Threatened retaliation as an inhibitor of human aggression: Mediating effects of the instrumental value of aggression

Abstract

Sixty male undergraduates participated in an experiment designed to investigate the hypothesis that threatened retaliation from the victim would be highly effective in inhibiting subsequent aggression under conditions where the instrumental value of such behavior was low, but would be relatively ineffective in this regard under conditions where the instrumental value of such actions was high. Support was obtained for both of these predictions. Findings were discussed in terms of their implications with respect to the usefulness of threatened punishment as a means of preventing or controlling human violence. © 1974, The Psychonomic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.