Aggressive Behavior

We compared the effectiveness of two extinction interventions, extinction by omission and noncontingent delivery of reinforcement, to treat aggressive behavior with a 10-year-old boy. Before the intervention, a functional analysis revealed that aggression was maintained by positive reinforcement in the form of attention. The extinction by omission intervention consisted of ignoring aggressive behavior. Noncontingent reinforcement involved delivering attention to the boy on a fixed-time schedule. Both treatments were compared using a multielement research design. Noncontingent reinforcement produced a more rapid elimination of aggression. Additionally, the schedule of noncontingent reinforcement was gradually thinned during the intervention. Finally, both parents successfully implemented the noncontingent schedule of reinforcement independently for up to 5 weeks after treatment.

Ms. Jones calls your clinic asking for help with her 7- year-old daughter's rabbit, Peaches. Peaches kicks and scratches when the daughter goes to put Peaches back into the cage after being let out to play. Ms. Jones is not sure what to do. The local pet store told her Peaches was too dominant and she should find another rabbit.

To investigate at the population level the impact of BRCA1/BRCA2 gene alterations in male breast cancer, we analyzed a population-based series of 25 male breast cancer cases from Florence, Central Italy. We combined mutational screening with the study of germ-line allele transcript levels and of tumor-associated losses of heterozygosity. Screening by protein truncation test and single-strand conformational polymorphism assay, followed by sequencing, revealed 4 pathogenetic mutations (4 of 25 = 16%; 95% confidence interval, 5-37%), 1 in BRCA1 and 3 in BRCA2, including mutations recurring in Central Italy (BRCA1 3345delAG and BRCA2 6696delTC). The a priori probability of carrying a mutation, estimated using BRCAPRO software, showed a good agreement between expected and observed mutations (14% versus 16%). A 7-fold association between germ-line mutations and family history of breast-ovarian cancer emerged. To investigate associations between BRCA1/BRCA2 status and clinicopathological c...

Many studies have shown that media violence has an effect on children's subsequent aggression. This study expands upon previous research in three directions: (1) by examining several subtypes of aggression (verbal, relational, and physical); (2) by measuring media violence exposure across three types of media (television, movies/videos, and video games); and (3) by measuring media violence exposure and aggressive/prosocial behaviors at two points in time during the school year. Two hundred thirty-six thirdthrough fifth-grade children were surveyed. Findings indicated that children who consumed more media violence early in the school year were found to be more verbally aggressive, relationally aggressive, and physically aggressive later in the school year (by self-report, peer nomination, and teacher nomination; controlling for sex). Children who consumed more media violence early in the school year were also more likely to have a hostile attribution bias later in the school year...

This paper evaluates the impact of the forest environment on aggressive manifestations in adolescents. A remedial educative programme was performed with 68 teenagers from institutions with substitute social care with diagnoses F 30.0 (affective disorders) and F 91.0 (family-related behavioural disorders), aged 12–16 years. Adolescents observed patterns of prosocial behaviour in forest animals (wolves, wild boars, deer, bees, ants, squirrels and birds), based on the fact that processes and interactions in nature are analogous to proceedings and bonds in human society. The methodology is based on qualitative and quantitative research. Projective tests (Rorschach Test, Hand Test, Thematic Apperception Test) were used as a diagnostic tool for aggressive manifestations before and after forest therapies based on Shinrin-yoku, wilderness therapy, observational learning and forest pedagogy. Probands underwent 16 therapies lasting for two hours each. The experimental intervention has a stati...

This article extends the work of Kellam, Ling, Merisca, Brown and Ialongo (1998) by applying a mathematical model of competition between children to peer contagion in the aggressive behaviors of elementary school students. Nonlinearity in the relationship between group aggression and individual aggression at 2-year follow-up is present. Consistent with the findings of Kellam et al. (1998), hierarchical linear modeling indicates that the relationship is statistically significant for those students whose initial parental ratings of aggressive behavior were above the sample median. In the context of competition between students, the behavior of initially aggressive students may be negatively reinforced. Lowering aggression in the school environment may therefore be the most effective way to lower the level of these students’ aggressive behavior.

Human communication can be characterized in terms of game theory as competing motivations in a social game in which one person desires “winning” in terms of obtaining compliance. Another theory, signal-detection theory posits that decision making takes place on a continuum of uncertainty in which many decision are made with complete certainty while others have higher levels of ambiguity and stress. The purpose of this case study is to explore the analysis of conflict escalation by a police detective with experience in domestic violence cases viewed a videotaped session depicting marital conflict in which a wife comes home after a long day at work only to criticize her partner for violating expectations of a good meal. The police detective was asked to stop the video at any time and to write down the verbal and nonverbal (NV) signals that people put out to indicate that conflict is escalating and that they may lash out. These signals are sometimes referred to as costly signals, a concept from evolutionary biology. A content analysis was done of verbal and nonverbal cues as well as the timing of the signals in terms of how often they were noticed. The case study presents a summary of the verbal (e.g., sarcasm) and nonverbal codes (e.g., contempt, breathing) that the detective noticed. Since the detective has expertise with conflict escalation, we argue that this case study sets up a standard of comparison for future research with peoples with various degrees of abuse in their abuse ranging from those who have suffered a great deal of verbal and physical abuse to those who have very little experience with coercive conflict tactics. Results are discussed in terms of game and signal detection theories from an evolutionary perspective.

El uso de videojuegos violentos se asocia por sentido común con el comportamiento agresivo, especialmente de los jóvenes. ¿Están asociadas estas dos variables? Se entiende como uso de videojuegos el invertir tiempo en sistemas computarizados de entretenimiento, mientras que la agresividad vial se entiende como todo aquel comportamiento que tiene como fin la reducción del bienestar de uno o más individuos del entorno a través del uso de un vehículo automotor. Este estudio tuvo como fin establecer el vínculo entre estas dos variables, a través de un diseño cuantitativo, transversal, ex post facto, e instrumentos utilizados en otros estudios. Se abordó a una colección de 217 participantes que cumplieran con los criterios de inclusión, de los cuales la mayoría fueron hombres jóvenes con estudios universitarios. Se encontró que no existe una relación probabilística entre el uso de videojuegos violentos y el comportamiento agresivo en la movilidad. Palabras clave: videojuegos violentos, comportamiento violento, conducción agresiva, comportamiento violento, tecnologías de la información y comunicación.


The use of violent videogames is commonly associated to aggressive behavior, especially amongst youngsters. Are these variables related? The use of videogames is understood as playing on computerized systems for purpose of entertainment, and traffic aggression is defined as any behavior that has the goal of reducing the well-being of one or more individuals in the context of driving a motor vehicle. This study had the purpose to establish the connection between these two variables, by means of a quantitative, cross-sectional and ex-post facto methodology and previously designed questionnaires. A collection of 217 participants that met this study's requirements was conformed, most of which were young men with some university studies. A statistical relationship between use of violent videogames and aggressive behavior while driving could not be found.

This study examined the association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology and aggressive behavior among a sample of male Vietnam veterans (N = 1,328). Results indicated that the hyperarousal PTSD symptom cluster evidenced the strongest positive association with aggression at the bivariate level when compared with the other PTSD symptom clusters. When the PTSD symptom clusters were examined together as predictors, hyperarousal symptoms evidenced a significant positive relationship with aggression, and avoidance/numbing symptoms were negatively associated with aggression. Examination of potential mediators indicated that hyperarousal symptoms were directly associated with aggression and indirectly related to aggression via alcohol problems. Reexperiencing symptoms were associated with aggression only indirectly and through their positive association with physiological reactivity and negative association with alcohol problems. Study results highlight the complexity of the relationship between PTSD symptoms and aggression, and suggest possible mechanisms explaining this association.

Vor dem Hintergrund des demographischen Ungleichgewichts von Männern und Frauen in Asien beschäftigen sich diverse Autoren mit möglichen Konsequenzen eines Frauen- oder Männermangels, unter anderem für die Gewaltinzidenz in den betroffenen Gesellschaften oder Regionen. Allerdings präsentieren sich die bisherigen theoretischen Ansätze wie auch die empirische Evidenz als uneinheitlich. Der Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über sozialwissenschaftliche und evolutionstheoretische Perspektiven auf die Fragestellung und versucht diese zu integrieren. Darüber hinaus werden empirische Befunde dargestellt und eingeordnet sowie eigene Projekte vorgestellt und Forschungsdesiderata formuliert.

Virtual space creates a new space of flows
and a new environment of communication,
it is like a mirror, reflects all the
problems of modern society, and thanks
to digital technologies, various forms and
strategies of behavior receive a new impetus
and mechanisms of development.
The article presents the analysis of virtual
aggression, causes and factors of its formation
and their correlation with reality.
The possibilities and ways of reducing destructive
behavior and the General degree
of aggression in the Russian segment of
the Internet are considered./Виртуальное пространство создает но-
вое пространство потоков и новую сре-
ду коммуникаций, в нем как в зерка-
ле находят отражение все проблемы
современного общества, а благода-
ря цифровым технологиям различные
формы и стратегии поведения получа-
ют новый импульс и механизмы разви-
тия. В статье представлен анализ вир-
туальной агрессии, причины и факто-
ры ее формирования и их корреляция
с реальностью. Рассмотрены возмож-
ности и пути снижения деструктивно-
го поведения и общего градуса агрес-
сии в российском сегменте интернета.