Aggression: Brain Structure Flashcards
What is the role of the pre-frontal cortex?
- Decision making
- Problem solving
- Personality
- Planning
How does Raine’s (1997) research relate to the pre-frontal cortex as an explanation of aggression?
He found lower activity in both hemispheres of 41 murderers pleading NGRI which means their abnormality could lead to impulsivity and lack of self-control which can materialise in the form of aggression.
How does the case study of Phineas Gage relate to the pre-frontal cortex as an explanation of aggression?
He showed that damage to this area of the brain with an iron rod through the head changed his personality and he became impulsive and inappropriate and often aggressive.
What is the role of the amygdala?
- Perception of emotions (fear, anger, etc)
- Controlling aggression
- Helps to store memories of events and the emotions of them
How does Raine’s (1997) research relate to the amygdala as an explanation of aggression?
He found that there was reduced activity in the left side with a difference of 0.03 between murderers and non-murderers which leads to reduced autonomic arousal in offenders resulting in a lack of fear of consequences of being aggressive.
How does the case study of Charles Whitman relate to the amygdala as an explanation of aggression?
He experienced fits of anger and murdered 16 people, including himself, his wife and mother. When they did an autopsy they found a tumor pressed against his amygdala.
What is the role of the hypothalamus?
- The production of hormones
- Governs temperature, hunger, sleep
How does Hess’s (1977) research relate to the hypothalamus as an explanation of aggression?
He found that electrical stimulation of the hypothalamic attack area (HAA) in rats and cats elicited ‘biting attacks’ showing that abnormalities to functioning in this area can cause aggressive responses.
How does the case study of Alpers relate to the hypothalamus as an explanation of aggression?
He had a tumor in his hypothalamus which caused a mild-mannered man to act aggressively.
Using the acronym ‘EACH’, evaluate 2 high ‘how’ points.
P - Raine’s (1997) research has high inter-rater reliability
E - Used a PET scan to measure brain activity with a CPT of spotting targets for 32 mins
E - Multiple researchers can look at the images and so increases objectivity and inter-rater reliability
P - Case studies have high vailidity
E - They look at an individual and their situation in high levels of detail providing rich in-depth qualitative data
E - This helps to provide understanding into how the brain works and how it can be affected to cause aggression with many different methods
Using the acronym ‘EACH’, evaluate 2 low ‘how’ points.
P - Hess’s (1977) research has low generalisability
E - He used ppts of rats and cats to electrically stimulate their hypothalamic attack area
E - Therefore there may be qualitative differences in human responses to abnormalities in these areas and how the aggressive behaviours manifest as humans don’t elicit ‘biting attacks’
P - Research has low validity
E - There is no empirical evidence of how the person was before they experienced brain damage
E - Therefore we cannot establish cause and effect of brain damage causing the change in behaviour as it may be due to other factors such as stress from environment
Are there any applications?
P - Yes
E - It shows that people with damage to areas of their brain such as the pre-frontal cortex can lead to impulsive behaviour
E - Therefore we can identify those who may be more likely to commit violent crimes and implement treatments or ways to reduce the risk to reduce crime rates
Using the acronym ‘EACH’, evaluate a high and low ‘credibility’ points.
P - Interactionist
E - Brain damage may result from the environment causing aggressive responses due to damage on biology
E - Therefore showing that nature and nurture can interact giving this explanation for aggression more credibility
P - Deterministic
E - It says that aggression is down to abnormalities in certain brain areas
E - Therefore saying that we are not in control of our own behaviour but humans are more complex
