggression.
D) direct aggression.

Accepted Answer

Instrumental aggression refers to aggressive behavior that is aimed at achieving a goal, such as acquiring a job promotion in this case. Michael is engaging in this type of behavior by spreading slander about his boss in the hope of being chosen to replace him. Emotional aggression, on the other hand, is aggression that is motivated by feelings of anger or frustration, and would not apply to this situation. Assertive aggression refers to standing up for one's rights without violating the rights of others, which is not applicable here since Michael is engaging in unethical behavior. Direct aggression refers to overt physical or verbal aggression, which is also not applicable in this situation.

Question 12

Dawn orders some other children off of the playground because she feels it's her turn on the swing.Dawn's behavior may be described as
A) aggressive.
B) assertive.
C) indirect.
D) affiliative.

Accepted Answer

Dawn's behavior can be described as assertive because she is standing up for her own rights and expressing her needs to other children in a clear and respectful manner, without being hostile or aggressive.

Question 13

Josue has had a terrible day.He failed an exam,missed lunch,and his girlfriend dumped him.He comes home,walks into the backyard and yells at the top of his lungs about how awful his life is in order to release pent-up emotions.Josue's behavior is an example of
A) direct aggression.
B) displacement.
C) emotional aggression.
D) catharsis.

Accepted Answer

Josue's behavior of yelling in the backyard to release pent-up emotions is an example of catharsis, which is a psychological release of emotions.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT true of aggression?
A) It is always associated with anger.
B) It is purposeful.
C) It is behavior.
D) Its purpose is to hurt another person.

Accepted Answer

Aggression is not always associated with anger. It can be triggered by other emotions like frustration, fear, or even a desire for power or attention.

Question 15

An indirect expression of aggression away from the source of your anger is called
A) displacement.
B) catharsis.
C) indirect aggression.
D) emotional aggression.

Accepted Answer

Displacement is the term used to describe a behavior where a person directs their anger, frustration or other strong emotions towards a person or object that is not the source of their anger, typically because the true source is too threatening or unavailable to confront directly. As a result, the aggression is indirect and directed away from the true source towards a perceived or symbolic target.

Question 16

Which of the following is true regarding female physical aggression in relationships?
A) Females tend to be more physically violent in relationships than males.
B) The damage done by female acts of physical violence is less severe than that committed by men.
C) Female physical violence in relationships often is motivated by self-defense.
D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

All of the statements are true regarding female physical aggression in relationships. Research has shown that females can be more physically violent in certain relationship contexts, though the physical damage inflicted is often less severe compared to males. Additionally, a significant portion of female physical violence in relationships is motivated by self-defense.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT an example of direct aggression?
A) engaging in malicious gossip
B) kicking someone in anger
C) verbally threatening another person
D) shoving someone out of your way

Accepted Answer

Engaging in malicious gossip is an example of indirect aggression, not direct aggression. Direct aggression involves physically or verbally harming someone, while indirect aggression involves using social or psychological tactics to harm someone's reputation or relationships with others.

Question 18

Which of the following actions is an example of aggression?
A) teasing someone as a joke
B) being very angry at someone
C) physically attacking someone
D) all of the above

Accepted Answer

Physically attacking someone is an example of aggression, while teasing someone or being very angry at someone may not necessarily involve aggression.

Question 19

According to the Bureau of Statistics,the percentage of murders committed by men and women suggests that
A) the percentage of murders committed by women is increasing.
B) the percentage of murders committed by women is decreasing.
C) men and women each commit approximately half of all murders.
D) women do not commit murder.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to the Bureau of Statistics,the percentage...

Question 20

What is the main reason that humans probably do not have a "death instinct" as Freud postulated?
A) Human beings don't kill themselves in large numbers.
B) Human beings don't kill other people in most societies.
C) A drive toward death would not have survived natural selection.
D) All of Freud's theories have been proven wrong by empirical research.

Accepted Answer

Freud's theory of a "death instinct" suggests that humans have an unconscious drive toward self-destructive behavior and death. However, this theory goes against the process of natural selection, which would select against individuals who have a drive to harm themselves or others. Therefore, the fact that humans have survived and thrived as a species indicates that a death instinct is unlikely to exist.

Quiz 10: Aggression

The theory that aggression is an automatic response to any blocking of goal-directed behavior is

Your textbook discusses how aggression may serve all of the following functions EXCEPT

Studies of homicides committed by men versus women across the past four decades indicate that as sex-role norms have changed over the years,

Freud proposed that one major source of aggression was

If aggression is defined as including both physical violence and indirect actions such as verbal insults and social rejection,

Why is it unlikely that aggression is a goal in itself?

Different studies of aggression have yielded conflicting results regarding the issue of whether men or women are more aggressive.Which of the following statements best clarifies this issue?

________ is behavior intended to injure another person.

A member of a gang goes into a liquor store and insults and threatens the store owner so that he will start to pay the gang regular "protection" money.This type of aggression may be classified as

An individual finds out he lost his job.The next day,he storms into the office where he used to work and shoots some of his coworkers because he was "just so angry at all of them." This action would be classified as

Michael spreads vicious slander about his boss in the hope that his boss will be fired and Michael will be chosen to replace him.This is an example of

Dawn orders some other children off of the playground because she feels it's her turn on the swing.Dawn's behavior may be described as

Josue has had a terrible day.He failed an exam,missed lunch,and his girlfriend dumped him.He comes home,walks into the backyard and yells at the top of his lungs about how awful his life is in order to release pent-up emotions.Josue's behavior is an example of

Which of the following is NOT true of aggression?

An indirect expression of aggression away from the source of your anger is called

Which of the following is true regarding female physical aggression in relationships?

Which of the following is NOT an example of direct aggression?

Which of the following actions is an example of aggression?

According to the Bureau of Statistics,the percentage of murders committed by men and women suggests that

What is the main reason that humans probably do not have a "death instinct" as Freud postulated?