The cognitive and emotional determinants of reactive aggression studied in healthy volunteers using a laboratory paradigm

Neurocognitive theories of reactive aggression have proposed that such behaviour is associated with both dysfunctional emotional processes, such as facial affect recognition, and impairments in executive functions such as response inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Presently, no single study has examined both cognitive and emotional predictors of reactive aggression. This was the aim of the current experiment. Eighty-six healthy volunteers were recruited. Aggression was measured using the Point Subtraction Aggression Paradigm (PSAP). Emotional reactivity to provocation during the PSAP was measured using facial electromyography. Emotional processing was assessed using a visual search task measuring reaction time to locate emotional facial expressions. Self-reported emotional regulation strategies and experience of anger were also assessed. Two components of executive cognitive functioning, response inhibition and cognitive flexibility, were measured using the stop signal reaction paradigm and a set-shifting task. Self-reported impulsiveness was also assessed. It was hypothesised that aggression would be predicted by poorer performance on measures cognitive functioning, greater physiological reactivity during provocation, impaired attention to emotional faces, higher levels of self-reported impulsiveness and anger, and lower self-reported positive emotional regulation strategies. One significant cognitive (set-shifting) and emotional (processing) correlate of aggression were observed. When entered into a regression analysis only accurate set-shifting ability was predictive of aggression in the model. Hypotheses were not supported for other variables. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed