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Psychology - PSYA3 > Aggression - Biological Explanations > Flashcards

Aggression - Biological Explanations Flashcards

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0
Q

Neural and hormonal explanations of aggression?

A

Brain structure - amygdala and pre frontal cortex
Neurotransmitters - dopamine and serotonin
Hormonal mechanisms - testosterone and cortisol

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1
Q

Biological explanations of aggression?

A

Neural and hormonal mechanisms

Genetic factors

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2
Q

Neurotransmitters in aggression?

A

Dopamine and serotonin

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3
Q

Hormonal mechanisms in aggression?

A

Testosterone and cortisol

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4
Q

How does damage to brain structure influence aggression?

A

Destroyed pre-frontal cortex = unregulated amygdala = aggression

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5
Q

Research on amygdala?

A

Narabyashi et al

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6
Q

Narabyashi et al?

A

43/51 patients with a destroyed amygdala showed reduced aggression

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7
Q

Case study on brain structure?

A

Phineas gage

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8
Q

Research on pre frontal cortex?

A

Anderson et al

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9
Q

Anderson et al?

A

Damage to the pre frontal cortex in infancy = aggression

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10
Q

Role of serotonin in aggression?

A

Low = aggression

Inhibits responses to emotional stimuli, so low levels are associated with impulsivity, aggression etc.

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11
Q

Research on serotonin?

A

Mann et al

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12
Q

Mann et al?

A

Gave 35 subjects dexflenfluaramine (lowers serotonin) and saw increased hostility and aggression scores in males

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13
Q

Role of dopamine in aggression?

A

High = aggression

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14
Q

Research on dopamine?

A

Lavine

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15
Q

Lavine?

A

Amphetamines (increase dopamine) increased aggressive behaviour

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16
Q

Strengths of neurotransmitters?

A

Supporting research

Effective treatments

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17
Q

Supportive research for neurotransmitters?

A

Scerbo and Raine

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18
Q

Weaknesses of neurotransmitters?

A

Is dopamine a cause or effect?

Animal studies

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19
Q

Scerbo and Raine? (Serotonin)

A

Meta-analysis of 29 studies found low serotonin levels in individuals described as aggressive

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20
Q

Research on cause/effect with dopamine?

A

Scerbo and Raine

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21
Q

Scerbo and Raine? (Dopamine)

A

Found no significant rise or fall in dopamine in individuals described as aggressive

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22
Q

Couppis and Kennedy?

A

Reward pathway in mice that uses dopamine as a positive reinforcer in aggressive events

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23
Q

Example of animal studies on neurotransmitters?

A

Raleigh et al

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24
Q

Raleigh et al?

A

Put vervet monkeys on a diet of tryptophan (raises serotonin) and found decreased aggression

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25
Q

Effective treatments due to neurotransmitters?

A

Bond

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26
Q

Bond?

A

Antidepressant drugs elevate serotonin levels to reduce irritability and impulsive aggression

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27
Q

Role of testosterone in aggression?

A

High testosterone = aggression

28
Q

What is testosterone?

A

Male sex hormone which acts on brain areas associated with aggression from young adulthood onwards

29
Q

Research on testosterone?

A

Dabbs et al

30
Q

Dabbs et al?

A

Saliva of 692 male prisoners, high levels of testosterone in violent offenders

31
Q

Research on testosterone in animals?

A

Beeman

32
Q

Beeman?

A

Castrated male mice and found reduced aggression

33
Q

Role of cortisol in aggression?

A

Low cortisol = aggression

34
Q

What does cortisol do?

A

Mediates other hormones such as testosterone and increases anxiety and social withdrawal

35
Q

Research on the challenge hypothesis?

A

Wingfield et al

36
Q

Wingfield et al?

A

Testosterone rises in response to challenges

37
Q

Strengths of hormonal mechanisms?

A

Real life applications

Supporting evidence

38
Q

Weaknesses of hormonal mechanisms?

A

Gender bias

Aggression or dominance?

39
Q

Real life applications of hormonal mechanisms?

A

Klinesmith et al

40
Q

Klinesmith et al?

A

Can explain why presence of guns = increased aggression - males interacting with a gun for 15 minutes showed sig greater salivary testosterone and aggression than with a toy

41
Q

Gender bias in hormonal mechanisms?

A

Archer et al

42
Q

Archer et al?

A

Association between testosterone and aggression is higher for female than male samples

43
Q

Research on dominance v aggression?

A

Mazur

44
Q

Mazur?

A

Individuals act aggressively when intending to inflict injury, but dominantly when they want to achieve money or status

45
Q

Support for hormonal mechanisms?

A

Mcburnett et al

46
Q

Mcburnett et al?

A

Boys with consistently low cortisol levels began antisocial acts younger and exhibited 3x number of aggressive symptoms

47
Q

Genetic factors in aggression?

A

Twin and adoption studies
Genetics and violent crime
MAOA

48
Q

Twin study on aggression?

A

Coccaro et al

49
Q

Coccaro et al?

A

50% of variance in direct aggression due to genes

50
Q

Adoption study on aggression?

A

Hutchins and mednick

51
Q

Hutchings and mednick?

A

Looked at 14000 adoptions and found criminal convictions in those who had biological parents who’d had them

52
Q

What is MAOA?

A

The ‘warrior gene’ that produces proteins involved in aggression and regulates the metabolism of serotonin

53
Q

Influence of MAOA on aggression?

A

Low MAOA = low serotonin = aggression

54
Q

Research on MAOA?

A

Brunner et al

55
Q

Brunner et al?

A

Violent and aggressive Dutch family had abnormally low MAOA

56
Q

View on influence of genetics on violent crime?

A

There’s no gene, just inherited characteristics that place them at risk

57
Q

Research on genetics and violent crime?

A

Brennan and mednick

58
Q

Brennan and mednick?

A

Genetic influence is only significant in property crime, not violent

59
Q

Strengths of genetic factors?

A

Research support

60
Q

Weaknesses of genetic factors?

A

Individual differences
Gene-environment interaction
Inconclusive

61
Q

Support for genetic influences?

A

Miles and Carey

62
Q

Miles and Carey?

A

Meta-analysis of 24 twin and adoption studies found genetic influence could account for up to 50% of variance in aggressive anti social behaviour

63
Q

Individual differences in genetic influences?

A

Rhee and Waldman

64
Q

Rhee and waldman?

A

Meta-analysis of 51 twin and adoption studies found several variables moderated influence, eg the older you get the less influence rearing environment has and the more genes have

65
Q

Gene environment interaction research?

A

Caspi et al

66
Q

Caspi et al?

A

Those with low levels of MAOA were significantly more likely to exhibit anti social behaviour but only if they’d been maltreated as children

67
Q

Research on genetic factors being inconclusive?

A

Walters

68
Q

Walters?

A

Only found low to moderate correlation between heredity and crime, with better designed and more recent studies providing even less support

Psychology - PSYA3 (13 decks)

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