Hostility Reduction and Performance
The study was concerned with the adequacy of several methods for reducing or preventing hostility toward a frustrating teacher and examined whether classroom performance was affected. Two cathartic methods, Rating Scale and Mutual Expression, and two non-cathartic methods, Explanation and Control, were induced. Residual hostility toward the teacher was measured by means of a Teacher Evaluation Form. Results showed that the Explanation method was most effective and the two cathartic methods were least effective in preventing or reducing residual hostility. The two cathartic methods actually increased residual hostility as compared to the Control treatment. Task performance efficiency varied directly with the level of residual hostility. Doubt is cast upon the catharsis hypothesis and a relationship between residual hostility and performance was found.