Younger people, and stronger effects of all-or-nothing thoughts on aggression: Moderating effects of age on the relationships between dichotomous thinking and aggression

Binary or dichotomous thinking may lead to aggression throughout people’s lifespan; additionally, relationships are likely to be affected by types of aggression (i.e. physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility) as well as gender and age. Using large-scale data (N = 2,315), the current study tested if age or gender moderated dichotomous thinking’s correlation with four different types of aggression. Participants (M_age = 36.1, SD = 16.2, range = 18–69) completed the Dichotomous Thinking Inventory and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Dichotomous thinking differentially affected aggression depending on participants’ age: dichotomous thinking and aggression were more strongly correlated in younger participants. Individuals’ tendency to think dichotomously appeared relatively stable; however, age appeared to moderate dichotomous thinking’s effects.