Verbal imagery and connotation as memory-induced mediators of aggressive behavior.
Three studies investigated the effects of an information-processing variable (imagery-concreteness) on susceptibility to aggressive stimulation. Study 1 (n=83) results indicated that subjects' rating of imagery level and aggressive connotation for words can be manipulated independently. In study 2 (n=64), manipulations of verbal connotation and verbal imagery indicated that imagery level but not aggressive connotation significantly influenced the delayed recall of the verbal material. In Study 3 (n=60), males in a 2 X 2 between-subjects factorial design first learned lists of words varying in imagery (high or low) and verbal connotation (aggressive or neutral). Next, subjects were given the opportunity to shock their partners as part of a sham learning task. To induce arousal, all subjects learning high-imagery-aggressive word lists delivered significantly more intense shock to their partners. The results were interpreted as supporting an information-processing (memory) analysis of the effects of exposure to aggressive material.
D000374:Aggression; D004597:Electroshock; D005260:Female; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010153:Paired-Associate Learning; D013997:Time Factors; D014825:Vocabulary