The voodoo doll task: Introducing and validating a novel method for studying aggressive inclinations.
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Abstract |
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Aggression pervades modern life. To understand the root causes of aggression, researchers have developed several methods to assess aggressive inclinations. The current article introduces a new behavioral method-the voodoo doll task (VDT)-that offers a reliable and valid trait and state measure of aggressive inclinations across settings and relationship contexts. Drawing on theory and research on the law of similarity and magical beliefs (Rozin, Millman, & Nemeroff [1986], Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 703-712), we propose that people transfer characteristics of a person onto a voodoo doll representing that person. As a result, causing harm to a voodoo doll by stabbing it with pins may have important psychological similarities to causing actual harm to the person the voodoo doll represents. Nine methodologically diverse studies (total Nā=ā1,376) showed that the VDT had strong reliability, construct validity, and convergent validity. Discussion centers on the importance of magical beliefs in understanding the causes of aggressive inclinations. |
Year of Publication |
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1969
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Journal |
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Aggressive behavior
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Volume |
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39
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Issue |
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6
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Number of Pages |
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419-39
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Date Published |
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1969
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ISSN Number |
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0096-140X
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URL |
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https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21496
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DOI |
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10.1002/ab.21496
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Short Title |
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Aggress Behav
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