Aggression Flashcards
Neural and Hormonal mechanisms - NEURAL A01 What makes up the limbic system and what does it do?
Cingulate gyrus hypothalamus fornix amygdala
speed and sensitivity of limbic system responses are important predictors of aggressive behaviour in humans
The amygdala is involved in how we asses and respond to threats in the enviroment
Neural and Hormonal mechanisms - NEURAL A03
how we asses and respond to threats by the environment
STRENGTH - carried out fmri scans on participants in a lab based game that provoked aggression. The Amygdala was associated with aggression
STRENGTH - FMRI non invasive and objective
LIMITATION- expensive
Neural and Hormonal mechanisms - HORMONAL A01
TESTOSTERONE - It has been observed that males are more aggressive than females so the belief is that testosterone is associated with aggression.
He found a positive correlation between testosterone levels and aggressive behaviours in male offenders in the UK.
Most suffered from personality disorders and had an impulsivity of violent behaviour.
Serotonin- calming inhibition
Neural and Hormonal mechanisms - HORMONAL A03
STREnGTH - psychologists measured testosterone before and after a loss. After they lost they were asked to rechallenge them
HIGH - 73% yes
LOW - 22% yes
LIMITATION - alpha gender bias
LIMITATION - internal validity, no set definition, every psych measures differently.
Genetic factors in aggression - AO1
MAOA is an enzyme which breaks down other neurotransmitters once they have been activated. A dysfunction leads to abnormal activity.
MAOA leads to low levels of serotonin in the brain which is linked to aggression.
Warrior gene a variant of the MAOA gene leads to low MAOA in the brain which is also linked with aggression
MAOA gene comes from the egg but only occurs in males.
xx- the 2nd x cancels it out
xy - doesn’t cancel it out.
Dutch family - Bruno could recall 4-6 family generations of aggressive males.
Genetic factors in aggression - A03
LIMITATION - nature vs nurture all In the same situation
LIMITATION - reductionist
LIMITATION - doesn’t work with the rules of society
LIMITATION - gender bias alpha
Ethological explaination - A01
We are aggressive because of status, territory and survival
aggression is seen as an innate adaptive behaviour- we are only aggressive for a purpose.
Dominance and status = more resources and less competition
Ritulistic aggression - typically it is mainly about signalling and rarely leads to any physical damage this is to asses the strength of your opponent.
Innate releasing mechanism - is a built in physiological process or structure. It acts as a filter to identity threatening stimuli in the environment. An environmental stimuli activates the IRM. it triggers a fixed action pattern.
Fixed action pattern - the attack sequence. Exact thing every time.
Ethological explanations- A01 core study
Tinbergens - the aggression levels in sticklebacks. The red underbelly made him attack.
No red underbelly - fine
red underbelly - attack
different shape and red underbelly - attack
red underbelly means its a male.
Ethological explanations - A03
LIMITATION - ritualistic aggression. psych witnessed a group of male chimps systematically slaughter a member of another group despite him offering signals of appeasement and defencelessness.
LIMITATION - Extrapolation
STRENGTH - A psych found that eskimos use song duals to settle battles
LIMITATION - South make americasn are more aggressive than male. culture can override innate behaviours.
Evolutionary explanations - A01
reasons we get aggressive - babies, mates, resources and territory.
Men are worried about cuckoldry. They want to ensure the child is theirs but can never ensure it is theirs, Therefore they use aggression to ward off any potential threats.
Men have stronger jaw lines and skulls due to physical fights.
Mate retention strategies:
men will be aggressive towards their partners as well. “you cant speak to anyone else”.
Direct guarding - negative inducement. A mans vigilance over a partners behaviour.
Evolutionary explanations - A03
LIMITATION - temporal validity. DNA testing, reduces cuckoldry.
STRENGTH - explains why women arnt physically aggressive. put her and her baby at risk which is maladaptive. verbal aggression.
STRENGTH - crimes of passion, Italy
LIMITATION - a meta analysis of 8 studies of same sex killings involving love triangles found 92% were male to male and 8% were female to female
Frustration hypothesis - A01
Psychodynamic
Catharsis - the process of releasing and thereby providing relief from strong or repressed emotions
A biological drive like hunger frustration will always lead to aggression. psychodynamic. this is cathartic as frustration is satisfied.
Displacement factors:
Abstract - when the object doesn’t physically exist. so you displace your anger on something else.
Punishment - you cant get angry otherwise you will be punished.
Unavailable - nothing to get angry at.
Frustration hypothesis - A01 key study
In the 1939 subjects were asked to make a specific origami pattern with instructions that were only to be repeated once. During the experiment a confederate interrupted the experiment asking him to slow down. He said no because…
questionnaire to see if instructor should be paid:
group 1: NOT PAID because GF or BF meeting them.
group 2: PAID because boss said.
Frustration hypothesis - A03
LIMITATION - temporal validity - new theory anger = frustration + environmental trigger.
STRENGTH - Meta analysis. displacement. people are more likely to be aggressive towards an innocent party
LIMITATION - letting anger out through boxing people tend to be more aggressive.
LIMITATION- aggression doesn’t have to be triggered by frustration but just negative feelings in genral
SLT - A01
Banduras BOBO doll experiment acknowledges aggression can be learnt directly through operant conditioning (positive and negative reinforcement and punishment)
aggressive adult = aggressive child.
if adult is rewarded it is retained by child.
ARRM
Self efficiency is the extent to which we believe our actions will achieve a desired goal.
