Amos Zeichner

Construct validity of a competitive reaction-time aggression paradigm

This study tested the construct validity (convergent and discriminant) of a competitive reaction-time aggression paradigm. Seventy-nine males completed three trait aggression questionnaires and then competed on a reaction-time task whereby they received and delivered shocks to a fictitious opponent. Results demonstrated strong positive relationships between shock intensity administered and the trait measures of overt aggression but not with the measures unrelated to overt aggression. Results are discussed with regard to their contribution to the construct validity of the aggression paradigm used in this study.

The biphasic effects of alcohol on human physical aggression

The authors assessed the biphasic effects of alcohol on human physical aggression. Sixty male social drinkers were assigned to 1 of 4 groups: alcohol ascending limb (AAL), alcohol descending limb (ADL), or 1 of 2 sober control groups. Aggression was assessed in the AAL and ADL groups at respective ascending or descending blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) of 0.08%. Each participant in the control groups was respectively yoked with a participant in either the AAL or the ADL group to control for the longer period of time needed to reach a BAC of 0.08% on the descending limb compared with the ascending limb (i.e., passage of time effect). The authors measured aggression using a modified version of the Taylor aggression paradigm (S. Taylor, 1967), in which electric shocks are received from and administered to a fictitious opponent during a competitive task. The AAL group was more aggressive than the ADL groups. There were no differences between the ADL group and the control groups, which suggests that alcohol does not appear to increase aggression on the descending limb. The control groups did not differ in aggression, thus ruling out a passage of time effect.

Familial pain models: the relationship between family history of pain and current pain experience.

&NA; Recent evidence has underscored the importance of parental models and vicarious learning in the etiology of pain behavior. The present study investigated the relationships between the number of familial pain models to which an individual has been exposed, the individuals reports of current pain experiences and the role of gender. One hundred and twenty male and 168 female college students reporting occasional pain episodes completed the Parameters of Pain Questionnaire. Results indicated that a significant positive relationship exists between the number of pain models in an individuals familial environment and the frequency of his/her current pain reports. Additionally, pain models had a greater impact on females than on males. These findings are discussed in terms of vicarious learning and health locus of control processes.

Homophobia and Physical Aggression Toward Homosexual and Heterosexual Individuals

This study examined the relationship between homophobia (defined as self-reported negative affect, avoidance, and aggression toward homosexuals) and homosexual aggression. Self-identified heterosexual college men were assigned to homophobic (n = 26) and nonhomophobic (n = 26) groups on the basis of their scores on the Homophobia Scale (HS; L. W. Wright, H. E. Adams, & J. A. Bernat, 1999). Physical aggression was examined by having participants administer shocks to a fictitious opponent during a competitive reaction time (RT) task under the impression that the study was examining the relationship between sexually explicit material and RT. Participants were exposed to a male homosexual erotic videotape, their affective reactions were assessed, and they then competed in the RT task against either a heterosexual or a homosexual opponent. The homophobic group reported significantly more negative affect, anxiety, and anger-hostility after watching the homosexual erotic videotape than did the nonhomophobic group. Additionally, the homophobic group was significantly more aggressive toward the homosexual opponent, but the groups did not differ in aggression toward the heterosexual opponent.

Homophobia: personality and attitudinal correlates

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether homophobia reflects a specific negative sentiment towards gay men or whether it incorporates a broader anti-feminine disposition. As such, convergent validity (i.e. masculinity, anti-feminine attitudes) and discriminant validity (i.e. alcoholism, sexual coercion, depression, and trait anxiety) were investigated. Participants were 385 heterosexual males who completed a questionnaire battery. Results offer information relative to convergent and discriminant validity of homophobia. Findings suggest that homophobia is related to heightened levels of masculinity and may develop in men who feel threatened by individuals whom they perceive to have feminine characteristics (e.g. women, gay men). Consequently, it is possible that such a threat-driven homophobic constitution may explain the increased likelihood of anti-gay and anti-women aggression.

Examining the Relations Among Narcissism, Impulsivity, and Self‐Defeating Behaviors

A recent meta-analysis (S. Vazire & D. C. Funder, 2006) suggested that narcissism and impulsivity are related and that impulsivity partially accounts for the relation between narcissism and self-defeating behaviors (SDB). This research examines these hypotheses in two studies and tests a competing hypothesis that Extraversion and Agreeableness account for this relation. In Study 1, we examined the relations among narcissism, impulsivity, and aggression. Both narcissism and impulsivity predicted aggression, but impulsivity did not mediate the narcissism-aggression relation. In Study 2, narcissism was related to a measure of SDB and manifested divergent relations with a range of impulsivity traits from three measures. None of the impulsivity models accounted for the narcissism-SDB relation, although there were unique mediating paths for traits related to sensation and fun seeking. The domains of Extraversion and low Agreeableness successfully mediated the entire narcissism-SDB relation. We address the discrepancy between the current and meta-analytic findings.

A test of two brief measures of grandiose narcissism: the narcissistic personality inventory-13 and the narcissistic personality inventory-16.

The most widely used measure of trait narcissism is the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), which can provide both total and subscale scores. However, with a length of 40 items, this measure may not be ideal in settings in which time or participant attention may limit the types of measures that can be administered. In response, Ames, Rose, and Anderson (2006) created the NPI-16, which provides a shorter, unidimensional measure of the construct. In the present research, we examine the reliability and validity of the NPI-16 in conjunction with a new short measure of narcissism, the NPI-13, which provides both a total score and 3 subscale scores (Leadership/Authority; Grandiose Exhibitionism; Entitlement/Exploitativeness). Across 2 studies, we demonstrate that both short measures manifest good convergent and discriminant validity and adequate overall reliability. The NPI-13 may be favored over the NPI-16 because it allows for the extraction of 3 subscales, consistent with the use of its parent measure.

Effects of hypermasculinity oh physical aggression against women.

This study examined the influence of hypermasculinity on physical aggression toward women. Fifty-nine men were assigned to either a high- or low-hypermasculine group based on their responses on the Hypermasculinity Inventory. Aggression was measured by the response-choice aggression paradigm, in which participants who reported physical assault toward intimates had the choice to administer shocks or to completely refrain from retaliating to provocation from a fictitious female opponent. Results indicated that high-hypermasculine men displayed higher levels of aggression on the laboratory paradigm and reported to have assaulted women more often than their low-hypermasculine counterparts. These results suggest that hypermasculinity may be a risk factor for perpetrating violence against women and that these men may have a lower aggression threshold.

Assessment of smoking urge and its concomitants under an environmental smoking cue manipulation.

The construct validity of smoking urge was examined through investigation of the effects of an environmental smoking cue manipulation on subjective smoking urge ratings and on the physiological, behavioral and cognitive responses hypothesized to relate to smoking urges. Forty-eight moderate cigarette smokers served as participants. All participants underwent an exposure to smoking cues condition and a nonexposure condition. Order of conditions was counterbalanced across participants. Results indicated that measures of physiological response, cognitions, and behavior vary with urge to smoke. Higher physiological indices and closer association between specific cognitive measures and smoking urges occurred under the cue exposure manipulation. Results were interpreted as preliminary data supporting the construct validity of smoking urge.

MEASUREMENT OF LABORATORY AGGRESSION: A NEW RESPONSE-CHOICE PARADIGM

40 undergraduate student volunteers were tested on a new Response-choice Aggression Paradigm. Men and women were provoked in a reaction time competition by receiving electric shocks and were allowed to respond to a confederate with similar shocks or to refrain from any retaliation. Analysis indicated positive association between a self-report measure of physical aggression and laboratory responses on the paradigm, and positive associations among aggression indices of the task. The results confirm earlier findings of sex differences in aggression and offer new measures of aggression “flashpoint” as a step closer to aggressive behavior in naturalistic settings.