Citation

Sebalo I, Bozzay M, Verona E, Chu S, Ireland JL. Aggressive Behav. 2024; 50(4): e22165.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2024, International Society for Research on Aggression, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ab.22165

PMID

39004814

Abstract

The current study examines the effects of trait aggressiveness, inhibitory control and emotional states on aggressive behavior in a laboratory paradigm. One hundred and fifty-one adult participants took part (73 men, 71 women, and 7 nondisclosed). Event Related Potentials (ERPs) during a Go/No-Go task were utilized to capture the extent of inhibitory processing, with a laboratory provocation paradigm used to assess aggression. Contrary to the expectations, negative affective responses to provocation were negatively associated only with short-lived aggression and only among those with high past aggressiveness. Furthermore, past aggressiveness was related to a continuous increase in laboratory aggressive behavior regardless of the level of inhibitory control (P3 difference amplitude). However, feeling hostile was associated with short-lived aggressive behavior, only in those with lower levels of inhibitory control. These findings demonstrate the effect of distinct mechanisms on different patterns of aggressive behavior.

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; Adult; Female; Male; Adolescent; Young Adult; Electroencephalography; ERP; *Aggression/psychology/physiology; *Emotions/physiology; *Inhibition, Psychological; aggressive behavior; Evoked Potentials/physiology; Go/No‐Go task; Hostility; information processing; P3 amplitude