Temperature, aggression, and the negative affect escape model.

Abstract

This article addresses Bell's (1992) comments on Anderson's (1989) review of the temperature-aggression literature. At a global level, all agree that geographic region studies and most time period studies do not cleanly address the question of the functional shape relating temperature to aggression. In addition, all agree that the negative affect escape model warrants additional empirical investigation. At a more specific level, however, numerous inaccuracies and misinterpretations are noted and corrected. The conclusions of the original review are confirmed. Suggestions for new research are offered.A recent review (Anderson, 1989) examined extant studies on the temperature-aggression relation, with the explicit goal of addressing three main issues. The issues concerned whether a nonartifactual relation exists between temperature and aggression, the shape of this relation, and the fit of past work to five potentially relevant theories. Bell's (1992) comment addresses only one small portion of the review: the relation of extant evidence to the negative affect escape (NAE) model. We agree on many points. We also welcome the opportunity to clarify misinterpretations and to specify the characteristics necessary for improved research on NAE.Three features characterize the comment. First, several "criticisms" are merely restatements of points made repeatedly by the review. Second, the comment responds to a review that was not written. Third, specific defenses of NAE are weak and potentially misleading. This reply addresses these three features, presents the characteristics needed in future research on NAE, and notes the value of prepublication scholarly communications. Restatements of Points Made in the ReviewThe review and our current position agree with the following major points of the comment: (a) Because of methodological complexities, the shape issue (and hence the specific-theories issue) has not been resolved, (b) better laboratory and field experiments on the shape and specific-theories issues are needed, and (c) NAE warrants additional work. Methodological Complexities and the Shape IssueQuotes throughout the review indicate our agreement that the shape issue has not been resolved. The review notes several possible shape functions and states that "distinguishing among these functions is quite difficult, particularly in field studies" (Anderson, 1989, p. 75). This includes the NAE prediction of aWe thank Russell Geen and Kathryn Anderson for comments on this article.

Weathering the preschool environment: affect moderates the relations between meteorology and preschool behaviors

“…Others have also noted relations between temperature and Meteorology, affect and behavior 389 behaviors (for example, Goldstein, 1972;Baron, 1977;Persinger, 1980;Sanders & Brizzolara, 1982;Whitton et al, 1982;Cohn, 1990a;Anderson & DeNeve, 1992;Barker et al, 1994). However, the majority of findings seem to suggest that rises in temperature are paired with aggressive acts and crime-related behaviors.…”

The Social Psychology of Sport

“…Anderson & DeNeve, 1992). Field studies using police and weather office records have found virtually no evidence of a downturn in aggression at extremely high temperatures (e.g., c.A.…”

Temperature, Cultural Masculinity, and Domestic Political Violence

“…In both laboratory experiments and field studies within nations, a general temperature-aggression link is well-documented (e.g., Anderson, 1987;Anderson & Anderson, 1996;Geen, 1990; Goldstein, 1994;Rotton, 1986), although there is an ongoing debate about whether the relation is rectilinear (Anderson, 1989;Anderson & DeNeve, 1992;Anderson, Deuser, & DeNeve, 1995) or curvilinear in the shape of an inverted U (Baron & Bell, 1976;Bell, 1992). However, because this literature primarily applies to affect-based, spontaneous aggression at the individual level (Anderson, 1989;Anderson & DeNeve, 1992), it does not provide potential explanations for mass violence that is primarily government-related, society-based, and planned.The evidence for a specific association between ambient temperature and organized political violence rests solely on a 51-nation study by D. C. Schwartz (1968). He reported that, from 1948 to 1964, the frequency of coups, assassinations, terrorism, guerilla wars, and revolts covaried with mean annual temperature in a curvilinear way.…”