Reducing interracial aggression: inhibiting effects of victim's suffering and power to retaliate

A 2 X 2 X 2 factorial experiment employing 64 white male university students investigated the aggression-inhibiting effects of three characteristics of a victim: his race, expression of pain, and potential to retaliate. As predicted, pain cues effectively inhibited aggression. A triple-order interaction effect extended previous findings by demonstrating that the expression of suffering reduced aggression (a) even if the victim had no power to retaliate and (b) even if the victim was a member of a racial minority. In contrast to the suppressive effect of suffering, potential retaliation was a relatively ineffective deterrent of physical attack. Additional factors limiting the aggression-inhibiting power of threatened retaliation were the victim's expression of suffering and expectations of weak counteragression.