Critically consider the impact of 3 environmental factors on anti-social behaviour (24marks).

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Critically consider the impact of 3 environmental factors on anti-social behaviour (24marks).

Anti-social Behaviour can be provoked by a range of different factors. Many of these are triggered through human actions ,but some can be caused by non human actions such as environmental factors. Environmental factors which can influence anti-social behaviour include ;- overcrowding, temperature and noise.

Donnerstein and Wilson investigated the effects of noise on aggression in 1976. In their experiment they asked male participants to write an essay. A confederate then rated the essay in one of two conditions. The first was favourably (this was the non angered condition) and negatively ( the angered condition ) The participants were then given the chance to change roles and become the teacher. In this role the participants evaluated the confederates essay through administering electric shocks. When the participants were administering the electric shocks they wore head phones which gave out either 65db of either low intensity noise or 95db or high intensity noise. The results showed that participants who were placed in the angered condition were more likely to give more and longer electric shocks if they had heard the high intensity noise at 95db. The participants in the non angered condition were mostly unaffected by the noise. Suggesting that noise can arouse anti-social behaviour when people are provoked and have no control over the stressor (in this case noise).
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Geen (1969) found that noise increases aggressiveness. Geen conducted a study into levels of aggression after watching films. In his study there were 3 variables.

. Participants watched either an aggressive film or a non aggressive film.

2. Participants were then given the opportunity to shock someone in another room.

3. When deciding whether to shock the other person, some subjects were exposed to loud noises and others to no noise.

The results showed that the participants were more likely to shock the other person when they were in a noisy environment.

Cohen ...

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