title: Effects of prior destructive behavior, anonymity, and group presence on deindividuation and aggression.
abstract: Three of Zimbardo's deindividuation input variables (group presence, anonymity, and arousal) were manipulated in laboratory experiment, and their effects on aggression and deindividuation were measured. Only arousal produced a significant increase in aggression (p less than .05), while group presence produced a significant decrease in aggression (p less than .01). Anonymity had no significant effect on subjects' aggressiveness. Deindividuation per se was measured on a postsession questionnaire that assessed subjects' memory for their own aggressive behavior, self-consciousness, concern for social evaluation, and memory for central and peripheral cues. Only arousal condition participants showed deindividuation changes, but a factor analysis revealed that the deindividuation changes did not comprise a unified factor. Also it did not appear that the internal changes caused aggressive behavior, since the correlation between the two was low.
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression; D001143:Arousal; D006126:Group Processes; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008399:Mass Behavior; D005082:Physical Exertion; D011674:Pulse; D012107:Research Design; D012649:Self Concept