敌意归因偏向对反应性攻击的预测及报复动机的中介作用

The Prediction of Hostile Attribution Bias on Reactive Aggression and the Mediating Role of Revenge Motivation

敌意归因偏向指将模糊情境中他人的行为意图进行敌意归因的倾向,其被认为是导致攻击的主要认知因素,但还缺乏其与反应性、主动性攻击的纵向关系的考察,而且其影响反应性攻击的动力机制也不清楚。本研究通过两个子研究来分别回应这两个问题。研究1的纵向调查结果显示,敌意归因偏向只纵向预测反应性攻击,而不能跨时间地预测主动性攻击。研究2对另一批大学生的横断面调查发现,报复动机可以中介敌意归因偏向与反应性攻击的关系。研究结果提示,敌意归因偏向很可能主要是在反应性攻击的形成中起到重要作用,而对主动性攻击的影响不大,报复动机则很可能是这种作用背后的动力机制之一。

According to the social information processing(SIP) model, when interpreting social information, some people may be inclined to interpret the behaviors of others in ambiguous situations as hostile intent, this is known as hostile attribution bias. Hostile attribution bias is an important cognitive mechanism that underlies the development of aggression. Reactive aggression and proactive aggression are two major subtypes of aggression. Reactive aggression refers to defensive, retaliatory aggressive response, which is in response to real or perceived provocative stimulus. Proactive aggression involves a purposeful planned attack with an external or internal reward as a goal. Both aggressions may lead to serious social problems and even criminal offenses. However, there is still lack of investigation on the longitudinal relationship between hostile attribution bias and reactive and proactive aggression, and the dynamic mechanism of the effect of hostile attribution bias on reactive aggression is not clear. There may be some emotional dynamic factors involved in the relationship between hostile attribution bias and reactive aggression. In summary, the present study aimed to address these two issues through two studies. In study 1, a total of 529 undergraduate students(212 males and 317 females;mean age =20.74 years, SD =.97 years) were investigated twice, with an interval of six months between each test. We used longitudinal study to explore the relationship between hostile attribution bias(measured by Word Sentence Association Paradigm for Hostility scale, WSAP-Hostility) and proactive aggression, reactive aggression(measured by Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire, RPQ). All measures showed good reliabilities. The results suggested that when controlling for the gender and age, hostile attribution bias at wave 1 could predict reactive aggression at wave 2, while it could not predict proactive aggression across time. To test the mediation role of revenge motivation(measured by Transgression-Related Interpersonal Motivations Inventory, TRIM), which involved feelings of righteous indignation correspond to a motivation to seek revenge or see harm come to the offender. 521 participants(181 males and 340 females;mean age =20.33 years, SD =1.07 years) were investigated using a set of three questionnaires(including WSAP-Hostility, RPQ, TRIM) in Study 2. The findings supported the view that revenge motivation was a mediating mechanism underlying the relationship between hostile attribution bias and reactive aggression. In ambiguous provoked situations(e.g., interpersonal conflict, physical conflict), those with a high hostile attribution bias were more likely to induce their internal motivation to retaliate against the offender, which then became the driving dynamic mechanism for the individual to engage reactive aggression. However, those individuals with low hostile attribution bias could restrain the desire to revenge, thus reducing the generation of reactive aggression.This study expands our understanding regarding the relationship between hostile attribution bias and proactive aggression, reactive aggression and suggests that hostile attribution bias mainly plays an important role in the formation of reactive aggression, but not in proactive aggression. Meanwhile, an effect of certain aggressive motivational mechanism(i.e., revenge motivation) in the predictive role of hostile attribution bias on reactive aggression was found. The exploration of the underlying motivation mechanism through revenge motivation that hostile attribution bias influences reactive aggression can deepen the understanding of the formation and development of reactive aggression.