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The verbal aggression research indicates that individuals high in verbal
aggressiveness perceive ambiguous messages more negatively than their counterparts low
in aggressiveness. The research on self-awareness and expressions of verbal aggression
also supports the hypothesis that individuals high in verbal aggressiveness will perceive
verbal aggression more negatively and therefore activate more negative stereotypes than
individuals low in verbal aggressiveness (Edwards, Bello, Brandau-Brown, & Hollems,
2001; Kinney, 1994; Kinney, Smith, Donzella, 2001).
Hypothesis 1: High trait verbal aggressiveness will be positively correlated
with negative stereotype activation.
The stereotype activation research on the quality of contact on stereotype
activation suggests that individuals with more positive interactions will have more
positive stereotypes and fewer negative stereotypes available for activation. This research
found that frequency was not a predictor of stereotype activation while quality was
significantly related to stereotype activation (Fox & Giles, 1993; Pecchioni & Croghan,
2002).
Hypothesis 2: Positive quality interactions with older adults will be positively
correlated with positive stereotype and negatively correlated with
negative stereotype activation, regardless of relational level or
message strategy.
CAT research on motivation with regard to nonapproximation strategies of tenor
in discourse management and control is relevant to an examination of message strategy
with regard to a specific individual. Verbal aggressiveness according to this research
would be divergent and counterattuned and more likely to activate negative stereotypes.
The research on attributions which found that individuals receiving verbally aggressive
messages from outgroup members tended to account for this type of message production
Convention