Targeting Cognitive Bias to Reduce Anger and Aggression

Abstract

This chapter reviews the literature on interventions that target hostile attribution bias to reduce anger and aggression. This chapter also includes an overview of the developmental origins of hostile attribution bias; major social-cognitive theories of hostile attribution bias; and the link between hostile attribution bias, anger, aggression, and mental health outcomes. Interventions for hostile attribution bias usually take either a top-down or bottom-up approach. Top-down interventions target conscious processes to identify, intervene, and disrupt hostile attribution bias through psychoeducation, skills training, and cognitive restructuring. Bottom-up interventions reduce hostile attribution bias by targeting automatic or implicit biases and social information processes. Most research to date supports the conclusion that both classes of techniques are effective at reducing hostile attribution bias and anger in both the general population and clinical samples. Data on the impact of these interventions on aggression are mixed, but generally support the intervention’s effectiveness. Clinical implications and future research directions are also discussed.