Aggression

Question 1

Definition of aggression

Answer 1

An act carried out with the intention to harm another person. e.g. hitting someone

Question 2

Definition of proactive aggression

Answer 2

A planned method of getting what you want and so it is less emotional e.g. bullying

Question 3

Definition of reactive aggression

Answer 3

Impulsive and angry, accompanied by physiological arousal. e.g. tantrum

Question 4

What is the limbic system?

Answer 4

A set of subcortical structures in the brain that are thought to be closely involved in coordinating and regulating emotional behaviour, including aggression. e.g. thalamus, hippocampus

Question 5

What does the Amygdala do?

Answer 5

Quickly evaluates the emotional importance of sensory information

Question 6

What does the Hippocampus do?

Answer 6

Involved in the formation of long term memories.

Question 7

How does the hippocampus influence aggression

Answer 7

Allows current threat to be compared with past similar experiences

Question 8

What is the Amygdalas’ role in aggression (dark blue box)?

Answer 8

Assess and respond to environmental threats and challenges

Question 9

How is the Amygdala affected by the Hippocampus (light blue box)?

Answer 9

It is more/less likely to assess the sensory information as a threat based on long term memories.

Question 10

How does an impaired hippocampus affect aggression?

Answer 10

Sensory information is not put into meaningful context so more likely to interpret it as a threat.

Question 11

What does the Amydala and impaired hippocampus increase?

Answer 11

Reactivity -> aggression

Question 12

What is serotonin?

Answer 12

Its a inhibitory neurotransmitter (slows down and dampens neuronal activity)

Question 13

How do normal serotonin levels lessen aggression?

Answer 13

Normal levels of serotonin are linked with reduced firing of neurons, and so inhibit responses to emotional stimuli that might otherwise lead to an aggressive response. It is associated with a greater degree of behavioural self-control.

Question 14

How do serotonin and the amygdala interact?

Answer 14

Serotonin typically inhibits the firing of the amygdala. Low levels of serotonin remove this inhibitory effect ,which means that when the amygdala is stimulated by external events, it becomes more active, causing the person to act on their impulses and making aggression more likely.

Question 15

Weakness of limbic system and serotonin (implications)

Answer 15

Determinist with little control over actions e.g. amygdala caused punch without free will. Are people still legally and morally responsible for their actions. Could scans be done to preempt aggressive people (discrimination)?

Question 16

Weakness of limbic system and serotonin (animal)

Answer 16

Serotonin and the amygdala strongly linked to aggression in animals. The complexity of human social behaviour means that a biological explanation for aggression is insufficient on its own to explain all the many different aspects of aggressive and violent behaviour because it is reductionist. e.g. SLT explanations of aggression Bandura

Question 17

Strength of limbic system (SE case study)

Answer 17

Charles Whitman killed 13 people from an observation tower at Texas University. He asked doctors to examine his brain as he was convinced that something was making him aggressive and they found a tumour pressing against his amygdala.

Question 18

Strength of limbic system (SE research)

Answer 18

Gospic et al. mildly provoked ppts and their recorded their responses an fMRI. When participants responded aggressively, the scans showed a fast and heightened response by the amygdala. They also found that a benzodiazepine drug (which reduces arousal of the autonomic nervous system) taken before decreased the activity of the amygdala and reduced the aggression.

Question 19

Counterargument for Charles Whitman

Answer 19

Charles Whitman also suffered childhood trauma (abuse from his father), was going through a number of stressful events (breakdown of his marriage and failing university), he was raised in a home with guns (so could have learned aggressive behaviour), and was on amphetamines. Internal validity weak as it isn’t possible to establish cause and effect between the amygdala and aggression.

Question 20

What is the link between testosterone and aggression?

Answer 20

higher levels of testosterone are related to aggressive behaviour.

Question 21

What is the link between progesterone and aggression?

Answer 21

Low levels of progesterone are linked to increased aggression in women.

Question 22

Strength of testosterone increasing aggression (criminals)

Answer 22

Dabbs et al. measured salivary testosterone in violent and non-violent criminals. Those with highest testosterone levels had a history of primarily violent crimes.

Question 23

Strength of progesterone decreasing aggression

Answer 23

Ziomkiewica et al. found a negative correlation between progesterone levels and self-reported aggression.

Question 24

What is the genetic theory of aggression?

Answer 24

The propensity for aggressive behaviour lies in a person’s genetic make-up i.e. offspring inherit aggression from their parents via genes.

Question 25

What does the MAOA gene do?

Answer 25

Produces MAOA enzyme

Question 26

What does the MAOA enzyme do?

Answer 26

Regulates the metabolism (breaking down of a neurotransmitter after a neural impulse has been transmitted from one neuron to another) of serotonin in the brain.

Question 27

Weakness of testosterone increasing aggression (study)

Answer 27

Carre and Mehta dual-hormone hypothesis. They claim that high levels of testosterone lead to aggressive behaviour, but only when cortisol levels (linked to stress) are low. When cortisol levels are high, testosterone’s influence on aggression is blocked.

Question 28

What are monozygotic twins?

Answer 28

Identical twins that share 100% of their genetic material

Question 29

What are dizygotic twins?

Answer 29

Non-identical (fraternal) that share 50% of their genetic material

Question 30

Weakness of supporting evidence of genetic factors aggression (twins)

Answer 30

Many twin and adoption studies have used ppts who have been convicted of violent crime. Convictions for violent crime are unrepresentative considering the violent attacks that never result in a conviction. Those classified as ‘violent’ on the basis of a court conviction are not necessarily the most serious, persistent offenders. Difficult to draw meaningful conclusions.

Question 31

How do twin studies work?

Answer 31

We would expect to find a higher concordance rate of aggressive behaviour in MZ twins than DZ twins as they share more DNA. A behaviour caused completely by genetic would have 100% concordance rate between MZ twins.

Question 32

Supporting evidence for genetic factors of aggression

Answer 32

Mertins et al. studied participants with low-activity and high-activity variants of the MAOA gene in a money-distributing game. Participants had to make decisions about whether or not to contribute money for the good of the group. The researchers found that males with the high-activity variant were more cooperative and made fewer aggressive moves than the low-activity participants.

Question 33

Supporting and undermining evidence for genetic factors of aggression. (study)

Answer 33

Caspi et al. studied 500 children. They discovered those variant of a gene associated with low levels of MAOA were significantly more likely to exhibit antisocial behaviour, but only if they had been maltreated as children. Children with high levels of MAOA who were maltreated, and those with low levels of MAOA who were not maltreated did not exhibit antisocial behaviour.

Question 34

What is ethology?

Answer 34

The study of animal behaviour in natural settings. The findings are then extrapolated to humans because we are all subject to the same forces of natural selection.

Question 35

What do ethological explanations suggest about aggression?

Answer 35

It is an innate behaviour (instinct) that is mostly genetically determined.

Question 36

Why is aggression adaptive?

Answer 36

It is beneficial for survival, and therefore the animal is alive to reproduce. The aggression is then passed down to the offspring via natural selection.

Question 37

What is ritualistic aggression?

Answer 37

A series of aggressive behaviours carried out in a set order. These tend to involve very little physical damage

Question 38

Why is ritualistic aggression adaptive?

Answer 38

Ritualistic signalling in the form of threat displays enables competitors to assess their relative strength before deciding to escalate a conflict. This intimidation should make an opponent back down, stopping dangerous physical aggression which ensuring the survival of the species.

Question 39

What did Lorenz say ritualistic aggression ends with?

Answer 39

Ritual appeasement displays which indicate acceptance of defeat e.g. wolves exposing their jugulars.

Question 40

Why are ritualistic appeasement displays adaptive?

Answer 40

In signalling defeat, it inhibits further aggression by the victor, preventing further damage or death of the loser, again ensuring the survival of the species.

Question 41

How is physical aggression adaptive (hierachy)?

Answer 41

Aggression establishes dominance hierarchies with the winners of conflicts climbing the social hierarchy. This increased status leads to other benefits which is adaptive such as access to resources (aiding survival) and mates (reproduction – so aggression is naturally selected).

Question 42

How is physical aggression adaptive (territory)?

Answer 42

A defeated animal usually establishes territory elsewhere so the winner has greater access to resources as there is less direct competition for things such as food. Therefore, aggression aids survival and so is naturally selected. It also spreads the members of a species out over a wider area, reducing the possibility of starvation for all.

Question 43

What are innate releasing methods?

Answer 43

A hard-wired networks of neurons in the brain that respond to an environmental stimulus (a sign or releaser such as a facial expression) by initiating a fixed action pattern.

Question 44

What is a fixed action pattern?

Answer 44

a set sequence of behaviours (in this case, aggression). These behaviours are stereotyped to occur only in specific conditions and do not require learning (i.e. they are innate).

Question 45

What are conspecifics?

Answer 45

Animals of the same species

Question 46

What is cuckoldry

Answer 46

Another man sleeping with a man’s romantic partner (female)

Question 47

What are male retention strategies?

Answer 47

Adaptive aggressive strategies that men employ to prevent their partners from ‘straying’ such as…
Direct guarding - male vigilance over their partners behaviour
Negative inducements - issuing threats of dire consequences for infidelity

Question 48

What are the six characteristics of fixed action patterns?

Answer 48

1. Stereotyped
2. Universal
3. Unaffected by learning
4. Ballistic
5. Single-purpose
6. Response to an identifiable specific sign stimulus

Question 49

What is the ‘stereotyped’ characteristic of FAP?

Answer 49

A relatively unchanging sequences of behaviours. E.G. swimming back and forth.

Question 50

What is the ‘universal’ characteristic of FAP?

Answer 50

The same behaviour is found in every individual of a species. E.g. all of that fish species do the same

Question 51

What is the ‘unaffected by learning’ characteristic of FAP?

Answer 51

They are the same for every individual regardless of experience. Fish attacks different fake fish twice

Question 52

What is the ‘ballistic’ characteristic of FAP?

Answer 52

Once the behaviour is triggered, it follows an inevitable course and cannot be altered before it is completed.

Question 53

What is the ‘single-purpose’ characteristic of FAP?

Answer 53

The behaviour only occurs in a specific situation and not in any other.

Question 54

What was the procedure of Tinbergen’s study?

Answer 54

He presented sticklebacks (fish) with a series of wooden models of different shapes, some with red spots on their underbelly and some without.

Question 55

What were the results of Tinbergen’s study?

Answer 55

Regardless of shape, if the model had a red spot the stickleback would aggressively display and even attack it. If there was no red spot, there was no aggression, even if the model looked realistically like a stickleback. These aggressive FAPs were unchanging from one encounter to another, and once triggered they always ran their course to completion.

Question 56

What was the conclusion of Tinbergen’s study?

Answer 56

There was a specific environmental stimulus (red spot) that would trigger the innate release mechanism. The fixed action patterns followed the 6 characteristics.

Question 57

Undermining evidence of ethological explanations.

social norms/ cultural bias

Answer 57

Nisbett found that there was a north-south divide in the United States for homicide rates with white men. In a lab study, Nisbett et al. found that when white males from the south were insulted in a research situation, they were more likely than northern white males to become aggressive. Aggression as a learned social norm (cultural bias) undermines innate explanation.

Question 58

Supporting evidence for ethological/genetic explanations of aggression

Answer 58

Brunner et al. (1993) found that the low-activity variant of the MAOA gene is closely associated with aggressive behaviours, suggesting an innate basis. There is evidence that there is an innate releasing mechanisms for aggression in the brain in humans and other animals from studies on the relationship between the limbic system and aggression.