Aggression Flashcards
Evolutionary explanations of aggression ?
Natural selections weeds or characteristic of no advantage for survival
- useful behaviour and characteristics will endure as aid survival e.g aggression
- men and women use aggression differently
There are 5 mains ways in which aggression is adaptive
Main ways in which aggression is adaptive ? 4
Deterring attack
Deters aggression from others e.g tactic of US
Sexual
Competition
-Shackleford and Buss suggested ancestors used to prevent sexual infidelity in mates
Establishing status
- helps strong members of a society establish power over weaker members = secures more women = reproduction
Securing resources
- aggression helps secure resources e.g oil
Sexual jealousy (a way in which aggression is adaptive)?
Prevents infidelity in partners
- gender differences in attitudes to infidelity
- Sj greater in males as is evolved as psychological mechanism to prevent cuckoldry
- Buss suggests males use a number of mate retention strategies that have evolved for specific purpose of keeping a mate
The ones linked with aggression are;
Direct guarding and negative inducement (threats)
Evolutionary explanations of aggression in warfare ?
Has clear adaptive advantages
- winners get resources and women
- winning war = signal of good genes
Support for evolutionary explanations of aggression?
Research support for bus
Shockfield
- men asked to report heir use of retention strategies and women report heir partners
- found
Posit be correlations Between the suggested two types of retention strategies and violent scores
Mate retention strategies linked to aggression has real world application
- knowing this can help friend and family be more alert to danger signs of domestic abuse
Evolutionary explanation can’t account for gender differences
- men usually more aggressive than women as female with offspring more likely to be less aggressive to protect babies survival so more adaptive to be verbally aggressive
- sex differences may actually be due to socialisation instead
Of aggression is evolutionarily determined it shouldn’t be effected by cultural differences
- if this theory was correct aggression would be seen In all cultures but !kung san tribe teach againstbagression
Ethnological explanations of aggression intro ?
Ethnologists believe aggression is adaptive and promotes survival
- potential for aggressive behaviour is innate but triggering is down to environment
- aggression has a survival value to animals to distribute animals and ensures efficient use of valuable resources
- Lorenz said animals have instinctive inhibition that’s stop them from using their natural weapons on their own species
- loser uses appeasement signals which prevent further aggression and indicates covetable of defeat e.g wolves exposing neck to victor
= adaptive as promotes survival for their species
2 types of ethnological explanations of aggression ?
- ritualistic aggression
- fixed action patterns
What is ritualistic aggression ?
- some behaviour is ritualised in the form of threat displays, a form of strength involving signalling
- this makes actual aggression less likely (less costly) e.g gorillas pounding their chests to intimidate rival to make them back down - been found in tribal warfare too
Fixed action patterns
- Tinbergen argued, all member ms of same species have innate behaviours which occur under certain conditions e.g fixed action patterns
- aggression occurs when sign stimulus trigger innate releasing mechanism
- IRM tells motor control circuits to release FAP
Tinbergen key study ?
Procedure
- male stickleback fish
During mating season they develop red spot under belly
- another male enter territory FAP is initiated
- red spot = sign stimulus
- Tinbergen presented series of wooden shapes with red spot on and found regardless of shape if it had a red spot = aggression
- aggressive FAPs stereotyped (same) once triggered the FAP always ran on course to completion (ballistic)
Evaluate ethological explanations fo aggression?
Evidence for FAPs being species specific
- known that individuals in many species respond to pain in aggressive way but form this takes varies from species to species
- Ulrcih electrocuted 2 rats who then immediately attacked each other and display FAP where they stand on their hind legs and box which is only specific to this species lending support to stereotypes and universal nature of fAPs
Can’t generalise from animal aggression to human
- Tinbergen and Lorenz used birds and fish
Ritualised aggression used in non humans too and has same benefits for non humans
- prevents escalation of dangerous conflicts
- Yananamo people chest pound and club fight settle conflicts
Biological explanations for aggression ? Intro ?
- we can breed animals to be aggressive suggests that it’s genetically transmitted
- Finish study news aggressive and non aggressive rats and by 19th generation they measure aggression
- aggressive move has larger testes and bit more
Real biological explanations for aggression ?
MAOA gene associated with aggression
- MAOA regulates metabolism of serotonin in the brain
- MAOA-L is low activity version of the gene and associated with aggression
- a study showed that 2/3 people in counties of history of warfare have MAOA-L gene variant
Hitchings and Mednick found in fam studies a sig number of adopted boys with criminal convictions also had convicted biological parents showing the genetic influence
Evaluate biological explanations of aggression ?
Evidence
- Cocarro found conc rates was 50% vs 19
Copsi
- studied 500 male children with MAOA gene and found children with L variant were more likely to show anti-social behaviour than H variant but L variant antisocial behaviour only happened if person was mistreated as a child = diathesis stress
Mile and Carey
24 twins + adoption studies
- conc rates Mz 32 Dz 14
Neural and hormonal explanations of aggression ?
Intro
- limbic system is the area of the brain which helps coordinating behaviours that satisfy emotional urges, amygdala and hippocampus are associated with aggression
Amygdala as part of neural influences in the limbic system ?
- evaluates emotional importance of sensory info and promoting appropriate response
- certain parts of the amygdala can be stimulated the animals = aggressive
- Kluver and Lucy found destruction of amygdala in monkeys meant they lost dominant. Space in group
Hippocampus as part of limbic System ?
- involved information of long term memories, allows animal to compare current threat with similar last experiences e.g bad encounter with animal = next time sees that animal = aggression
- impaired hippocampal function prevent NS putting things into meaningful context = innaproprate aggressive behaviour
Serotonin as part of neural explanations of aggression?
Normal levels of this = calming inhibitory effect in neurone firing
- serotonin inhibits during in amygdala
- low levels of S remove inhibitory effect = less able to control impulsive Behaviour
- some drugs thought to alter serotonin levels and increase aggression research support for Mann et al
Hormonal influences in explaining aggression ? Testosterone
- thought to produce male characteristics and aggressive behaviour
- Sapolsky
Saidremoving testosterone levels in different species resulted in much lower aggression levels - reinstating synthetic testosterone increased aggressive behaviour
- idea comes from fact men are more aggressive than women and have more T
What did Dans do ?
Measured salivary testosterone in violent and non violent criminals
- found those with higher T had committed violent crimes compared to those with lower levels of T who committed non violent crimes
Evaluate neural and hormonal explanations for aggression?
Pardini et al
- reduced amygdala volume predicts the development of severe persistent aggression
Evidence for role of hippocampus - Raine et al - studies 2 groups of violent criminals Group that evaded law (successful psychopaths) And group that didn’t (unsuccessful)
Found assymetry in hippocampus of unsuccessful suggesting they were acting more impulsively this assymetry suggests impaired ability for hippocampus and amygdala to work together
Inconsistent evidence
- some studies found no relationship between testosterone and aggression of inmates suggesting this is unclear
What is intro to social learning theory of aggression ?
Bandies said most human behaviour is learnt observationally through modelling
As part of SLT explain self efficacy expectancies ?
Our confidence in ability to be aggressive
- if good in past at being aggressive then try and resolve conflicts this way
Aggression can be learnt through observation of vicarious reinforcement explain this, Bandura
Cognitive conditions needed for observational learning to take place ?
ARRM
