Twin study of laboratory-induced aggression

Abstract

The aim of this research was to explore genetic and environmental contributions to laboratory-induced aggressive behavior. On a sample of 478 adult twins (316 monozygotic), the Competitive Reaction Time Task (CRTT) was used for aggression induction. The results showed that the initial, basic level of aggression could be explained by both shared (45%) and non-shared environmental factors (55%), while only non-shared environmental factors (100%) had a significant influence on changes in aggression as provocation increased. Genetic factors had no influence on laboratory-induced aggression. The results highlight the importance of environmental factors in shaping situation-specific aggressive responses to provocation.