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Aggression Flashcards

Neural and Hormonal Mechanisms; Genetic Factors; Evolutionary Explanations; Ethological Explanations; Frustration Aggression Hypothesis; Deindividuation; Social Learning Theory; Media Influence; Institutional Aggression

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1
Q

What type of mechanism is the limbic system?

A

Neural

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2
Q

What is the limbic system?

A

Area of the brain that helps coordinate behaviours that satisfy motivational emotional urges

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3
Q

What are the two areas of the brain in the limbic system that are key to aggressive responses?

A

Amygdala

Hippocampus

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4
Q

What role does the amygdala play?

A

Assessing emotional importance

Forming a response to environmental threats

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5
Q

What originates in the amygdala?

A

Aggressive thoughts or behaviours

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6
Q

What is the role of the hippocampus?

A

Formation of LTM

Comparing between previous and current threats

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7
Q

What type of mechanism is serotonin?

A

Neural

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8
Q

What is the role of serotonin?

A

Inhibits neurons

Linked to greater behavioural self-control

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9
Q

Where have abnormal levels of serotonin been found?

A

Orbitofrontal cortex

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10
Q

What effect do low levels of serotonin have?

A

Increase aggression

Reduce self-control

Increase impulsive behaviours

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11
Q

Strength of neural (amygdala) - research support

A

Gospic

Created a laboratory method of assessing aggression and the amygdala

If treated unfairly, amygdala was activated (fMRI)

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12
Q

Strength of neural (hippocampus) - evidence

A

Raine et al

“Unsuccessful” psychopaths (caught, impulsive acts) compared to “successful” psychopaths (evaded law, cold and calculating)

MRI scans revealed hippocampus in either hemisphere differed in size in “unsuccessful” group

Asymmetry presumed to arise early in brain’s development

Leading individuals to process emotional information incorrectly

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13
Q

Strength of neural - practical application

A

Reducing aggression

Drug treatment to increase serotonin levels

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14
Q

What type of mechanism is testosterone?

A

Hormonal

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15
Q

What is testosterone?

A

Androgen that produces male characteristics

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16
Q

What gender is testosterone found in?

A

Males and females

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17
Q

What is the role of testosterone?

A

Observed that males are more aggressive than females so the belief is that testosterone is associated with aggression

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18
Q

Strength of hormonal - research support

A

Mehta and Johnson

Measuring testosterone before and after a loss

After they all lost, asked if they’d like a rechallenge

High testosterone = 73% rechallenge

Low testosterone = 23% rechallenge

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19
Q

Strength of hormonal - practical application

A

Reducing aggression

Chemical castration of violent offenders

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20
Q

Limitation of neural and hormonal mechanisms - legal system

A

This theory is biologically deterministic

Means that criminals aren’t guilty?

Legal system doesn’t believe in determinism

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21
Q

What has been found out about aggression in twin and adoption studies?

A

Genes have been associated with high levels of testosterone, dopamine and serotonin receptors

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22
Q

What is the MAOA enzyme?

A

Enzyme which breaks down other neurotransmitters once they have been activated

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23
Q

What does the MAOA enzyme affect?

A

Serotonin in the brain

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24
Q

What variant of MAOA gene is the warrior gene?

A

Low

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25
Q

Does having the MAOA gene mean that you are immediately aggressive?

A

No

Must have low MAOA

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26
Q

What gene is the MAOA chromosome on?

A

Mutation on X chromosome

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27
Q

Strength of genetic - Brunner et al

A

Dutch family case study

28 male family members repeatedly involved in impulsively violent criminal behaviours (rape, attempted murder, assault)

Men had both abnormally low levels of the enzyme MAOA in their brains and the MAOA-L variant (the “Brunner” syndrome)

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28
Q

Counterpoint genetic - Brunner et al

A

Problems with case studies

Cannot be generalised

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29
Q

Is the evolutionary explanation human or animal?

A

Human

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30
Q

What is mate competition?

A

Men are worried about cuckoldry

Want to ensure that the child is theirs but can never be 100% sure

Use aggression to ward off any potential males who may try to take their partners

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31
Q

What physical differences do men have due to physical fights?

A

Stronger jawlines, brow bones and skulls

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32
Q

What is cuckoldry?

A

Having to raise another man’s offspring

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33
Q

What are mate retention strategies?

A

Men will be aggressive towards their partners as well

Negative inducements and direct guarding

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34
Q

What are negative inducements?

A

When a partner says negative things to say the other is not good enough for the relationship and doesn’t deserve to be loved

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35
Q

What are examples of negative inducements?

A

Emotional blackmail

Lowering partner’s self-esteem

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36
Q

What is direct guarding?

A

Controlling behaviours

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37
Q

What are examples of direct guarding?

A

Checking their phone

Restricting

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38
Q

Strength of evolutionary - practical application

A

Education about healthy relationships

Charities, support, resources for domestic violence

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39
Q

Limitation of evolutionary - temporal validity

A

If only reason is cuckoldry

Paternity tests should remove that

And homosexual relationships

Adoption, donors

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40
Q

Strength of evolutionary - can explain gender differences

A

Campbell

Suggests women don’t display aggressive behaviour as it would be maladaptive (not beneficial) as it would put her and her child’s survival at risk

Why females are verbally aggressive

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41
Q

Counterpoint evolutionary - can explain gender differences

A

Females can be physically aggressive

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42
Q

AO3 of evolutionary - nature vs nurture

A

Is it biological?

Is it societal pressures/norms?

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43
Q

Are ethological explanations human or animal?

A

Animal

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44
Q

What does the ethological explanation believe?

A

Aggression is adaptive

Promotes survival by protecting resources and establishing dominance

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45
Q

How is aggression used in protecting resources?

A

When animals are defeated, they will leave the group and spread out

Reducing competition for resources

46
Q

How is aggression used in establishing dominance?

A

Used as a way of establishing the troop’s hierarchy

And as such allocation of resources

47
Q

What is ritualistic aggression?

A

Many aggressive behaviours within animals do not involve physical violence and instead are aggressive displays

48
Q

What are examples of ritualistic aggression?

A

Snarling

Showing claws

49
Q

What does ritualistic aggression do?

A

Improve survival chances

50
Q

What does IRM stand for?

A

Innate releasing mechanisms

51
Q

What are innate releasing mechanisms?

A

Neural mechanisms triggered by specific stimuli in the environment and resulting in FAP

52
Q

What does FAP stand for?

A

Fixed action patterns

53
Q

What are FAPs characterised by?

A

Stereotyped

Universal

Independent of individual experience

Ballistic

Single purpose

Specific triggers

54
Q

What does it mean that a FAP is stereotyped?

A

Behaviour always occurs in the same way

55
Q

What does it mean that a FAP is universal?

A

Behaviour is the same in all species

56
Q

What does it mean that a FAP is independent of individual experience?

A

Behaviour is not learned and occurs regardless of individual experience

57
Q

What does it mean that a FAP is ballistic?

A

Once the behaviour is triggered, it cannot be stopped before completion

58
Q

What does it mean that a FAP is single purpose?

A

Behaviour only occurs in specific situation

59
Q

What does it mean that a FAP has specific triggers?

A

IRMs are triggered in response to a specific sign stimulus

60
Q

Strength of ethological - Tinbergen

A

Fish have a red spot when males are ready to mate

Sign stimulus is seeing the red spot

Fish went and attacked the model with the red spot but didn’t attach model without red spot

61
Q

AO3 of ethological - extrapolation

A

Animals and humans are both aggressive about mates and food

Both use ritualistic aggression
- animals = claws, snarling
- humans = haka

ONLY humans fight over religion and politics

62
Q

Limitation of ethological - Goodall

A

Chimps were battling against each other

If the losing side would show defeatist symbols, the winning side would still continue

Goes against the theory as they are putting themselves at risk

63
Q

What are the three social psychological explanations?

A

Frustration aggression hypothesis

Deindividuation

Social learning theory

64
Q

What is catharsis?

A

The process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions

65
Q

What does the frustration aggression hypothesis beleive?

A

Aggression is a biological drive like hunger

Frustration ALWAYS leads to aggression and aggressive behaviour

Cathartic as the frustration is satisfied

66
Q

What does the frustration aggression hypothesis believe is the sole cause of aggression?

A

When our goals are blocked

67
Q

What are the displacement factors in the frustration aggression hypothesis?

A

Abstract

Punishment

Unavailable

68
Q

How do environmental cues affect aggression?

A

If we see aggressive environmental cues, we are more likely to become aggressive when frustrated

69
Q

Strength of frustration aggression hypothesis - practical application

A

Federal laws

Not having open carry guns

70
Q

Strength of frustration aggression hypothesis - Berkowitz and LePage

A

Once students became frustrated in a lab task, were more likely to give a (fake) electric shock when they could see a weapon next to them

Weapon effect shows frustration only creates a readiness for aggression

Cues increase likelihood of actual aggression

71
Q

Limitation of frustration aggression hypothesis - Bushman

A

Study on boxers

When letting out anger through boxing, participants became more angry

Like adding petrol to a fire

72
Q

What happens when we are individuated?

A

Comply with social norms

73
Q

What happens when we are deindividuated?

A

Lose our identity (private self-awareness) and become disobedient

74
Q

What is private self-awareness?

A

Less attention to our own actions and focus on the events, making us less critical

75
Q

What is public self-awareness?

A

Less attention to how others view our actions and feel less accountable

76
Q

What are the different ways a person can be made to feel anonymous?

A

Mask

Internet

Crowds

Labels/identity/social roles

Unknown

Behalf of someone else

Hidden vote

Dark

77
Q

What is a “mob mentality”?

A

Not thinking as an individual but as a group

78
Q

Strength of deindividuation - Zimbardo SPE

A

Prison guards

Mask - dark sunglasses

Crowds - part of the prison guard crowd

Social roles - prison guards

Unknown - in a basement

Dark - not well lit

79
Q

Counterargument deindividuation - Zimbardo SPE

A

Unknown - parents visited

Dark - CCTV

80
Q

Strength of deindividuation - Zimbardo female study

A

Groups of 4 female participants

Group 1 = large name tags
Group 2 = large hoodies to wear

Asked to shock another participant

Group 1 = less severe shocks for a shorter time
Group 2 = more severe shocks for longer

81
Q

Strength of deindividuation - Dodd’s study

A

Asked 229 psychology students “if you could do anything humanely possible with complete assurance that you would not be detected or held responsible, what would you do?”

Students knew the answers were anonymous

36% = antisocial behaviour
26% = actual criminal acts (“rob a bank” most commonly)
9% = prosocial behaviour

82
Q

Limitation of deindividuation - gender differences

A

Cannavale

Found male and female groups responded differently with deindividuation conditions

Findings suggested that males may be more prone to disinhibition of aggressive behaviours when deindividuated than females

83
Q

Strength of deindividuation - practical application

A

Explain internet trolls and why there is a rise of aggressive comments as the trolls are anonymous

Douglas and McGarty found a strong correlation between anonymity and “flaming”

84
Q

What does SLT believe about aggression?

A

We all observe and imitate our role model’s aggression

85
Q

How does vicarious reinforcement affect aggression?

A

If see a role model being rewarded for being aggressive, more likely to imitate the aggression

If see a role model being punished for being aggressive, less likely to imitate aggression

86
Q

What are the mediational processes in relation to aggression?

A

Attention - observe role model’s aggressive behaviour

Retention - remember the aggressive behaviour

Motor reproduction - see if can also do aggression

Motivation - imitate aggressive behaviour if have motivation

87
Q

Strength of SLT - bobo doll study

A

Young children observed male or female being aggressive or non-aggressive

If saw aggression, behaved aggressively

if didn’t see aggression, didn’t behave aggressively

Boys = higher physical aggression
Girls = higher verbal aggression

88
Q

Counterargument SLT - bobo doll study

A

SLT can’t explain differences in gender but hormonal aggression can

89
Q

Counterargument SLT - counterargument to bobo doll study

A

Factors outside the experiment could explain gender differences

90
Q

Strength of SLT - practical application

A

Weymouth and Howe

Created a programme called ACT against violence which teaches parents about SLT

Helped create positively parenting and be used to decrease aggressive behaviour

91
Q

Limitation of SLT - secondary factor

A

Poulin and Boivin

Boys who were aggressive would make friends with other aggressive boys, reinforcing each other’s behaviours

Would approve of each other’s bad behaviours and gain respect

Nature influences nurture

92
Q

Strength of SLT - can explain cultural differences

A

!kung San tribe

No aggressive behaviour showed in the whole tribe

As adults, no one shows aggressive behaviours

If children show aggression behaviour, they are taken away from each other to calm down

93
Q

Counterargument SLT - can explain gender differences

A

If there are no aggressive role models, why do the children fight/act aggressive?

94
Q

What is desensitisation?

A

Regularly playing violent games leads to a reduction of normal physiological response to violent stimuli

95
Q

What is cognitive priming?

A

Repeated exposure to violent computer games gives a script leading to readiness to act aggressively when see cues in real life

96
Q

What is disinhibition?

A

Anonymity of gaming increasing aggression and makes aggression seem normal

97
Q

Strength of media influence - practical application

A

Two older boys took a toddler, bribed him to come with, it eventually ended with the toddler dying

Blamed aggressive behaviour on horror video “Child’s Play 3”

Ratings of BBFC

98
Q

Strength of media influence - research support

A

Carnagey

Participants played a violent or non-violent video games for 20 minutes then watched 10 min clip of real-life violence whilst heart rate and skin response was measured

Those who played violent video game showed lower response levels

99
Q

Counterpoint media influence - research support

A

Can create prosocial behaviour too

Greitemeyer and Mugge found in meta-analysis

100
Q

What are dispositional factors for institutional aggression?

A

Importation model

Gang membership

101
Q

What is the importation model?

A

Bring outside factors into the prison:

Low-self control

Impulsivity

Age - young (18-25/35)
Anti-social personality disorder
Anger

Race - white

Sex - male

102
Q

How does gang membership affect institutional aggression?

A

Drury and Delisi 2011

Studied over 1000 inmates in USA prisons

Significantly more likely to commit crimes in prison such as carrying weapons if in a gang

Pre-prison gang membership seems to be an important factor of prison aggression

Several studies found gang members show higher levels of violence compared to non-gang members

103
Q

What are the situational explanations of institutional aggression?

A

Deprivation model

Overcrowding

104
Q

What is the deprivation model?

A

Inmates don’t have certain things:

Freedom

Material goods

Relationships

Independence

Safety

105
Q

How does overcrowding affect institutional aggression?

A

Government report 2014 stated reason for increased violence in prisons was due to overcrowding

106
Q

Strength of dispositional/limitation of situational - Mears et al

A

Measured street code belief system and prison experience of inmates

Found a ‘code of the street’ belief system affect inmate violence

Effect particularly pronounced among those inmates who lack family support and are involved in gangs prior to incarceration

107
Q

Strength of dispositional/limitation of situational - Poole and Regoli

A

Best indicator of violence among juvenile offenders was pre-institutional violence

Regardless of any environmental factors in the institution

108
Q

Strength of situational/limitation of dispositional - McCorkle et al

A

Major study of 371 US prisons

Overcrowding, lack of privacy and lack of meaningful activity all significantly influenced inmate on inmate assaults and inmate on staff assaults

109
Q

Strength of dispositional/limitation of situational - Harer and Steffensmeier

A

Collected data from more than 24000 inmates from 58 prisons across US

Included variables such as race, criminal history, staff to prisoner ratio and security level

Tested which variables predicted the individual likelihood of aggressive behaviour while in prison

Race, age, criminal history were only significant predictors in prison violence

110
Q

Strength of situational/limitation of dispositional - HMP Woodhill

A

Created two areas for violent prisoners

Less claustrophobic (had view of outside), played radio music and had lower temperatures

Virtually stopped all violence from prisoners

111
Q

Limitation of situational and dispositional - cause and effect

A

Problems of showing cause and effect

Difficult to carry out controlled research manipulating the prison conditions

Psychology (11 decks)

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