Physical aggression as a function of alcohol and frustration

Forty male undergraduates competed in a task involving reaction time to determine the effect of frustration on the aggressive responding of intoxicated and nonintoxicated subjects. The subjects who ingested alcohol were more aggressive than the subjects receiving a placebo cocktail. The frustration manipulation did not appear to influence the subjects’ aggressive reactions. It was concluded that frustration is a weak determinant of physical aggression, relative to such antecedents as a physical attack, social pressure, or alcohol.