Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 19, 2026

The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress
Published on: July 4, 2013
The Longitudinal Associations Between Hostile Automatic Thoughts, Moral Disengagement, and Aggression: A Cross-Lagged
Yuguang Yang1,2,3, Jianxue Chen1,3, Tong Yang1,3
1Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China.
Abstract:
Numerous studies have clearly identified that cognitive and moral factors are important predictors of aggression, but the longitudinal interaction between hostile automatic thoughts (HAT), moral disengagement (MD) and aggression has not been sufficiently explored. Based on the General Aggression Model (GAM) and script theory, this study proposes that HAT and MD may form a cognitive-moral system that is associated with aggression over time. Using a two-wave longitudinal research design with an interval of 6 months, we obtained data from 941 Chinese college students. Cross-lagged analyzes revealed reciprocal associations between HAT and aggression, as well as between HAT and MD. However, the path from MD to aggression was unidirectional: MD at Time 1 (T1) significantly predicted aggression at Time 2 (T2), but not vice versa. The findings provide preliminary longitudinal evidence for reciprocal associations between HAT and aggression and between HAT and MD, and for a unidirectional prospective association between MD and aggression.
Related Concept Videos
Secondary Motives: Affiliation Motivation and Aggression Motivation
Aggression
Automatic Processing and Automatic Social Behavior
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Bullying
Dark Triad and Person Perception