Male violence toward females: Victim and aggressor variables

The present study focused on the effects of two variables that have been proposed as determinants of male violence toward female targets in American society. One target variable, verbal attack, and one aggressor variable, masculine performance, were manipulated. Forty male research participants competed in a reaction-time task with a female confederate who had previously criticized them or remained silent when the males' performance on a physical strength task appeared to be average or considerably below the norms for male performance. The significant interaction between the two variables indicated that inhibitions against harming females were reduced when the male performed poorly on a masculine task in the presence of a female who criticized his performance. Results are discussed in terms of their relevance to control and understanding of male-to-female aggression in the natural ecology.