Trait Aggressiveness and Aggressive Behavior: The Simultaneous Influence of Contextual Variables

Objective: The present research examined whether trait aggressiveness was more associated with aggressive behavior in relevant situations (playing a high-violence video game as compared to a low-violence video game) and when participants had an agent (perpetrator) rather than a victim role. Method: Two studies were conducted with female undergraduate students. In Study 1, female participants first reported their level of trait aggressiveness. After completing the scale, participants were randomly assigned to a behavioral manipulation of the agent or victim role that required participants to either give or receive noise blasts. Afterward, they were randomly assigned to play a high- or low-violence video game. Finally, we assessed a measure of aggression as the dependent variable. Study 2 used a similar design and procedure and was intended to generalize the results to behavioral intentions of aggression using a priming task of the role manipulation through an imagination task. Results: Across two studies, playing a high- versus low-violence video game moderated the relationship between trait aggressiveness and aggressive behavior only when female participants were cast in a role relevant to the trait (agent) but not when the role was less relevant to trait aggressiveness (victim). Conclusions: Trait aggressiveness was most predictive of aggressive behavior when female participants adopted an agent (perpetrator) role and also played a high-violence video game. This research supports the idea that women acted on their traits more when the situation and the role are more relevant to the trait, because the trait seems like a more valid basis of behavior.