Aggression Flashcards
1
Q
What is the limbic system?
A
area of the brain that plays a key role in emotional processing and is the main area of the brain associated with aggression
2
Q
What are the three parts of the limbic system?
A
cingulate gyrus, hypothalamus, amygdala
3
Q
What are studies into the amygdala?
A
- Gospic used fMRI brain scans to measure brain activity during a game designed to provoke aggression. Aggressive responses were correlated with increased activity in the amygdala. Further, participants who were given drugs that reduced amygdala activity were less aggressive
- Brain scans of convicted murderers by Raine found abnormalities in the amygdala (and other areas of the limbic system) compared to controls, which suggests their aggressive crimes may be partly explained by these abnormalities.
- Sumer described a case study of a girl who suffered from epileptic fits and displayed aggressive behaviour. Brain scans revealed she had a tumour in her limbic system. Doctors treated the tumour with drugs, which stopped both the seizures and aggressive behaviours.
4
Q
What is serotonin?
A
neurotransmitter associated with aggression. low serotonin levels increase aggression and reduce self-control
5
Q
How does serotonin work?
A
normal levels of serotonin in the orbitofrontal cortex are inhibitory and linked with reducing firing neurons = therefore greater self-control
6
Q
What are studies into serotonin?
A
- denson found decreased serotonin disturbs above mechanism, reduces self-control and increases impulsive behaviours, including aggression
- Virkkunen found that impulsive violent offenders in Finnish prisons had lower serotonin levels (as measured by 5-HIAA levels, a serotonin metabolite) compared to controls.
7
Q
What are the strengths of the neural mechanisms in aggression?
A
research into drugs - game with paroxetine and placebo
8
Q
What are the weaknesses of the neural mechanisms in aggression?
A
- ignores nurture - bandura’s bobo doll
- non-limbic systems also involved in aggression - orbitofrontal cortex
9
Q
What is testosterone?
A
- male sex hormone
- androgen produced by the leydig cells in the male testes and the adrenal cortex
10
Q
What is testosterone’s role?
A
high levels associated with high levels of aggression
11
Q
When is testosterone present?
A
- birth = alters formation of neural pathways such as inhibiting right hemisphere brain growth
- adulthood = testosterone modulates neurotransmitter pathways
- peak is around puberty and this is peak of aggression in boys
12
Q
How does testosterone work?
A
acts on a serotonergic synapse, lowing amount of neurotransmitter serotonin, low serotonin means more aggressive
13
Q
What is research into testosterone?
A
- dolan found a positive correlation between testosterone levels and aggressive behaviours in male offenders in a prison, both suffered from history of impulse and violent behaviours
- dabbs observed higher saliva levels in testosterone in saliva of violent criminals compared to non-violent criminals
14
Q
What are the strengths of the hormonal mechanisms in aggression?
A
- animal studies - castrated birds
15
Q
What are the weaknesses of the hormonal mechanisms in aggression?
A
- beta bias - studies results cannot be applied to females
- ignores nurture - bandura’s bobo doll
16
Q
What is research into twin studies?
A
- Coccaro analysed data from 182 pairs of identical twins and 118 pairs of non-identical twins. The concordance rate for physical violence was 50% among identical twins and 19% among non-identical twins.
- Christiansen analysed the concordance rates for criminal convictions (a proxy for aggression) among 3,586 pairs of twins. Among males, concordance rates were 35% for identical twins and 12% for non-identical twins. Among females, the concordance rates were 21% for identical twins and 8% for non-identical twins.
- The higher concordance rates for aggression and criminality among identical twins than non-identical twins suggests there is a genetic component to aggression.
17
Q
What is research into adoption studies?
A
Rhee and Waldman formulated a meta-analysis of adoption studies and found genetic influences accounted for 41% of the variance in aggression, suggesting it does have a significant impact.
18
Q
What is the gene associated with aggression?
A
MAOA (monoamine oxidase A)
19
Q
How does the MAOA gene work?
A
- Before birth = Low activity MAOA means less enzymes breaking down serotonin in the synapse
- This means too much serotonin in the synapse (as it is not broken down)
- Therefore serotonin synapses get overloaded with serotonin and get damaged (like a speaker being blown if music always played to highest volume)
- This means less serotonin makes it through to the postsynaptic neuron
- Therefore the person has low serotonin and is less likely to be able to control impulses.
20
Q
What is a study into the MAOA gene?
A
Brunner (1993)
- Studied 28 male members of a large Dutch family repeatedly involved in impulsively aggressive violent criminal behaviours (e.g rape, attempted murder, assault)
- These men had both abnormally low levels of MAOA in their brains and the low-activity version of the MAOA gene.
Stuart
- Studied 97 men from a treatment programme for domestic abusers, who had inflicted a form of aggression called intimate partner violence (IPV).
- Men with the low activity MAOA gene were the most violent perpetrators of IPV – engaged in the greatest psychological and physical aggression and inflicted the worst injuries on partners.
21
Q
What are the strengths of genetic factors in aggression?
A
- Research support = money distributing game
22
Q
What are the weaknesses of genetic factors in aggression?
A
- Ignores role of nurture
- Twin studies not valid as twins don’t share same environment
23
Q
What is an ethological explanation?
A
innate behaviour of animals by studying them in their natural environment
24
Q
What is the function of aggression?
A
adaptive - beneficial to survive.
1. reduces competition
2. establishes dominance
25
What is a ritual?
series of behaviours carried out in a set order
26
What is ritualistic signalling?
signalling that you want to fight. e.g. displaying claws and teeth
27
What is a ritual appeasement display?
indicate acceptance of defeat e.g. dogs show their tummies
28
What is an innate releasing mechanism?
inbuilt psychological process, for instance a structure of neurons. an environmental stimulus triggers the IRM which then releases a specific sequence of behaviours
29
What is a fixed action pattern?
the behavioural sequence which is triggered
30
What are the six characteristics of a fixed action pattern?
BUUSSS
1. ballistic - once behaviour is triggered it follows inevitable course
2. universal - behaviour found in every individual of species
3. unaffected by learning - same for every individual regardless of experience
4. stereotyped
5. single purpose - behaviour only occurs in a specific situation
6. specific stimulus
31
What was Tinbergen's research on?
male stickleback fish
32
Outline of Tinbergen's research?
- During the mating season, male sticklebacks build nests where females lay eggs
- (Male sticklebacks also develop red bellies during this time)
- If another male enters their territory, the stickleback will attack it
- When Tinbergen presented male sticklebacks with models of fish with red bellies (even when the model was not realistic looking), they all responded with the same fixed action pattern of fighting behaviour.
- The universal nature of this behaviour suggests the fixed action pattern is innate.
33
What are the strengths of the ethological explanation of aggression?
- supporting evidence - brunner found low activity MAOA gene linked with aggressive behaviour
34
What are the weaknesses of the ethological explanation of aggression?
- ignores nurture
- theory doesn't apply to humans
35
What is the evolutionary explanation of sexual jealousy?
major motivator for aggressive behaviour because, unlike women, men can never be totally sure about whether or not they have truly fathered a child
36
What is cuckoldry and why is it an issue?
having to raise offspring that is not their own. any investment in offspring that don't have the male's genes is a waste of resources, contributes to survival of rival's genes
37
What are male retention strategies?
psychological mechanisms have evolved to increase anti-cuckoldry - adaptive strategies
38
What are the two male retention strategies?
direct guarding = involves male vigilance over a partner's behaviour e.g. checking who they have been seeing, checking partner's phone, coming home early
negative inducements = such as issuing threats of dire consequences for infidelity e.g. 'i will kill myself if you leave me'
39
What is the study for male retention strategies?
wilson found women who reported MRS were twice as likely to have suffered physical violence from them, 73% required medical attention, 53% said they feared for their life
40
What is the evolutionary explanation of bullying?
bullying occurs because of a power imbalance - a more powerful individual uses aggression deliberately and repeatedly against a weaker person. bullying naturally selected for as there is greater reproductive success
41
What is male bullying?
volk argues the characteristics associated with bullying are attractive to females - dominance, strength and acquisition of resources.
bullying increases health as those at top of dominance hierarchy experience less stress
42
What is female bullying?
women use bullying to secure partner's infidelity, which means they continue to provide resources to future offspring.
43
What are the strengths of the evolutionary explanation of aggression?
- research support - shackleford study
- can explain gender differences, women for verbally aggressive
44
What are the weaknesses of the evolutionary explanation of aggression?
- ignores nurture - bandura
45
What are the 4 mediational processes in aggression?
Attention, retention, reproduction, motivation (apply to aggressive scenario!)
46
What is identification?
people are more likely to imitate aggressive behaviour of role models they identify with.
47
What is self-efficacy?
extent to which we believe our actions will achieve our desired goal, develops with successful outcome. aggression has worked in the psst, so children are confident it will work in the future.
48
Who studied social learning theory of aggression?
Bandura!
49
What are the strengths of the social learning theory explanation of aggression?
- research support from aggressive 9-12 year old boys
- can help reduce aggression by rewarding non-aggressive individuals
50
What are the weaknesses of the social learning theory explanation of aggression?
- underestimates influence of biological factors
51
What is the frustration-aggression hypothesis?
aggression is always a consequence of frustration and frustration always leads to some form of aggression
52
What is an aggressive drive?
we experience frustration when our attempts to reach a goal are blocked by an external factor, leading to an aggressive drive
53
What is catharsis?
engage in aggressive behaviour to remove the negative emotion
54
Why is aggression not always expressed directly against the source of frustration?
- cause of frustration may be abstract
- cause may be too powerful and we risk punishment
- cause may be unavailable at the time
so aggression is displaced!
55
What was Geen's study?
investigation into how frustration affects aggression
56
What was the procedure of Geen's study?
male uni students were given task to complete a task. their level of frustration was experimentally manipulated in one of three ways:
1. puzzle was impossible
2. ran out of time because a confederate kept interfering
3. confederate insulted the pp as they failed to solve the puzzle
57
What were the findings of Geen's study?
all three groups selected more intense shocks than a control group
58
What is the weapon's effect?
berkowitz said presence of aggressive environmental cues stimulates aggression
59
What is the weapon's effect study?
participants were given real electric shocks by a confederate. then when they had opportunity to give shocks to confederate the number of shocks was greater when there was two guns on the table compared to no guns
60
What are the strengths of the frustration-aggression hypothesis?
- research support - meta-analysis of displacement
61
What are the weaknesses of the frustration-aggression hypothesis?
- ignores nature - brunner dutch family study
- may not be cathartic - hitting punching bag made them more aggressive
62
What is de-individuation?
when people, as part of a relatively anonymous group, lose their personal identity and take on identity of the group
63
What did Zimbardo say?
distinguished between individuated and de-individuated behaviour.
64
What is an individuated state?
rational, normative, conform to social norms
65
What is an de-individuated state?
emotional, impulsive, irrational, disinhibited and anti-normative, lose self-awareness, stop monitoring own behaviour, ignore social norms
66
What conditions increase likelihood of de-individuation?
- darkness
- drugs
- alcohol
- uniforms
- masks
- disguises
67
How can anonymity impact de-individuaton?
dixon and mahendran state 'anonymity shapes crowd behaviour.' we have less fear of retribution because we are a small and unidentifiable part of a faceless crowd. bigger the crowd, more anonymous we are
68
What are the two types of self-awareness?
- private self awareness = how we pay attention to our own feelings and behaviour. attention goes to people around us and we pay less attention to our own beliefs and feelings. we are less self-critical, less thoughtful and less evaluative, leading to de-individuated state
- public self awareness = how much we care about what other people think of our behaviour and this is also reduced in crowds. we feel anonymous and that our behaviour is less likely to be judged. no longer care how others see us, so we become less accountable for our aggressive and destructive actions
69
What are the strengths of the deindividuation explanation?
- research support from online chat rooms
- research support from crowds - suicide jumpers
70
What are the weaknesses of the deindividuation explanation?
ignores nature
71
What are the two explanations of aggression in prisons?
1. dispositional = importation model
2. situational = deprivation model
72
What is the importation model?
argues prisoners bring into prison their own beliefs, values, norms and attitudes, a history of learning experiences as well as other personal characteristics such as gender, race and class.
73
What did Thomas and McManimon say?
'people who prey on others on the streets also prey on others in prison.' inmates import such behaviours in a frightening and unfamiliar prison environment in which existing inmates use aggression to establish power, status, influence and access to resources
74
What was the procedure of DeLisi's research into the importation model?
- studied group of juvenile offenders in California who had negative backrounds
75
What was the findings of DeLisi's research into the importation model?
- individuals were importing these characteristics into prison
- compared to control group they were more likely to engage in suicide, sexual misconduct, acts of physical aggression
76
What is the deprivation model?
places causes of institutional aggression within prison environment itself, harsh prison conditions are stress so cope by resorting to aggressive behaviour
77
What are the environmental factors within a prison that lead to aggression?
- loss of freedom
- no independence
- lack of safety
- limited access to good
- heterosexual intimacy
78
How does prison regime affect aggression?
unpredictable and regularly uses 'lock ups' to control behaviour, then this creates frustration and reduces stimulation by barring more interesting activities. this can result in violence which is an adaptive solution to the problem of deprivation
79
What was procedure of Steiner's study?
inmate on inmate violence in 512 US prisons
80
What was findings of Steiner's study?
was more common in prisons with: women staff, overcrowding and inmates in protective custody
81
What are the strengths of institutional aggression in prisons?
research support for importation model - no difference in aggression for low or high security prisons
82
What are the weaknesses of institutional aggression in prisons?
- importation model ignores key factors - like how prison is run
- research contradicts deprivation model - conjugal visits made no difference
83
What are the three main methods to study media influences on aggression (computer games?)
experimental studies = short term effects
correlational studies = look at real life
longitudinal = long term
84
What is the experimental study?
bartholow and anderson has students play a violent or non-violent computer game. pp's carried out 'Taylor Competitive Reaction Time Task' where the students would burst white noise at chosen volumes to punish a component. violent game = higher white noise levels
85
What is the correlational study?
delisi studied 227 juvenile offenders, all with a history of aggressive behaviour. using structured interviews, gathered data on several measures of aggression and violet computer game playing. found correlation between aggression and time spent on violent games.
86
What is the longitudinal study?
robertson studied 1037 people in NZ in 1972 and 1973 and measured TV viewing hours up to age 26. found time watching TV was predictor of aggressive behaviour in adulthood. those who watched most TV were most likely to have antisocial personality disorder.
87
What are the strengths of computer games on aggression?
can be explained using SLT
88
What are the weaknesses of computer games on aggression?
- dependent variable is different
- methodological weaknesses
89
What is desensitisation?
reduced sensitivity to a stimulus. this may be psychological or physiological. this reduced response may make behaviour such as aggression more likely
90
What happens when we witness violent actions?
experience psychological arousal associated with the sympathetic nervous system. e.g. increased heart rate, high blood pressure, sweating
91
How does this change when we repeatedly view aggression?
when children repeatedly view aggression on TV or play violent video games, they become habituated to its effects. this means witnessing a violent stimulus, would result in a reduction of anxiety and psychological arousal.
92
What did Funk find?
repeated exposure to violent media promotes a belief that using aggression as a method of resolving conflict is socially acceptable. negative attitudes towards violence weaken, less empathy is felt for victims, and their injuries are minimised.
93
What did Weisz and Earls find?
showed pp's a feature film called straw dogs with a graphic scene of rape and then had to watch re-enactment of rape trial. compared to non-sexual film group, straw dogs viewers showed greater acceptance of rape myths and sexual aggression. experienced less sympathy towards the rape victim and less likely to find defendant guilty.
94
What is disinhibition?
a lack of restraint. may be due to environmental triggers or overexposure to a stimulus, resulting in socially unacceptable behaviours becoming acceptable and therefore more likely.
95
What do most people believe about aggression?
antisocial and harmful. normally we have social and psychological inhibitions against using aggression to resolve interpersonal conflicts. these are explained by social learning theory
96
What does the disinhibition theory state?
these usual constraints are loosened after exposure to violent media. aggression is portrayed as justified, normative and socially sanctioned. rewarded and consequences are minimised or ignored. this creates new social norms surrounding aggression for the viewer.
97
What is cognitive priming?
the way a person thinks is triggered by 'scripts' which make us ready to respond in specific ways
98
How to link cognitive priming with aggression?
repeated viewing of aggressive media, especially game playing, can provide us with a 'script' about how violent situations may 'play out'
99
What does Huesmann believe?
script is stored in our memory, and so we become 'ready' or primed to be aggressive. process is automatic. script is triggered when we encounter a situation which we perceive to be aggressive.
100
What did Fischer and Greitemeyer find?
men listened to songs featuring derogatory lyrics about women. compared to men with neutral lyrics. participants recalled more negative lyrics about women and behaved more aggressively to female confederate.
101
What are the strengths of media influences on aggression?
- desensitisation research support - skin conductance
- disinhibition explains cartoon violence
102
What are the weaknesses of media influences on aggression?
- cognitive priming has confounding variables - complexity of game
