A hot new way to measure aggression: Hot sauce allocation

Abstract

Laboratory experiments investigating aggressive behavior have operationalized and assessed aggression in a variety of ways; however, these measures are often problematic because they do not create a situation in which participants perceive potential for real harm to come to the target, there is a risk of actual harm to the target, or they are too familiar to participants. To overcome these limitations, we developed a new method for measuring aggression, specifically, the amount of hot sauce administered to a target known to dislike spicy foods. We summarize a series of experiments assessing theorybased hypotheses regarding aggression in which this measure is employed. We then briefly consider the strengths and limitations of this new measure. Aggr. Behav. 25:331-348, 1999.

Observing workplace incivility.

“…According to Tripp, Bies, and Aquino (2002), individuals prefer to maintain symmetry between the consequences of an avenger's retributive action and the original harmdoer's transgression. Given that the instigator's initial transgression was low intensity and ambiguous, observers may have felt that the spicy sauce allocation in Study 2-a paradigm that was expressly designed as a measure of "aggression" (Lieberman et al, 1999)-was "too" aggressive for symmetrical retribution. Instead, although observers had a negative evaluative (Study 2) and attitudinal (Study 2 and the preliminary study [see the online appendix]) reaction toward the instigator only, observers in both Study 2 and in our preliminary study allocated a similar amount of sauce to the instigator relative to the target.…”

“…Aggression. We used the amount of spicy sauce the participant allocated to each confederate during ostensible Study 2b, weighed using a highly sensitive digital scale, as an index of aggression (see Lieberman et al, 1999). The participant was led to believe that both confederates disliked spicy food to an equal degree, and that the confederates would have to eat all of the sauce allocated to them.…”

“…We chose 14 ideas and created seven idea pairs that were matched based on quality ratings and divided between confederates. See the 3 The 21-point scale was selected following the procedure outlined in Lieberman, Solomon, Greenberg, and McGregor's (1999) aggression paradigm. Specifically, this range allowed us to emphasize the ostensible participants' dislike for the key allocation task (i.e., their ostensible rating of 3/21, which was subsequently provided to the participant).…”

Chewing on It Can Chew You Up: Effects of Rumination on Triggered Displaced Aggression.

“…The next phase of the study served as the displaced-aggression opportunity (Lieberman, Solomon, Greenberg, & McGregor, 1999). After the participants finished reading the evaluation, the experimenter returned with the partner's "food preference form."…”

The voodoo doll task: Introducing and validating a novel method for studying aggressive inclinations

“…The hot sauce paradigm has gained widespread use in recent years (Lieberman, Solomon, Greenberg, & McGregor, 1999). In this innovative paradigm, participants are led to believe that they will prepare a food sample for another person.…”