Citation

Barlett CP. Aggressive Behav. 2013; 39(6): 472-481.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, International Society for Research on Aggression, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ab.21491

PMID

23744586

Abstract

Research in the aggression domain has been mixed regarding the effectiveness of using mitigating information (e.g., excuses, apologies) to reduce aggressive behavior after a provocation. Aggression theory (e.g., general aggression model) posits that mitigating information may cues re-appraisal processes to potentially change aggressive behavior. If re-appraisal processes are engaged, aggressive behavior is likely to decrease. Currently, no published study has synthesized the literature to test such theoretical claims. The current study used meta-analysis to test this effect and examine the influence of several possible moderators. Results showed a significant negative effect size, suggesting that mitigating information does indeed reduce aggressive behavior after a provocation. However, these results were qualified by several significant moderators. Results showed that mitigating information reduces aggression when (a) the information did not come from an apology, (b) the non-apologetic mitigating information was high quality, and c) the provocation was mild (vs. strong). Theoretical extensions are discussed. Aggr. Behav. 9999:XX-XX, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Language: en