Aggression: Ethological Explanation (Evolutionary explanation) Flashcards
What is ethology?
the study of animal behaviour in natural settings
What are the assumptions of the ethological explanation?
3
-aggression is an instinct that occurs in all members of a species without the need for learning
-its innate and adaptive
-ethologists study aggression in animals and extrapolate to humans
What are the ethological functions of aggression ?
-to acquire and defend resources such as territory , mates and offspring
-to establish status and dominance
What does IRM stand for?
What does FAP stand for?
Innate releasing mechanism
Fixed action pattern
What is an IRM?
make 2 additional points about them
a hard wired brain network that responds to specific stimuli in the environment by initiating a FAP
-the IRM acts to trigger or release the behaviour
-IRMs are a key part to the ethological explanation of aggression
Who provides supporting evidence for the roles of IRMs and FAPs?
Tinbergen 1951-presented male stickleback fish with a series of wooden models of different shapes
they found that regardless of shape , if the model had a red spot the stickleback would attack and if there was no red spot they wouldn’t attack
Make 6 points about FAPs
RUBSUS
-they are a response to an identifiable stimulus
-they are unaffected by learning
-they are ballistic (once triggered they can’t be stopped)
-they are single purpose
-they are universal(found in all members of a species)
-they are stereotyped(they are relatively unchanging)
Give a strength of the ethological explanation of aggression
+there is supporting evidence from Sackett (1996)
-reared monkeys in isolation and provided pictures of monkeys in threatening poses
-as they matured they began to respond to the threatening stimuli
-this shows there is an IRM responsible for detecting threat which could lead to aggressive behaviour
Give a weakness of the ethological explanation of aggression
-contradictory evidence from Nisbett 1993
-found cultural differences in aggression , eg in the USA murder triggered by arguments is more common in white males in southern states than in northern states
-this suggests human aggression is a learned response rather than an innate process
Give 3 other weaknesses of the ethological explanation
-it doesn’t consider other explanations of aggression therefore it can’t be considered a complete explanation
-its hard to extrapolate IRMs/FAPs to humans as its hard to gauge whether an act in an animal is aggressive as they can’t communicate how they feel
-aggressive response isn’t universal as in the same situation some react aggressively but some don’t , meaning its unlikley there is an IRM or FAP for human aggression
Discuss 2 issues and debates regarding the ethological explanation of aggression
falls on the nature side of the debate so underestimates the role of the environment in determining whether we behave aggressiveley or not
implies aggression is entirely determined and controlled by biological factors which has implications for the legal system
