Effects of Aggressive Behavior on Academic Performance

Timothy J. Kelly

Abstract
The connection between cognitive function and aggressive behavior appears to be an
object of much discussion in the psychological community. Aggressive tendencies
were studied in relation to students' grade point averages at a small midwestern
university. The hypothesis stated that students with higher levels of externalized
aggression (i.e., physical and verbal aggression) would have higher grade point
averages than students who have higher levels of internalized aggression (i.e., anger
and hostility). One hundred students from a midwestern university participated in the
study. A modified version of The Aggression Questionnaire (Buss and Perry, 1992)
was used to measure aggression. Analysis of the data found a moderate negative
correlation between externalized aggression and grade point averages. In the future,
this work may serve as a starting point for research about the effects of competition in
an academic setting.
Keywords: aggression, anger, hostility, grade point average, performance

In the highly competitive world of education, the importance of establishing

and maintaining a strong grade point average takes precedence above many other
things. Some might argue that todays competitive society imposes these pressures
now more so than in the past (e.g., Taylor, Davis-Kean, & Malanchuk, 2007; Al-Ali,
Singh, & Smekal, 2011; Garandeau, Ahn, & Rodkin, 2011;Yan Jie, Xiao Hui, Wang,

Zheng Xue, Xiu Xian, & Sun, 2012). Ironically, it may be that same competitive
disposition that influences how an individual performs in a school setting.
The Aggression Questionnaire (Buss & Perry, 1992) was developed to replace
the popular Hostility inventory (Buss & Durkee, 1957, as quoted in Buss & Perry,
1992) that yielded inconsistent results when used in other studies and appeared to be
difficult for participants to complete accurately. The researchers constructed this
survey by breaking down the broad spectrum of aggression into four factors; Physical
Aggression, Verbal Aggression, Anger, and Hostility. Physical Aggression and Verbal
aggression involve the direct harming of others thought different outlets (e.g.,
instrumental or motor behavior) (Buss & Perry, 1992). Anger represents emotional
component of behavior that emphasizes how quickly an individual is to resort to
aggressive behavior. Hostility encompasses cognitive behavior and a persons
unsettling feelings of ill will in society and a sense of distrust. The questionnaire
offers insight into how aggression shapes personality and in what ways it affects
cognitive functioning.
Aggression and Cognition
In view of what is known about behavior, aggression appears to have a
substantial effect on a person's cognitions even at a young age (e.g., Tacher &
Readdick, 2006; Helibron & Prinstein, 2008; Kikas, Peets, Tropp, & Hinn, 2009;
Csibi & Csibi, 2011; Hanish, Sallquist, DiDonato, Fabes, & Martin, 2012). Tacher and
Readdick (2006) studied a group of children in the second grade for a relationship
between aggressive tendencies and creative thought patterns. Their research yielded
interesting results: as aggressive behaviors increased, levels of creativity increased;
the data goes against the negative connotation of aggression that is commonly
accepted in society. Helibron and Prinstein (2008) suggested that this aggressive
behavior emanates out of necessity in childhood, and that individuals receive
emotional and social rewards as well as intellectual superiority over their peers from

this behavior. Another study examined the connections between aggression and verbal
reasoning among young adults (Kikas, Peets, Tropp, & Hinn, 2009). Interestingly,
their research showed a negative correlation between cognitive functioning and
aggressive tendencies. Their findings indicated that when cognitive function in
relation to verbal reasoning increased, aggressive behavior decreased; these
discrepancies in differing results underline the importance of continued research in
aggression.
Other research has observed the passive effects of aggression due to stress on
an individual's emotional state (e.g., Luutonen, 2007; Al-Ali, Singh, & Smekal, 2011;
Yan Jie, Xiao Hui, Wang, Zheng Xue, Xiu Xian, & Sun, 2012). It seems that there
may be goals to aggressive behavior (i.e., a student works hard in school to compete
against his peers) and that emotional anger may seek to resolve these goals (Luutonen,
2007). Interconnectivity among human emotions expresses why stress could bring
about this type of behavior; the goal could be to seek out a stressor and then suppress
it. Current research indicates that while stress levels increase, so do levels of
aggression, especially in young adults who attempt to balance social status and
academic prowess (Al-Ali, Singh, & Smekal, 2011). Warren, Richardson, and
McQuillin (2011) offered insight on the social scenarios in which a student may be
more inclined to use aggressive behavior. The teacher-student relationship was
defined as a possible causal factor; a young adult's academic performance may be
swayed ether positively or negatively depending on the situation. They indicated that
the supposed destructive impact of aggression may not be as pronounced if an
individual directs his or her aggression into a constructive outlet.
Huesmann, Dubow, and Boxer (2009) offered a very interesting longitudinal
study. Their research observed previously collected data from a 40-year-long research
project following a group of third-grade children from ages 8 to 48. The consequences
of their aggressive behaviors were monitored, as well as the motivations behind them.

The data concluded that a person's aggressive disposition tends to remain as a constant
throughout an individual's lifetime. From the research, it appears that an aggressive
person may have the need to adapt their behavior and direct their goals toward a
positive outcome to lower stress levels and/or receive certain social rewards (Al-Ali,
Singh, & Smekal, 2011).
Behavior and Academic Performance
As behavior affects an individual's cognitions, it seems as though there would
be a substantial effect on a person's academic performance. Noftle and Robins (2007)
examined the "Big Five" personality traits -- Conscientiousness, Extraversion,
Agreeableness, Neuroticism, and Openness-- and how they affected academic
performance. Their research concluded that personality traits may independently
effect academic performance. Taylor, Davis-Kean, and Malanchuk (2007) observed
how a student's self-concept, self-esteem, and levels of aggression affected their
performance in school. From their data, there appears to be a relationship between
aggression and academic self-concept; children without internalized academic goals
do not do as well in school as those who create internal motivation. Loveland,
Lounsbury, Welsh, and Buboltz (2007) refute the concept that using aggression has a
positive outcome. Their data concluded that higher levels of aggression may
negatively impact academic performance as it leads to absenteeism when students
cannot cope with the stressors of school life.
In addition to internal factors, external factors appear to have an effect on how
a child performs in an academic setting. One study in particular posited that
aggressive behavior allows students to "increase their social standing among peers" by
being perceived as "popular" (Garandeau, Ahn, & Rodkin, 2011, pp. 1699).They
proposed that this type of reward based aggressive behavior tends to be more selfdestructive than constructive. Parents and teachers may also have an effect on a
student's academic performance as they use their authoritative positions to manipulate

a child's behavior to fit their expectations (Stipek & Miles, 2008). This study offers
that extrinsic motivation from peers and people in authority shape an individual's
behavior, and that motivation may not be limited to intrinsic goals.
Competition, Goals, and Performance
With the idea that aggression may be goal-oriented, several studies have
examined how competition affects performance and intrinsic motivation (e.g., Tauer
and Harackiewicz, 2006; Urdan & Mestas, 2006; Goodman, Keresztesi, Mamdani,
Mokgatle, Musariri, Pires, & Schlechter, 2011). Tauer and Harackiewicz (2004)
observed the reciprocal relationship between competition and performance based
goals with samples of children at a basketball camp. They concluded that
aggressiveness in competition may drive and individual to work harder and output a
stronger performance than if there were no competition. High-school students may
also have internalized goals that emanate from confronting a competitive scenario
(Urdan & Mestas, 2006). 40% of the students in their study adopted a competitionapproach style of goal completion; these students approach their goals directly in a
passively aggressive manner. Internalized goal-directed behavior appears to offer
insight into the academic performance of college students (Goodman, Keresztesi,
Mamdani, Mokgatle, Musariri, Pires, & Schlechter, 2011). Goodman and his
colleagues observed the determining factors of academic performance in relation to
external and internal motivation. They concluded that internal goals for personal
achievement may be used as a predictor for academic success. Although the data in
this subject are not conclusive, (Murayama & Elliot, 2012) there appears to be
interesting arguments about how competition affects performance. Their analysis
concluded that competition prompts certain self-defined goals for an individual to
work toward.
Research Hypothesis

Past research indicated that there appears to be a correlation between a

person's behavior and task performance (e.g., Urdan & Mestas, 2006; Goodman,
Keresztesi, Mamdani, Mokgatle, Musariri, Pires, & Schlechter, 2011). In this regard,
aggressiveness could impart a sense of competition among college students; however,
as it appears that studies in aggression are still in their infancy and future research
would be beneficial to the topic at hand. This study attempted to discover the extent to
which aggression affected an individual's academic performance in a college setting.
The survey used a modified version of Buss and Perry's Aggression Questionnaire
(Buss and Perry, 1992) to ascertain the aggressive disposition of a student's
personality in terms of Physical Aggression, Verbal Aggression, Anger, and Hostility.
Several items on the survey as well as self-reported grade point average are used to
display the participant's level of academic performance. The first hypothesis states
that students with higher levels of internalized aggression (i.e., anger and hostility)
will have higher grade point averages than students who have higher levels of
externalized aggression (i.e., physical and verbal aggression). The second
hypothesis states that students with higher levels of externalized aggression (i.e.,
physical and verbal aggression) will have lower grade point averages than students
who have higher levels of internalized aggression (i.e., anger and hostility).
Method
Participants
Young adults on the at a midwestern university (65 women, 35 men, Mage =
20.4 years, age range: 18-22+ years) were recruited in classes and other meeting
places on campus to fill out a survey to report levels of aggression and grade point
average. The participants were not chosen with any criteria and the study was only
limited to those present and willing to participate in the classroom or area where the
survey was handed out. Students were not compensated in any way for their
participation in the study. All of the participants were asked to answer as honestly as

possible, as all data provided was self-reported. One hundred students responded to
the survey; the breakdown of the student's ages was as follows: 5% age 18, 16% age
19, 28% age 20, 31% age 21, and 20% age 22 and above. Data were collected in
accordance with the ethical standards of the American Psychological Association
(American Psychological Association, 2010).
Materials
The researcher compiled a 34-item survey to ascertain the participants grade
point averages, study habits, and levels of aggressive behavior. A modified version of
Buss and Perrys Aggression Questionnaire (Buss and Perry, 1992) was implemented
to gather the information from the participants. The students were asked demographic
information (i.e., gender, age, year in school) and were also asked to self report their
grade point average to the best of their knowledge. For the remainder of the survey,
students were asked to rank each item on a Likert scale from 1 (extremely
uncharacteristic of me) to 7 (extremely characteristic of me). The Aggression
Questionnaire includes 29 items about aggressive tendencies broken down into four
constructs:Verbal Aggression, Physical Aggression, Anger, and Hostility. In addition,
five questions were asked pertaining to the student's individual study goals.
Procedure
Participants were asked to fill out all of the provided questions in the survey in
during class time. The students were not placed under any stress to complete the
survey, as the questions were straightforward and clearly stated. Participants were
encouraged to complete it at their own pace to ensure the credibility of the provided
information. The students were informed both verbally and in writing that their
responses would remain anonymous and that they could withdraw from the survey at
any time. The entirety of the survey took no longer than 10 minutes for the students to
complete. When all surveys were finished, the students were debriefed and the

experimenter answered any questions asked. The data were collected and categorized
in a way the corresponded with the students' answers.
Results
In order to test the hypothesis that higher levels of externalized aggression
would result in lower grade point averages, a Pearson bivariate correlation was
performed. Results indicated a moderate negative correlation between externalized
aggression (Mean = 48.880, SD = .15.449) and grade point average (Mean = 3.434,
SD = .458), r (100) = -.392, p < .001.
To test the second hypothesis that higher levels of internalized aggression
would result in higher grade point averages, a Pearson bivariate correlation was
performed. Results indicated a weak negative correlation between internalized
aggression (Mean = 1.590 SD = .494) and grade point average (Mean = 3.434, SD = .
458), r (100) = -.2.65, p < .01. Specific results may be found in Table 1.1.
Table 1.1
Correlations
Grade Point
Average
Grade Point Average

aggressiontotal
-.354(**)

.000

.000

.008

100
Pearson Correlation

100

100

-.354(**)

.000

.000

Pearson Correlation

Total Phy
and Verbal
-.392(**)

Total Anger
and Host
-.265(**)

.918(**)

.927(**)

Sig. (2-tailed)

N
100
aggressiontotal

Sig. (2-tailed)
.000

100
Total Phy and Verbal

100
Pearson Correlation

100

100

-.392(**)

.918(**)

.702(**)

.702(**)

Sig. (2-tailed)
.000

.000

100
Total Anger and Host

100
Pearson Correlation

.000

N
100

100

-.265(**)

.927(**)

Sig. (2-tailed)
.008

.000

.000

N
100
100
** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

100

100

Discussion
As previously outlined, the first hypothesis proposed by this research hoped to
support much of the current research on aggression; students who externalize their
aggression tend to have lower grade point averages. As expected, the collected data
support this hypothesis in that higher levels of externalized aggression seem to lead to
lower grade point averages. The second hypothesis examined the possibility that
college students who tend to internalize their aggression would sublimate their
behavior into their school work. The data collected failed to support the correlation
proposed in the second hypothesis; however, the data for the second yielded a weaker
negative correlation than the data from the first. While no new significant information
appeared to surface, this study offers support for most of the current research on
aggressive behavior and its effects on academic performance.

Limitations
If this study is repeated in the future, certain changes would help to improve
the quality of the results. First, the implementation of a stronger measure of academic
performance in lieu of grade point average would prevent embellishment from student
participants. Although self-reported grade point average was used for sake of ease and
time, a more accurate measure would be ideal. Also, future research could use a
specific measure of competitiveness instead of observing the broad spectrum of
internalized aggressive tendencies. It seems as though focusing on the exact intended
variable of study may yield support in favor of the second proposed hypothesis.
Implications
In the future, this project can help further the search for the connection
between aggression and competition and how they affect a student's academic
performance. Further research may include searching for deeper connections to the
defense mechanism of sublimation and its prevalence in a college student population.
Concepts of competitiveness, especially in the realm of academics, may also be
examined. In a broad analysis, this research does not answer, but instead merely
proposes the question: Can aggression be a form of creation? This question focuses on
the socially accepted concept that aggression is "bad" and only aims to destroy. With
this question, future research may be devised to examine how aggression ties in to the
competitive drive that causes an individual to desire success. Answering this question
will broaden the general understanding of aggression and may help in learning how to
channel one's aggressive behavior into a positive outlet.
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