MANIFEST HOSTILITY LEVEL AND HOSTILE BEHAVIOR.

Two earlier studies (4, 9) indicated that Ss who admit to characteristically strong feelings of anger (i.e., whose manifest hostility level is high) exhibit a smaller increase in the intensity of their hostile behavior after anger is aroused than Ss low in manifest hostility. The present study attempted to replicate these findings. Two Ss, after privately indicating their initial impressions of each other (on Questionnaire 1), exchanged written messages. By substituting previously constructed notes for these messages, E aroused hostility toward S's partner in half of the Ss. Following this brief communication period the two Ss again rated each other on the questionnaire scale of friendliness-unfriendliness (in Questionnaire 2). Ss who previously had been assessed as high in manifest hostility displayed significantly more hostility toward their co-workers on Questionnaire 1 than the low hostility Ss, supporting the validity of the manifest hostility measure. However, combining both experimental conditions, the low manifest hostility Ss, as predicted, had a significantly greater increase in unfriendliness toward their partners following the exchange of communications than the high manifest hostility Ss. Further analyses and the implications of these differences are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]