Abstract
Forty male Ss who had previously been angered by a confederate (C) and 40 who had not were shown a boxing movie. The film was described to one-quarter of all Ss as professional aggression, to one-quarter as an unsuccessful attempt at vengeance, and to one-half as a successful attempt at vengeance. Subsequent attacks against C tended to be most intense in angry Ss who had regarded the movie as revenge and among nonangry Ss who interpreted it as professional violence. The results are attributed to lowering of inhibitions against aggression by the film.
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This study was supported by Research Grant GS-2748 from the National Science Foundation to the first author.
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Geen, R.G., Stonner, D. The context of observed violence: Inhibition of aggression through displays of unsuccessful retaliation. Psychon Sci 27, 342–344 (1972). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03328985
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03328985