The negative effects of ego-depletion in junior high school students on displaced aggressive behavior and the counteraction of the natural environment

Gonglu Cheng; Shuang Lin; Shinan Sun; Mengmeng Feng; Xuejun Bai

Acta Psychologica (Oct 2024)

The negative effects of ego-depletion in junior high school students on displaced aggressive behavior and the counteraction of the natural environment

Gonglu Cheng,
Shuang Lin,
Shinan Sun,
Mengmeng Feng,
Xuejun Bai

Affiliations

Gonglu Cheng: Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
Shuang Lin: Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Department of Psychology, Faculty of Education, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin 541004, China; Corresponding authors at: Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China.
Shinan Sun: Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
Mengmeng Feng: Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
Xuejun Bai: Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China; Corresponding authors at: Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 250
p. 104481

Abstract

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The current study investigated the effects of ego-depletion in junior high school students on displaced aggressive behavior and the counteraction of the nature. Study 1 investigated the effects of ego-depletion on displaced aggressive behavior in junior high school students using a within-subject design, comparing the differences in displaced aggressive behavior between the induced ego-depletion condition and the non-induced ego-depletion condition. Results showed that junior high school students exhibited significantly higher levels of displaced aggressive behavior under the induced ego-depletion condition compared to the non-induced ego-depletion condition. Study 2 examined the role of the nature in the process of ego-depletion influencing displaced aggressive behavior. A 2 (ego-depletion: induced ego-depletion vs. non-induced ego-depletion) × 2 (picture type: blank picture vs. natural picture) mixed design was used. A picture-viewing task was inserted between the ego-depletion task and the displaced aggressive behavior task to compare the differences in displaced aggressive behavior between the group that viewed blank pictures and the group that viewed natural pictures. The results showed that under the induced ego-depletion condition, there was no significant difference in displaced aggressive behavior between viewing natural pictures and viewing blank pictures. However, after viewing blank pictures, displaced aggressive behavior under induced ego-depletion condition was significantly higher than under non-induced ego-depletion condition; after viewing natural pictures, there was no significant difference in displaced aggressive behavior between induced ego-depletion condition and non-induced ego-depletion condition. These results suggest that ego-depletion can increase displaced aggressive behavior in junior high school students, but this phenomenon is not observed after exposure to nature. The current study provides empirical evidence for investigating the effects of ego-depletion on displaced aggressive behavior.

Published in Acta Psychologica

ISSN: 0001-6918 (Print); 1873-6297 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Philosophy. Psychology. Religion: Psychology
Website: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/acta-psychologica

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