Hostility reduction in married and unacquainted couples

Fifty-two persons (26 married couples) competed in a complex reaction time task and set durations of 100 db noise for either their respective spouses or an opposite sex stranger. Each S's punitive settings were countered by four presequenced counteraggression strategies. Wives were responsive to a broader range of aggression reduction strategies than were husbands. Results suggest that minimum retaliation is most consistently effective across sex and may be a behavior skill necessary to avoid escalation of aggression and to keep communication channels open.