aggression Flashcards

(60 cards)

1
Q

biological explanations of aggression

A

genetic influence
limbic system
testosterone
serotonin

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2
Q

genetic influence

A

species selectively bread to give aggressive individuals

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3
Q

which is a specie selectively bread to be aggressive in past

A

doberman guard dogs

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4
Q

research on genetic influence

A

3586 pair of twins (born between 1881 and 1910

  • 926 had criminal activity
  • in males mz:21% concordance dz:12%
  • in females mz:12% dz:8%
  • there is a genetic factor, not 100% other factors
  • mz treated mor alike
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5
Q

specific gene causing aggression

A

MAOA gene

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6
Q

what does MAOA stands for

A

monoamine oxidase A (enzyme)

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7
Q

outline MAOA

A

enzyme processes neurotransmitters
MAOA gene controls MAOA (enzyme) production
-low levels of MAOA (and therefore serotonin) linked to aggressive behaviour

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8
Q

who did discover the MAOA gene influence, how

A

brunner et all in a dutch family during a research

  • several male showed impulsive aggression and violent crime
  • a fault in MAOA gene was identified and wasn’t present in other family members
  • they were deficient in MAOA
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9
Q

other research in MAOA gene

A

knokout study- bred to miss gene

adult male mice missing MAOA gene had specific behaviours patterns including aggression.

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10
Q

outline serotonin theory

A

serotonin is a neurotransmitter thought to inhibit aggression

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11
Q

how are level of serotonin activity measured

A

in turn over- amount produced and broken down

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12
Q

lower turnover leads to

A

more aggressive behaviour

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13
Q

outline 2 animal studies in serotonin expalnation

A

49 rhesus monkeys observed for four years
the lower turnover the more aggressive
many with low turnover died

mice breed to have low serotonin turnover were more aggressive when isolated

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14
Q

diets study in serotonin explanation

A

serotonin made of amino acid, healthy males showed increased aggression 5\6 hours after a tryptophan-free mixture of amino acids (decrease serotonin)

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15
Q

what amino acid serotonin is made of

A

tryptophan

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16
Q

limitations of serotonin explanation

A

-animal studies, doesn’t mean is causal, can’t generalise to humans
-diets don’t directly link serotonin to aggression
-lab studies, low ecological validity
natural experiments show a more complicated relationship
-20 arsonist 10 healthy volunteers serotonin turnovers significantly lower but didn’t correlate with severity, link to impulsive behaviour suggested
-convicted criminals studies can’t be generalised

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17
Q

outline limbic system explanation

A

limbic system sand temporal lobe linked to aggression

  • in particular amygdala in limbic system has a strong link
  • electriacal stimulation of amygdala can cause\reduce aggression
  • amygdala lesions : in cat cause attack in dog cause submission
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18
Q

support in limbic system explanation

A

charles whitman killed 14 innocents

-autopsy found a tumor in temporal lobe pushing on amygdala

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19
Q

disconnecting amygdala from brain

A

amygdalotomy

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20
Q

research on amygadalotomy found

A

aggressive behaviour decreased between 33% and 100%

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21
Q

evaluation of genetic explanation

A

positive
-twins\adoption\knokout studies suggest a genetic component
-research found that low MAOA activity had significant effect on men maltreated as children - interaction with environment
negative
-ignores social and environmental factors
-meta-analysis found weak correlation between genetic factors and crime

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22
Q

what is testosterone

A

androgen hormone responsible of male characteristics

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23
Q

outline testosterone theory

A
  • man produce more than woman and are statically more violent than women (arrested for violence)
  • indicates a relationship
  • higer testosterone found in prisoners convicted of violent crime, lowest in in non convicted of violent crime
  • correlational
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24
Q

research in testosterone

A

35 female-to-male 15 male-to-female transsexual

  • questionnaire to asset how likely they were to be aggressive
  • hormone treatment (androgen or anti-androgen) x3 months
  • female-to-male increased
  • male-to-female decreased
  • can establish cause and effect
  • self report can be subjective and people might be conforming to stereotypes
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25
evolutionary explanation outline
- aggressioni in an adaptive response | - inherited because helped to survive and reproduce
26
adaptive function of aggression
- gain status\dominance in a group - gain resources from others (territory,mate) - in defense (losing resources\status, being injured\killed) - deter infidelity in long term mates
27
research in evolutionary explanation
wilson and dali Detroit murders majority on predators and victims were young men -man faced most competition to access fertile mates, different psychological response buss et al- cross cultural questionnaire -hypothetical scenario -51% of man prefers emotional infidelity to sexual against 22% of women -male - parernity -female - resources available for children
28
what is ethology
study of naturally occurring animal behaviour across species
29
ethological approach, who used it
Lorenz
30
how does Lorenz define aggression?
fighting instinct towards members of own specie | and defines it as an adaptive response
31
how does Lorenz explain aggression using ethology?
aggression is described as an innate tendency triggered by environmental stimuli - urge ro be aggressive builds up continuously increasing internal pressure - the strength of stimuli needed decreases as the pressure increases, if very high aggression can be triggered spontaneously - stimulus triggered an innate release mechanism with fixed action patterns and instinctive behaviour identical across species - ritualised, released harmlessly to avoid extinction; wolves show jugular vein humans use sport.
32
research on innate release mechanism
red-bellied fish (during breeding season) show aggression with bright red stimuli -innate release mechanism
33
evaluation of evolutionary explanation of aggression
positive -link to genetics negative -cultural differences, different rates of husbands filling wife, if inherited it would be consistent -difficult to prove and research, lack validity -needs socially sensitive research, aggression can appear acceptable
34
evaluation ethological theory
positive -it does occur in fixed patterns -explains why human kill each other, without weapons wasn't lethal negative -states that behaviour is universal but animals studies can't be generalised, human react differently -doesn't explain aggression that isn't an immediate response (premeditated murder) -watching aggressive sport can make you more aggressive - not ritualised
35
how does Kendra cherry define aggression?
psychological harm to oneself others or objects in the environment can be expressed: verbally, mentally, physically
36
which are the social explanations of aggression?
frustration-aggression model (social psychological explanation) social learning theory deindividuation
37
who proposed frustration-aggression model?
dollar
38
outline frustration-aggression model
-aggression is always a result of frustration (interference with reaching a goal) -frustration always leads to aggression (behaviour or feeling aggressive) -strength of aggression determined by degree of frustration: how much you want to reach the goal how close you are how much you've been set back -fear of punishment can inhibit aggressive behaviour towards the source of frustration and be displaced into something else.
39
evaluation of frustration-aggression model
positive -confederate pushing in front of participants in a queue, the closer to the front the more aggressive -buss found that frustrated students were slightly more aggressive than control group negative -evidence in contradictory buss also found in a later study no link between frustration and aggression. -could be leading in aggression in frustration is seen as an attack, participants respond less aggressively if given a reasonable explanation.
40
revision of frustration-aggression model
by Berkowitz - aggressive cues hypothesis - frustration gives the readiness to be aggressive but behaviour is trigged by environmental cues - pps given electric shock and one of either gun, racket, no object. the one with the weapon were the more aggressive
41
outline social learning theory to explain aggression
- aggressive behaviour is learned by aggressive role models - reinforcement - Bandura, vicarious reinforcement variation
42
deindividuation to explain aggression
- when an individual is part of a group/crowd aggression is more likely because s/he experiences a loss of their sense of identity - coined by Festinger 1952 - disinhibited when anonymous, feel less personal responsibility, less fear of disapproval
43
real life application for deindividuation + evaluation
- football - London roots 2011 - mullen studied Lynch mod violence in the US, more people more violence - religious festivals, crowds having good behaviours, might just be conformity - Zimbardo, sunglasses
44
social learning theory 4 steps
1.observation - role models 2.attention 3.retention - motivation: reinforcement (positive/negative) (vicarious/direct) 4.imitation - identification
45
what does institutional aggression mean? | which approaches do explain it?
- aggression within an institutional environment | - dispositional explanation and situational explanation
46
how does dispositional explanation explain institutional aggression
- the importation model | - inmates import characteristics and social norms from life outside (e.g. norms of criminal gangs)
47
research in dispositional explanation of institutional aggression
58 males prisoners violent behaviour higher in black inmates drug offences higher in white inmates supports because reflects American society androcentric
48
how does situational explanation explain institutional aggression?
the deprivation model - conditions in prisons cause stress (overcrowding) this can lead to aggression - deprivation of freedom, comfort, security, friendship, loss of autonomy
49
research support in situational explanation for institutional aggression
study in Americans inmates | crowding correlated to aggression
50
what type of institutional aggression could importation and deprivation model explain
importation: violence towards inmates deprivation: towards prison staff
51
which was the massacre linked to violent computer games?
Columbine high school 1999 | 2 students
52
how could computer games influence aggression?
characters rewarded, vicarious reinforcement
53
meta analysis on media study
217 studies found significant correlation | higher in men (identification?)
54
limitation on media influence experiments
lab experiments | low ecological
55
agains media influence
children (3 to 8 yo) in st.helena (island) studied before and after television -slight decrease in anti-social behaviour in post-television group
56
what can violence in media cause?
desensitisation disinhibition catharsis cognitive priming
57
describe desensitisation caused by media
repeated exposure to violence in media reduces emotional response and anxiety reaction
58
describe disinhibition caused by media
repeated exposure to violence in media destroys inhibitions | aggression seems acceptable
59
describe catharsis caused by media
use of the media to release emotion by identifying them selves in aggressive characters
60
describe cognitive priming caused by media
cues associated with violence in media trigger aggression in real life - violent material is stored in memory and is connected to other violent memories - association may lead to aggressive behaviour