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Does experience of failure decrease executive, regulatory abilities and increase aggression?
Farzaneh Pahlavan1, Christophe Mouchiroud, Emna Nemlaghi-Manis
1Universite Paris Descartes, Paris, France. farzaneh.pahlavan@parisdescartes.fr
Global Journal of Health Science
|November 6, 2012
Summary
Poor executive functioning is linked to increased aggressive tendencies. Negative feedback exacerbates this, impairing attention and increasing impulsivity in individuals with Dysexecutive Syndrome and healthy adults.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Affective-cognitive regulation of aggressive behavior is increasingly studied.
- Poor executive capacities (ECF) are hypothesized to correlate with negative reactivity.
- Dysexecutive Syndrome (DES) presents challenges in executive functioning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To verify the correlation between poor executive functioning and aggressive tendencies.
- To examine how situational factors alter executive performance in DES patients and healthy adults.
- To explore the consequences of these modifications on aggressive tendencies.
Main Methods:
- Two studies involving students, DES patients, and health workers.
- Participants completed executive function tests and aggression questionnaires.
- Experimental feedback (success, neutral, failure) was introduced in the second phase.
Main Results:
- A dispositional relationship between poor executive functioning and aggressive tendencies was confirmed.
- This relationship extended to the situational level.
- Negative feedback increased impulsiveness and decreased attentional focus across participants.
Conclusions:
- Poor executive functioning is a significant predictor of aggressive tendencies.
- Situational factors, particularly negative feedback, can exacerbate aggression by impairing executive control.
- Interventions targeting executive functions may help mitigate aggressive behavior.
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