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Baseline Heart Rate, Sensation Seeking, and Aggression in Young Adult Women: A Two‐Sample Examination
Author(s) -
Wilson Laura C.,
Scarpa Angela
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
aggressive behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.223
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1098-2337
pISSN - 0096-140X
DOI - 10.1002/ab.21477
Subject(s) - sensation seeking , aggression , disinhibition , boredom , psychology , poison control , injury prevention , suicide prevention , clinical psychology , human factors and ergonomics , heart rate , developmental psychology , occupational safety and health , psychiatry , medicine , social psychology , personality , medical emergency , blood pressure , pathology
Although substantial literature discusses sensation seeking as playing a role in the relationship between baseline heart rate and aggression, few published studies have tested the relationships among these variables. Furthermore, most prior studies have focused on risk factors of aggression in men and have largely ignored this issue in women. Two samples ( n = 104; n = 99) of young adult women completed measures of resting heart rate, sensation seeking, and aggression. Across the two samples of females there was no evidence for the relationships of baseline heart rate with sensation seeking or with aggression that has been consistently shown in males. Boredom susceptibility and disinhibition subscales of sensation seeking were consistently significantly correlated with aggression. The lack of significance and the small effect sizes indicate that other mechanisms are also at work in affecting aggression in young adult women. Finally, it is important to consider the type of sensation seeking in relation to aggression, as only boredom susceptibility and disinhibition were consistently replicated across samples. Aggr. Behav. 39:280–289, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.