Beliefs about One's Bodily State,Emotionality,and Aggression

Abstract

70 male undergraduates were given a placebo and told either that it was a stimulant, analgesic, reflex-inhibitor, or vitamin. Ss completed a mood questionnaire, after receiving either 6 shocks (attack) or 2 shocks (no attack), ostensibly an evaluation of their solution to a problem. They then used shock to evaluate a standard solution produced by their former evaluator (a confederate). No significant differences were detected among the placebo conditions in shock number, duration, intensity, or latency. However, among Ss reporting that the “drug” seems to have some effect, those attacked and taking the reflex-inhibitor had significantly longer shock latencies. Attacked analgesic Ss did not perceive the shocks as less painful but rated themselves highest in insult.