Subsequent Aggressive Behavior Research Articles

The Relationship Between Indirect and Physical Aggression on Television and in Real Life

AbstractViewing indirect aggression on television has been shown to have negative short‐term effects on a viewer's subsequent aggressive behavior; however, the longer term relationship between viewing indirect aggression on television and in real life has not yet been examined. Three hundred and forty‐seven adolescents, aged 11–14, were asked to list their five favorite television programs. These programs were analyzed for the amount and type of aggression they contained. Peer‐nominated indirect aggression was predicted by other aggressive behavior, sex, and televised indirect aggression. In particular, indirectly aggressive girls viewed more indirect aggression on television than any other group. Peer‐nominated physical aggression was predicted by other aggressive behavior and sex, but not by televised physical or indirect aggression. This study provides a starting point for future long‐term research on the effect of viewing indirect aggression in the media.

Immunobead multiplex RT-PCR detection of carcinoembryonic genes expressing cells in the blood of colorectal cancer patients

Circulating cell detection using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) techniques has been studied as a new prognostic factor in colorectal cancer patients. With the view of enhancing detection sensitivity, we developed a new multiplex RT-PCR assay for circulating cell detection based on the expression of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 5 (CEACAM5; formerly CEA) and CEACAM7 (formerly CGM2). Between November 2002 and December 2003, 45 stage III-IV, 39 stage I-II colorectal cancer patients, 32 non-colorectal cancer patients and 41 healthy individuals were included. Positive selection using HEA-125 immunobeads was applied to blood samples before mRNA extraction, cDNA synthesis and a multiplex CEACAM5/CEACAM7 RT-PCR assay. For both CEACAM5 and CEACAM7, the limit of detection was found to be as low as 1 expressing cell in 10(6) nucleated blood cells. The multiplex RT-PCR assay was negative for the 41 healthy individuals and the 32 non-colorectal cancer patients. The test was positive in 53/84 (63%) of the colorectal cancer patients for CEACAM5 and/or CEACAM7, whereas 32/84 (38%) were positive for both markers. Colorectal cancer patients were positive for one of the two markers in 80% of cases (36/45) for stage III-IV patients (CEACAM5 73%, CEACAM7 51%) and in 44% of cases (17/39) for stage I-II patients. This multiplex RT-PCR assay with two markers proved to be more sensitive than use of a single marker in detecting circulating tumour cells. The discrepant expression of CEACAM5 and CEACAM7 may label circulating tumour cells that have different levels of differentiation and subsequent aggressive behaviour.

Infant Vocalization, Adult Aggression, and Fear Behavior of an Oxytocin Null Mutant Mouse

Previous studies have shown that oxytocin (OT)-deficient female mice produced by homologous recombination fail to lactate but exhibit normal parturition and reproductive behaviors. We examined the ultrasonic vocalizations of infant mice and the subsequent aggressive and fear behavior of adult male OT knockout (OT-KO) mice. Infant OT-KO mice were less vocal than wild-type (WT) control mice during separations from the mother and peers. Adult OT-KO males were generally more aggressive in isolation-induced and resident–intruder tests of aggression and less fearful in the plus maze and acoustic startle reflex tests than WT controls. Although the increase in tests of aggression was robust for OT-KO males from obligate litters (progeny of homozygous × homozygous crossings), the increase in aggression was reduced during tests for OT-KO males derived from nonobligate mating (progeny of heterozygous × heterozygous crossings), suggesting that the OT-KO genotype was not, by itself, responsible for the changes in adult behavior. We conclude that the absence of exposure to OT during development was associated with abnormalities in the development of emotional behavior.

Aggressive Behavior Among Women Sexually Abused as Children

Although research shows that sexually abused children appear to be at risk of subsequent aggressive behavior, few investigations address whether such behavior persists beyond childhood. This research describes the self-reported adolescent and adult fighting behavior of 136 women sexually abused as children and examines the role of intervening variables in the risk of such behavior. The women are part of a longitudinal study of 206 primarily low-income, urban women whose abuse was documented at the time it occurred. Fighting was common, particularly during adolescence. Adult aggression was strongly associated with being a victim of violence by an intimate partner. A history of exposure to other forms of violence significantly increased the risk of fighting while strong maternal attachments mitigated the risk, primarily by reducing the likelihood of involvement in an abusive intimate relationship.

Serotonin and externalizing behavior in young children

Considerable evidence suggests that there is a relationship between pathologic aggressive behavior and low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) in both humans and non-human primates. The purpose of this investigation is to examine the relationship between CSF concentrations of human newborn 5-HIAA and subsequent aggressive behavior observed at 30 months of age. Leftover portions of culture negative CSF drawn from febrile infants (age, birth to 3 months) were assayed for 5-HIAA. Family environment and child behavior were assessed at 30 months by parent report. Subjects with 5-HIAA levels below the median of the distribution had higher externalizing behavior scores at 30 months than did subjects whose 5-HIAA levels fell above the median ( P=0.02). While it is likely that serotonin mediates one component of genetic liability to antisocial outcome, the magnitude of that component may be less than what has been inferred from previously published reports.

Discussion 5A

Several investigators have examined the relationship between a patient's premorbid personality and behavioral disturbances of dementia. Dr. Swearer described a study in which she examined whether premorbid personality was a predictor of disordered behaviors in dementia. Specifically, she considered whether premorbid aggression predicted subsequent aggressive behaviors, whether premorbid suspiciousness predicted disordered ideation, and whether premorbid restlessness predicted hyperkinesia. She found a relationship only between premorbid aggression and subsequent dementia-related aggressive behaviors. However, this finding appeared to be due to recall bias of caregivers of patients who were aggressive at the time of evaluation. This suggests that premorbid personality traits do not predispose to subsequent behavioral disturbances in dementia. On the other hand, in retrospective analyses, Drs. Whitehouse and Strauss and colleagues have found that premorbid personality predicts subsequent psychopathology.

A Meta-Analysis Summarizing the Effects of Pornography II Aggression After Exposure

This meta-analytic review examines the effect that exposure to pornography produces on aggressive behavior under laboratory conditions considering a variety of possible moderating conditions (level of sexual arousal, level of prior anger, type of pornography, gender of subject, gender of the target of aggression, and medium used to convey the material). The summary demonstrates a homogeneous set of results showing that pictorial nudity reduces subsequent aggressive behavior, that consumption of material depicting nonviolent sexual activity increases aggressive behavior, and that media depictions of violent sexual activity generates more aggression than those of nonviolent sexual activity. No other moderator variable produced homogeneous findings. The implications of the results for theoretical approaches to understanding the impact of pornography receives discussion, as do the limitations of such findings.

Genetic analysis of isolation-induced aggression. II. Postnatal environmental influences in AB mice

Recently, we reported on two closely related inbred mouse strains, ABG and AB//Halle, that display extreme differences in isolation-induced intermale aggression. In the present article we investigated the influence of both maternal and social postnatal environmental influences. No effects were found of the postnatal maternal environment. Likewise, whether animals after weaning were housed together in same-strain or mixed-strain groups did not influence their subsequent aggressive behavior. We conclude that the aggressive behavior of ABG and AB//Halle is rather robust with regard to postnatal environmental modification and that the difference between the two strains is most likely due to only few genetic factors.

Time course of aggressive arousal in female hamsters and male rats

This study replicates previous reports which show that allowing a female hamster to carry out an attack on a conspecific increases its aggressive arousal, i.e., transiently decreases the latency and increases the probability of an attack on a second trial. We now report that attack priming also occurs in male rats. Interpolating delays of 0, 10, 30, and 90 min between the first and second trials resulted in similar patterns of temporal changes in hamsters and rats. The differences in gender, housing condition, and other factors make the parallel in the time course of aggressive arousal in these two rodent species quite striking. The results rule out a simple model of exponential decay with a short time constant. Carrying out an attack sets in motion a complex set of internal events that affect subsequent aggressive behavior similarly in hamsters and rats.

Interaction Effects of Television and Socioeconomic Status on Teenage Aggression

ABSTRACT In contrast to past research studies which have sought a link between television violence and aggression, the present study sought a link between family-life television content and subsequent aggressive behavior. Based on Berkowitz' theory of the ‘revolution of rising expectations’, it was hypothesized that for youth low socioeconomic status, television portrayals of middle-class lifestyles could constitute a more aversive stimulus than could portrayed violence. Subjects were ethnically homogeneous low and middle socioeconomic status adolescents who were exposed to either a violent or a family-life television program. Aggression was measured in natural, interpersonal socialization, rather than in contrived, artificial criterion measures. No differences were found in aggressive behavior between low and middle SES youth; low SES youth showed no more aggression to family-life television than to violent fare. Research implications and educational suggestions are discussed.

Cognitive mediators of aggression in adolescent offenders: II. Intervention.

Cognitive mediators of aggression in adolescent offenders: II. Intervention.

Effects of Shock Controllability on Subsequent Aggressive and Defensive Behaviors in the Cockroach (Periplaneta Americana)

Male cockroaches ( Periplaneta americana) were exposed to either escapable, inescapable, or no shock in an escape task for three consecutive days. 24 hr. later they were placed individually in an aquarium with a naive cockroach and the frequency of aggressive behavior and defensive behavior was recorded by a blind observer. The inescapable shock group of cockroaches displayed less aggressive behavior and a greater tendency to retreat from social encounter than the escapable shock or no shock groups.

Malignant fibrous histiocytoma of the lung

Twenty-two cases of primary malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the lung are described, and a review of the literature is presented. As in the soft tissue, this sarcoma is found primarily in older individuals, usually as a solitary peripheral mass. Chest wall invasion at diagnosis was seen in four cases. The most common histologic subtype was the storiform-pleomorphic type of MFH. Vascular invasion was seen in 50% of cases. Histologic features did not correlate with prognosis, and subsequent aggressive behavior was related primarily to symptomatic presentation, advanced stage at diagnosis, incomplete excision, invasion of the chest wall or mediastinum, and subsequent recurrence or metastasis. Primary MFH of the lung should be distinguished from spindle cell carcinoma and inflammatory pseudotumors, and this histologic differential diagnosis is discussed.

The pornography/aggression linkage: Results from a field study

Renewed concern over the possible effects of pornography has been sparked by a “new” body of research. Foremost among these concerns is the possibility of a linkage between viewing pornography and subsequent aggressive behavior, especially toward women. However, the vast majority of this research is limited to laboratory settings. This study reports on a field experiment which assesses the impact of presenting a pornographic movie on a college campus. A longitudinal, self‐report study of 230 women students was conducted to determine any effects of the film's showing on the sample's experiences with aggression from males. Compared with the weeks prior to and following the movie's showing, no significant difference in reported aggression was found. Further, those women reporting association with males attending the movie reported no significantly different levels of experienced aggression from those women whose companions did not view the film. Reasons for the apparent lack of effect are discussed in light ...

Learning of submissive behavior in mice: A new model

The experience of winning or loosing fights plays an important role in subsequent aggressive or submissive behaviors. In this study agonistic behavior of male mice was chosen to investigate learning mechanisms in the context of a biologically meaningful situation. An ICR mouse introduced into a group of five C57BL/6 mice was attacked by mice of high social status (Fighter, F), but not by lower ranking animals (Non-Fighter, NF). On this basis the following model was developed to study learning of submissive behavior. Day 1 (baseline trial): An ICR mouse was introduced to a single NF-C57 mouse. Few submissive behaviors (crouch) were observed in naive ICR mice upon contact with NF-C57 mice. Day 2 (learning trial): The same ICR mouse was defeated by an F-C57 mouse until it showed defensive upright posture upon approach. This criterion was reached after a mean latency of 3.5 min and after being exposed to a mean number of 14 bites. Day 3 (retest trial): The same pairs as on day 1 confronted each other. Without being attacked, the ICR mouse showed a significant increase of submissive behavior (crouch, defensive sideways and upright) upon mere contact with the NF-C57 mouse when compared to day 1 and to control mice on day 3. Controls, confronted on all three days with NF-C57 mice, showed no increase in submissive behaviors. The results are discussed in terms of acquisition, memory, retrieval and extinction of learned submissive behavior. It is suggested that the mechanisms underlying learning of submissive behavior include generalization of conditioning and specific extinction processes. The further use of the learning scheme to assess drug effects is illustrated.

Behavioral consequences of agonistic experience in rats: Sex differences and the effects of testosterone.

The effects of winning or losing on subsequent aggressive behavior in male and female rats were studied. By using three strains of rats with different levels of aggression, a procedure was developed to create winners and losers. Subsequently, winners were tested against losers. Behavioral analysis of all tests enabled a thorough study of these processes and of their consequences. The results indicate that significant and relatively permanent behavioral changes are induced in intact and castrated, testosterone-treated males but not in females. The results suggest that behavioral inhibition is a specific characteristic of the male's agonistic behavioral repertoire.

Immunizing children against possible antisocial effects of viewing television violence: a curricular intervention.

An experimental curricular module was designed and tested to determine its success in helping children cope with negative influences of viewing violence on television. The instruction was derived from studies by McGuire in building resistance to attirude change. The child's perceived reality of television drama was selected as the concept to be presented in the instructional treatments. It was suggested that when the child perceived the television sequence to reflect reality he would more likely be aroused by the portrayal and also that this state of arousal might be responsible for subsequent aggressive behavior. From Grade 6 103 boys and girls were randomly assigned to either treatment or control groups. The instruction occurred in eight units, two per week, over a 4-wk. period. Measurement occurred in the fifth week after instruction. Two forms of instructional treatments were administered; in concept presentation subjects were shown how various components of production are used to create a dramatic television program; and in concept manipulation, subjects experimented with elements used in producing television drama. Subjects took the dependent measures, paper-and-pencil, self-report items, as responses to their viewing of violent scenes presented on videotape. Perceived reality and arousal measures were developed for the study. The aggression measure was borrowed from a previous study on children's responses to television. Resulm show no significant main effect on arousal was attributed to instructional treatments or to sex. Interaction of concept-manipulation by sex approached significance (F = 3.02, p = . l o ) ; boys receiving the manipulation had higher mean arousal scores ( 11.12) than girls ( 10.80). Contrary to prediction, subjects who received conceptmanipulation scored higher (40.29) on aggression than those who did not receive the treatment (32.88). Boys' over-all mean aggression scores (38.62) were higher than girls' (33.89). Subjects' aggressive and arousal scores were unrelated ( 7 = .082). As predicted, boys' mean scores on the perceived reality measure were higher (20.66) than the girls' (17.91).

Effect of aggressive play on children's subsequent aggressive behavior.

Two groups of 6 preschoolers were matched on baseline aggression level. One group hit a punching bag toy and the other drew on a chalkboard for 5 min. during 19 1-hr. free-play sessions. Aggressive behavior immediately following each treatment was recorded. The groups increased equally in aggression between baseline and treatment.

The Effects of Repeated Aggressive Encounters on Subsequent Aggressive Behavior

Summary The effects of repeated encounters in the laboratory on subsequent aggressive behavior of Ss competing in a reaction-time task were investigated in two studies of male undergraduates. In Study I (n = 20), it was observed that following two sessions in which they competed with aggressive opponents, Ss evidenced a tendency to initiate attacks against an unfamiliar competitor. The results of Study II (n = 30) suggested that the information received by the Ss indicating the aggressive intent of the opponents, rather than the behavioral involvement in the aggressive encounter, was responsible for the observed increase in unprovoked attacks.

The effects of a model's success or failure on subsequent aggressive behavior

It was of interest in the present study to examine the influence of both aggressive and nonaggressive models who are successful or nonsuccessful in reducing aggression from an aggressive opponent. Male and female subjects viewed a same-sexed model interact with an aggressive opponent in a reaction time task. Half the subjects observed an aggressive model while the remaining subjects observed a nonaggressive model. For half the subjects the model was successful in reducing the aggressiveness of the opponent. Results indicated that both the model's behavior and the consequences to the model (success/nonsuccess) were important determinants of subsequent aggression by the subject. Results are discussed in terms of current research and theory in aggression control.