"Your taste in fashion is bad": The role of state of anger in aggressive behavior using the hot sauce paradigm

Abstract

This study investigates a mediator of the link between anger induction and subsequent aggressive behavior: the state of anger. One hundred three female participants were randomly assigned to three groups and were given negative feedback, positive feedback or no feedback (control group) on their fashion tastes. Then, the participants completed the State-Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI; Spielberger, 1999) to assess their state of anger. Afterward, participants completed the hot sauce paradigm to measure aggressive behavior. As hypothesized, those who received negative feedback exhibited higher states of anger levels and higher aggression levels than did participants who received positive feedback or those in the control group. The state of anger mediated the link between anger induction and aggressive behavior. Anger induction increased the state of anger. This state of anger, in turn, was positively related to aggressive behavior.