Proactive and reactive aggression in healthy adults : influence of personal and situational factors within two versions of the taylor aggression paradigm

Aggression can be subdivided into a proactive (instrumental and unprovoked) and a reactive (provoked) type. Different factors can influence these two types of aggression, including personality characteristics such as impulsivity and risk-taking, contextual factors such as tiredness or strategic thinking, and individuals’ chronotype. In this thesis, I investigate the influence of these factors on both proactive and reactive aggression using two modified versions of a reaction time task, the Taylor Aggression Paradigm. In the proactive Taylor Aggression Paradigm (pTAP) unprovoked, instrumental proactive aggression was measured by allowing only the participant to modify the task difficulty for the opponent by blurring the opponent’s screen. In the reactive Taylor Aggression Paradigm (rTAP), both the participant and the opponent could select blurriness levels for the other player, thereby modeling provocation. The paradigm was followed by a questionnaire battery, including the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS), the Domain Specific Risk Scale (DOSPERT), the Selfishness Questionnaire (SQ), and a Strategy Questionnaire. I further included the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) to assess each individuals’ chronotype. The sample consisted of 69 participants (37 females), with a mean age of 28.64 years. Considering proactive aggression, the results likely indicate a negative association with attentional impulsivity and a fair strategy in the game. Selfishness was positively associated with adopting an unfair strategy. Considering reactive aggression, the results indicate a positive association with financial risk-taking and reported tiredness. In contrast to the results in the pTAP, no no difference in reactive aggression in the rTAP whether the participant reported a neutral or fair strategy was found, suggesting that reciprocal aggressive responses can be considered fair behavior. In conclusion, this thesis points out multiple factors differentially associated with proactive and reactive aggression, extending our understanding of factors influencing these types of aggression.