Third party instigation of aggression as a function of noncooperation and "veto power"

Previous research has identified several important variables as determinants of instigative aggression. While provocation from a victim has been found to reliably elicit increased attack from an instigator, refusal on the part of an aggressor to comply with suggested attack has been found to deter the amount of instigated aggression. Two plausible hypotheses have been offered to explain the deterring effects of aggressor noncooperation upon instigative aggression. A conformity hypothesis suggests that instigators conform to a norm not to hurt modeled by the noncooperative aggressor. Actual internalization of the altruistic norm may occur, or it may not occur in which case mere compliance to the norm results. A power hypothesis, on the other hand, suggests that instigators reduce their level of attack in order to maintain a sense of control in the experimental situation