Aggression Flashcards
1
Q
Limbic system
A
- comprised of subcortical structure in the brain, including the hypothalamus and amygdala
- involved in the processing of emotional responses and behaviour regulation
2
Q
Amygdala
A
- the most important factor in aggression, nicknamed the aggression centre
- stimulation of cat amygdala led to snarling and aggressive posture even with no threat present
- lesioning/subduing of the amygdala led to no response to anger provoking stimuli/fear
3
Q
Kluver and Bucy (1937)
A
- removed the amygdala and part of temporal lobes in the dominant monkeys of a hierarchy
- when challenged by other monkeys they didn’t fight back and ended up being demoted
- they also became hypersexual and perved on the female monkeys
4
Q
Gospic et Al (2011)
A
- discovered that amygdala activity increased in response to a game in which ppts had to decide how to split money with a confederate
- if both agree to share the money, it is split between them but if they ppt refused the offer, they both left with nothing
- more activity was seen in the amygdala via fMRI when the confederate made an unfair offer
- taking benzos (which reduce amygdala activity) lowered aggression by half
5
Q
Charles Whitman case study (the Texas Sniper)
A
- murdered his wife and his mother and then shot 45 people, killing 13.
- in his suicide note he requested an autopsy as he couldn’t pinpoint the reason for why he felt the way he did
- the post-mortem of his brain found a tumour the size of a walnut pressing on his amygdala
- it’s thought that this was the cause of his sudden extreme violence
6
Q
The serotonin deficiency hypothesis
A
- serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter
- low levels of serotonin have been associated with impulsive and aggressive behaviour
- serotonin normally has an inhibitory effect on the brain, so when it is lacking the amygdala is more active when stimulated by external events, making people more likely to act on their impulses and making aggression more likely
7
Q
Role of testosterone
A
- thought to increase levels of aggression from young adulthood onwards.
- plays an important role in the arousal of areas of the brain that control behavioral reactions, such as the amygdala and the hypothalamus.
- high levels of testosterone seem to affect serotonergic synapses and lower the amount of serotonin available
8
Q
Kreuz and Rose (1972)
A
- studied the correlation between testosterone levels, aggressive behaviours in prison and criminal history in 21 young white male prisoners.
- found that the group with more violent criminal histories had significantly higher testosterone levels compared to the group without violent criminal histories.
9
Q
MAOA gene
A
- found in 1 in 3 people in the X chromosome (inherited from the mother)
- having the mutant gene can lead to insensitivity to serotonin and the loss of the calming effect it has –> impulsivity and aggressive behaviour
- also associated with decreased volume and activity in the limbic system and therefore less regulation of aggressive behaviour
10
Q
Brunner et Al
A
- studied a large Dutch family in which all males had both a criminal record and the MAOA-L variant. They were also all retarded with low IQs
- they reacted aggressively when angry, fearful, or frustrated – suggesting that abnormal MAOA activity is associated with aggression
11
Q
AO3 Brunner et Al
A
- all male sample size and all from Holland
- they were all from the same family which means that the nature/nurture debate comes in
12
Q
Moffitt et Al
A
- longitudinal study on 442 Kiwi males from 0-26 years
- they recorded which ppts as children suffered abuse and what level of activity of the MAOA gene the ppts had
- found that those had suffered abuse and had the MAOA-L mutant of the gene were 9 times more likely to show aggression
- ppts that suffered abuse but had the MAOA-H gene were no more likely than those who didn’t suffer abuse to show antisocial behaviour
- shows that MAOA gene is involved in aggressive behaviour, but is sensitive to social experiences early in development
13
Q
AO3 Moffitt et Al
A
- shows that the MAOA gene variant has no effect, but if males who carry it were abused as children, there is a greatly increased chance of them committing violent crime.
- better to take an interactionist approach when explaining aggression
- being a longitudinal study means that there are many uncontrolled variables
14
Q
Ethology
A
the study of animal behaviour in natural settings
15
Q
What do ethologists say about aggression?
A
- Lorenz, the founder of ethology defined aggression as “the fighting instinct in beast and man which is directed against members of the same species”.
- aggression is an innate instinct which occurs in all members of a species without having to be learnt
- it is mostly genetically determined
16
Q
Innate releasing mechanism
A
a biological structure or process in the brain which is activated by an external stimulus that in turn triggers a fixed action pattern
17
Q
Fixed action pattern
A
a sequence of stereotyped pre-programmed behaviours triggers by an innate releasing mechanism
18
Q
FAPs are SUUBSS (mneumonic)
A
Stereotyped (unchanging sequence of behaviour)
Universal (found in every animal of that species)
Unaffected (by learning or individual experiences)
Ballistic (once the behaviour is triggered, it follows a predicted course and cannot be altered before it is complete)
Single purpose (only occurs in a specific situation)
Specific stimulus (occurs in response to a specific stimulus or signal)
19
Q
Tinbergen (1947)
A
- investigated the territorial and aggressive male stickleback fish
- in the mating season they develop a red spot on their underside
- tinbergen observed that at this time, male sticklebacks will attack another male stickleback that enters their territory
- the red spot on their underside acted as an innate releasing mechanism - when one stickleback observed another stickleback with this red spot they would initiate the aggressive attack behaviour (FAP)
- he presented male sticklebacks with a wooden model; if the wooden model had a red spot, then the male stickleback would attack
- no red underbelly = no aggression
20
Q
Goodall (2010)
A
- the ethological explanation of aggression claims that species have instinctive inhibitions that prevent them from killing other members of their species as this doesn’t serve the survival of their species, but this isn’t always the case
- primatologist Goodall observed a chimpanzee war in which the two opposing tribes slaughtered each other
- shows that aggression is real rather than ritualistic like the ethological explanation claims
21
Q
Nisbett (1996)
A
- found in a lab experiment that when white South American males were insulted, they were more likely to respond aggressively than white North American males under the same conditions
- this shows that FAPs are not ‘universal’, and that culture differences can have an effect
22
Q
AO3 Ethological explanation
A
- biologically reductionist
- based on animal research so questionable if we can generalise to humans
+ research support (Tinbergen) - alternative explanations, eg. MAOA gene and F-A hypothesis
23
Q
Frustration-aggression hypothesis
A
- Dollard et Al. argued that anger, hostility, and violence is always the outcome when we are prevented from reaching our goals
- based on the psychodynamic concept of catharsis: aggression is a biological ‘drive’ from the id that happens when we are prevented from achieving our goals
24
Q
Our frustration increases when…
A
- our motivation to reach a goal is very strong
- we expect gratification
- there is nothing we can do about it
25
Q
Brown et Al (2001)
A
- surveyed British holidaymakers who were prevented from travelling by ferry to France because French fishing boats blocked the way
- found an increase in hostile attitudes toward the French because of passengers’ frustration
