aggression Flashcards
what is the limbic system
a network of subcortical structures in the brain closely involved in regulating emotional behaviours
what does the limbic system connect the brain stem to
the cortex
what does the amygdala connect to
cingulate gyrus
what is the function of the cingulate gyrus
focuses attention on emotionally significant events
what is the function of the prefrontal cortex
planning and anticipation of rewards
what is the amygdala responsible for
evaluating the emotional importance of sensory info
what did panksepp discover
if certain areas of the amygdala are stimulated electrically, an animal responds with aggression and aapts aggressive postures
what did kluver and bucy discover
if the same areas of amygdala are surgically removed, animals no longer responds to stimuli of rage. destruction of amygdala in monkey dominant in social group loses its dominance in group
what did katarina gospic et al conduct
a lab experiment of assessing aggression through the ultimatum game
what did researchers find from the ultimatum game
as responders rejected the offers, scans revealed fast and heightened responses in amygdala
how were the brains scanned for the responders
fMRI
what is benzodiazepine
a chemical that reduces the arousal of the autonomic nervous system
what is the effect of benzodiazepine
halves the number of rejections and decreases activity of amygdala
- association of reactive aggression and activity of amygdala
what is the case study of charles whitman
shot people dead randomly whilst installing himself on a uni campus
- post mortem showed a large tumour on amygdala
what is serotonin
a neurotransmitter
what is the primary role of serotonin
carries electrical impulses around brains’ network of neurones
what effect does serotonin have
causes a calm, inhibitory effect
what are normal amounts of serotonin in the OFC linked with
reduced firing of neurones, behavioural self control
how does serotonin reduce aggressive behaviour
inhibits responses to emotional stimuli
what did raleigh et al study
studied vervet monkeys and use diets to manipulate level of serotonin
what was the effect of tryptophan
as it increases serotonin, decreases level of aggression
what is testosterone
an androgen
what effect does early exposure of testosterone have
causes a permanent change to brain development
which gender is more aggressive
men are generally universally more aggressive (10x) than women
what is the result of high testosterone concentrations
increase in male aggressive behaviour
how have ethical issues been questioned in hormonal mechanisms
animal studies: mice have been castrated, reducing testosterone
mice injected with testosterone, aggression levels return to pre-castration levels
what is the effect of testosterone
reduced serotonergic activity and leads to aggressive behaviour
what is the role of cortisol
plays a role in aggressive behaviour indirectly
what is the effect of cortisol
inhibits action of testosterone and reduces aggression
what did dabbs study
testosterone levels using saliva samples from 692 male prisoners
what were the results of dabbs study
higher levels of testosterone in rapists and violent offenders
what methods are used to investigate the MAOA gene
twin studies, adoption studies
how much genes does monozygotic twins share
100%
how much genes des dizygotic twins share
50%
what is concordance
an agreement between both monozygotic and dizygotic twins
why is concordance rates used
to assess hereditability of given behaviours
how can we draw conclusions from concordance rates
comparing the concordance rates between monozygotic and dizygotic twins
what does it mean if there is more agreement/concordance in monozygotic twins
the trait is largely genetic
what does it mean if the concordance rates are fairly similar between monozygotic and dizygotic twins
trait is largely environmental
what does MAOA stand for
monoamine oxidase a
what is MAOA
an enzyme
what is the role of MAOA
mopping up neurotransmitters by breaking down neurotransmitters
what does a dysfunction of the MAOA gene lead to
abnormal activity of the MAOA enzyme, leading up to a build up of neurotransmitters causing aggression
what are the variants of the MAOA gene
MAOA-L and MAOA-H
what does the MAOA-L gene lead to
lack of sensitivity to serotonin, leads to lack of inhibition of impulsive behaviour
what is the effect of high dopamine
increased feelings of rewards from aggression
what is the effect of high noradrenaline
overreaction of perceived threats
where is the MAOA-L gene most common
in populations with a history of war
why may the MAOA-L gene be inherited
adaptive for survival in war-torn countries
what biological evidence is there to show that the MAOA-L gene is more common in men
the gene is carried on the X chromosone and as they only have one, the effects are easier to see and there is a higher chance of it being faulty
what may be a benefit of the MAOA-L gene
is a predisposition to taking risks
what is ethology
the study of innate animal behaviours in their natural setting
what is a key element of an ethological explanation
aggression is an innate instinct
what is the ethological main function of aggression
it is adaptive and beneficial for survival
why is aggression beneficial for survival
the defeated animal is forced to establish territory somewhere else
- reduces competition pressure
what is the second adaptive function of aggression
establishes dominance hierarchies
- male chimpanzees uses aggression to climb the social hierarchy
what is the third adaptive function of aggression
aggression is ritualistic
what do intra species aggressive confrontations end with
ritual appeasement displays
what does ritual appeasement displays indicate
acceptance of defeat and inhibiting aggressive behaviours
why are ritual appeasement displays adaptive
if every aggressive encounter ended in death, this would threaten the existence of species
why are ritual threat displays important for contestants
assesses their relative strength
what is the innate releasing mechanism
specifical neural circuits hardwired into the brain monitoring the drive for aggression
what is the role of the innate releasing mechanism
drive builds up and needs to be satisfied by aggression
what is a fixed action pattern
sequence of behaviours throughout the species
why are fixed action patterns adaptive
increase evolutionary fitness
what occurs if the environmental stimulus triggers the IRM
releases a specific sequence of behaviours like a FAP
what are the six main features of the FAP
- ballistic
- universal
- stereotyped
- single purpose
- innate
- specific
what is tinbergen’s study
models of male and female sticklebacks
- no red spot, no aggression
- FAPs unchanging from one encounter to another
what does the evolutionary expression for aggression suggest
natural selection
- better survival for competitive environments
- improving survival and reproductive success
what is the reason for men being aggressive to other men
displays attributes and showing off to females to protect offspring
what is sexual jealousy
major cause of aggression for males as a fear of cuckoldry and parent uncertainty
what is cuckoldry
raising offspring that are not their own
what does any investment in the offspring that do not share the male genes lead to
waste of resources and survival of a rival’s genes
what does sexual jealousy lead to in terms of aggression
it increases aggression
how many murders were accounted for in the UK due to sexual jealousy
17%
what male aggression strategies were used to avoid cuckoldry
direct guarding and negative inducements
who devised the male aggression strategies
daly and wilson
what is direct guarding
male vigilance and coercive control over a partner’s behaviour e.g. coming home earlier to see what they’re doing
what is negative inducement
issuing threats of dire consequences for infidelity
what was found in wilson’s research for male retention strategies
women reporting male retention strategies twice as likely to suffer physical violence
what was found in shackleford’s research for male retention strategies
male retention inventory and spouse influence report: positive correlation between men’s and women’s reports of physical violence
what does bullying traditionally seen as maladaptive survival lead to
increase of survival
what does males warding off potential rivals lead to
more access of females
where does female bullying take place
within a relationship to secure their fidelity
what does female bullying ultimately lead to
enhanced reproductive success
who developed the frustration aggression hypothesis
dollard et al
what was the suggestion for the frustration aggression hypothesis
aggression is always the result of frustration
frustration leads to aggression
what is the definition of frustration
the feeling experienced when trying to achieve something
what psychodynamic concept is based on the frustration aggression hypothesis
catharsis
what is the view of aggression through catharsis
a psychological drive similar to biological drives like hunger
what is the process of catharsis
frustration -> aggressive drives -> aggressive behaviours
how are aggressive behaviours cathartic to individuals
form of emotional release as aggression created is satisfied, making aggression less likely
what are the three reasons aggression is driven by other factors other than frustration
- is abstract
- is powerful and risks punishment
- unavailable
which individuals are aggressive behaviours displaced onto
individuals that are not abstract, weaker and available e.g. an inanimate object or a younger sibling
what was the procedure of geen’s study
male uni student given task of completing jigsaw puzzles
manipulated in three ways
1. impossible tosolve
2. running out of time as another student was interfering
3. confederate insulting participant as they failed to complete it
next part involved giving electric shocks to confederate when they make a mistake
what were the results of geen’s study
- insulted participants gave strongest shocks on average
- all three groups more intense shocks than a non frustrated control group
what were the conclusions of geen’s experiment
task was not possible and prevented them from achieving their goal
displaced their aggression onto confederate
what is the social learning theory explanation of aggression
environmental influences underpin aggressive behaviours
what did bandura suggest about aggression as its explanation
is learnt indirectly via observations and imitations
through observing aggressive models, what does this result in the child
child works out how an aggressive behaviour is performed
how will the child learn to become aggressive
vicarious reinforcement and punishment
- reinforcment: aggression being effective, can get what they want
- punishment: is the achievement of the goal is punished, child observing less likely to imitate specific behaviour
what are the 4 cognitive mediating factors to determine imitation of behaviours
- attention: increase in attention leads to increase aggression. pay more attention when model is more colourful and like you
- retention: retain what is paid attention to. in form of mental images and verbal descriptions and storing those. emotion evoked increases aggression
- reproduction: translate images into actual behaviours. can only be done if capable of the skills
- motivation: not doing anything unless motivated to imitate
what are the effect of individual differences for aggression
they may not be happy partaking in the aggressive act
what is self efficacy
knowing your own abilities and being confident in them
what will the individual feel like if their aggressive behaviour has not proved successful in the past
less confidence in ability to use aggression
how will the child’s sense of self efficacy develop
through every successful outcome
what was the procedure of bandura, ross and ross’s experiment
-36 boys and 36 girls
- one control group and other groups divided into 6
- brought to experimental room individually and invited to play a game
- two conditions: aggressive and non aggressive
- aggressive condition: punching the bobo doll and using verbal aggression too
- non aggressive condition: ignoring bobo doll and playing quietly with other toys
- mild aggression condition: playing with the toys, no longer told to play anymore. designed to raise arousal of aggression
- participant observed via two way mirrors
what were the findings of bandura, ross and ross’s experiment
- larger amount of aggression observed in children from aggressive condition
- 70% of non aggressive and control- no aggressive behaviour
- verbal aggression higher in girls when having a female role model
what was the conclusion of bandura, ross and ross’s experiment
observing aggressive role models leads to children imitating aggression as they found more aggressive acts in the aggressive conditions
what is deindividuation
when an individual loses their personal identity and takes on identity of social groups
who formed the term of deindividuation
gustave le bon
when is aggression more likely to occur
when an individual loses their sense of identity
what occurs as the responsibility becomes shared throughout crowds
losing sense of individual self identity and individual responsibility
what is an example of deindividuation
football fans- may not show any aggression for rest of the week, losing identity temporarily
what did zimbardo find in deindividuation
individuated behaviour = rational, normative
deindividuated behaviour = emotional, impulsive, irrational, anti normative, disinhibited
what was found as the individuals are in a deindividuated state
loss of self awareness, ignoring social norms and living for the moment
what are the conditions of deindividuation that promote aggressive behaviour
darkness, drugs, alcohol and uniforms
what is the impact of anonymity in deindividuation
less fear of retribution, bigger crowd- more anonymous we are with fewer opportunities
what did prentice dunn and rogers find
the two types of self awareness- private and public self awareness
what is private self awareness
how we pay attention to our own feelings and behaviour
being less self critical and evaluative, fosters a deindividuated state
what is public self awareness
how much we care about what other people think of our behaviour
anonymous and less likely to be judged by others
what are the two main theories to why aggression occurs in prisons
the situational and dispositional model
what is institutional aggression
aggressive acts within an institution like a prison
who developed the importation model
irwin and cressey
what does the dispositional model focus on
the characteristics of the prisoners
what do prisoners state that their violent behaviours source from
genetics, testosterone and serotonin levels
why do the prisoners import such aggressive behaviours
negotiation of the frightening experience of the prison environment to establish power, status and influence
what are prisoners not ……. when they enter prison
they are not blank slates
what is an example of a normative system imported into the prison
addiction to substances like alcohol and drugs as they exacerbate aggressive behaviour
what is street culture also known as
‘code of the streets’
what are the ‘codes of the streets’
a set of informal rules
what does the ‘code of the street’ define
how some individuals behave particularly in relation to gang membership
what did drury and delisi study
1000 inmates in usa - found that being in a gang prior to prison had increased aggression levels and misconduct in prison
- suggests that gang membership values are imported into prisons
what did kane and janus study
history of offenders
- if prisoners had other factors involved e.g. low education, more serious criminal record and likely to be more aggressive
- violence imported due to offender’s previous experience
what does the situational explanations focus on
the conditions and deprivation of the prison setting
what does sykes state about the prison
that harsh and oppressive prison conditions are stressful for inmates and therefore they resort to aggressive behaviours
what are the 5 types of deprivation that can influence behaviour
- deprivation of freedom
- deprivation of independence and autonomy
- deprivation of goods and services
- deprivation of safety
- deprivation of heterosexual intimacy
how does the nature of prisons influence aggression
it is unpredictable and confined so creates frustration for the individual
- aggression becomes adaptive
why has prison overcrowding lead to increased levels of aggression
greater competition for resources
what did blomberg and lucken find
lack of autonomy can lead to aggression
- having to seek permission led to frustration and ultimately, aggression
what are examples of media influences that influence aggression
tv shows and computer games
what are the 4 types of studies that influence aggression
experimental, correlational, longitudinal and meta analysis
who conducted the experimental studies for media influences
bartholow and anderson
what were the two conditions in experimental studies
violent (mortal kombat) and non violent game (tournament golf)
what laboratory measure was used for experimental studies
TCRTT (taylor competitive reaction time task)
what did the students deliver sounds of in experimental studies
blasts of white noise by controlling volumes to punish opponent
what were the findings for experimental studies
those who played violent game selected higher noise levels
who conducted correlational studies
de lisi et al
who did delisi study in his correlational study
227 juvenile offenders
what was a common feature of the juvenile prisoners in the correlational studies
they all have histories of serious aggressive behaviours like hitting a teacher
what type of interview was used for correlational studies
structured interviews
what were the findings of the correlational study
offender’s aggressive behaviours correlate with how often it is played and how much it is enjoyed
what did researchers argue about the link in correlational studies
aggression should be considered as a health issue and computer game violence is a significant risk factor
who conducted the longitudinal study for media influences
robertson et al
what were the links studied for longitudinal studies
television viewing in childhood and aggression in adulthood
how many people were studied in the longitudinal study
1037: in new zealand
what were individuals that spent most time watching tv diagnosed with
antisocial personality disorder and aggression
who conducted the meta analysis study for media influences
anderson et al: 136 studies conducted
what was exposure to violent computer games associated with
behaviours, thoughts and feelings
what is the role of desensitisation in media influences
repeated exposures reduces levels of physiological and psychological arousal
name examples of physiological arousal in terms of aggression
increased heart rate, greater sweat activity
what does repeated exposure lead to psychologically in desensitisation
resolving conflicts become socially acceptable
what did weisz and earls state
film: straw dogs - scenes of rape
showed greater acceptance of sexual aggression
less likely to find defendant guilty
similar studies used galvanic skin responses
how is accepting the harm of others learnt in disinhibition
through social transmission
how are the usual restraints for disinhibition loosened after exposure to violent media
if it is normative, if portrayals minimise effects of violence and if justified
what was the procedure of berkowitz and alioto
film depicting aggression as vengeance
fake electric shocks
adds validity to concept
what is cognitive priming
being exposed to cues on television
what is a script
a predicted overview
what are the impact of scripts
shows how violent situations play out and when triggered, primes to be aggressive
what was the procedure of fischer and greitemeyer
male participants listened to derogatory lyrics about women
recalled more negative qualities and behaved more aggressively
also replicated with female participants
what was the procedure of murray et al
fmri brain scans
watch violent and non violent behaviours
increased activity in brain areas
