The Effects of Repeated Aggressive Encounters on Subsequent Aggressive Behavior

Abstract
The effects of repeated encounters in the laboratory on subsequent aggressive behavior of Ss competing in a reaction-time task were investigated in two studies of male undergraduates. In Study I (n = 20), it was observed that following two sessions in which they competed with aggressive opponents, Ss evidenced a tendency to initiate attacks against an unfamiliar competitor. The results of Study II (n = 30) suggested that the information received by the Ss indicating the aggressive intent of the opponents, rather than the behavioral involvement in the aggressive encounter, was responsible for the observed increase in unprovoked attacks.