Aggression: Hormones

Question 1

Define ‘hormones’.

Answer 1

Chemical messengers that travel in the blood stream.

Question 2

What is the role of hormones?

Answer 2

They affect behaviour and cause physical changes in the body.

Question 3

How do hormones work?

Answer 3

They bind to the receptors in target cells and change cell functions.

Question 4

Give an example of a hormone and how it changes human behaviour.

Answer 4

Oxytocin is a hormone released by the pituitary gland and increases trust between people.

Question 5

What is the role of testosterone?

Answer 5

It regulates the sex drive.

Question 6

Which gender is more aggressive, give a statistic and suggest a reason why.

Answer 6

Men commit 50-70% of all violent crimes. This is due to how much testosterone they produce as it is a male hormone and so it is more present in men than women.

Question 7

When do crime rates rise and what might account for this?

Answer 7

Crime rises in the early teens due to the rise in testosterone as a result of puberty.

Question 8

How does Dabbs’s (1995) research relate to testosterone as an explanation of aggression?

Answer 8

He found that testosterone levels in the saliva of 89 male prisoners were high in 10/11 violent criminals compared to non-violent criminals.

Question 9

How does Wagner’s (1979) research from castrated rats relate to testosterone as an explanation of aggression?

Answer 9

They showed little to no aggressive behaviour due to not needing to produce as much testosterone. When they were injected with more testosterone their aggression levels rose.

Question 10

What is the role of cortisol?

Answer 10

It is responsible for waking us up as well as regulating changes in the body as a response to stress.

Question 11

What does high levels of cortisol correlate to?

Answer 11

High levels of aggression.

Question 12

How does Barzman’s (2013) research relate to cortisol as an explanation of aggression?

Answer 12

He found that the amount of cortisol in the saliva of 17 boys aged 7-9 taken 30 mins after waking up correlated with the number of aggressive incidents recorded by nurses.

Question 13

What is the role of corticosterone?

Answer 13

Released in response to stress and also regulates energy levels.

Question 14

How does Adelson’s (2004) research relate to corticosterone as an explanation of aggression?

Answer 14

She found that rats with their adrenal glands removed, when injected with corticosterone, activated the hypothalamus.

Question 15

Explain the ‘feedback loop’ in aggression in relation to the hypothalamus and the study of rats.

Answer 15

The activated hypothalamus triggers the release of corticosterone but this hormone also activates the hypothalamus which can explain the phenomenon of anger spiraling out of control leading to aggression.

Question 16

Using the acronym ‘EACH’, evaluate 2 high ‘how’ points.

Answer 16

P - High generalisability
E - Rats and humans share more than 90% of their genes
E - And so some comparisons and generalisations can be made
P - Barzman’s research has high reliability
E - Follows a standardised procedure (e.g. measured levels of cortisol in saliva every 30 mins)
E - The study can be easily replicated to test for consistency

Question 17

Using the acronym ‘EACH’, evaluate 2 low ‘how’ points.

Answer 17

P - Research has low validity
E - Much evidence is correlational and so we can establish a link between the two variables but not the cause
E - Therefore you can’t establish a cause and effect relationship
P - Hess’s research has low generalisability
E - Uses rats and cats as ppts
E - There are differences between the brains of humans and animals

Question 18

Are there any applications?

Answer 18

P - Yes
E - It identifies how increased levels of testosterone and adrenaline may lead to certain behaviours such as aggression
E - Therefore hormone therapy to reduce these levels can help to reduce aggression and so risk of offending and risk to society

Question 19

Using the acronym ‘EACH’, evaluate a high and low ‘credibility’ point.

Answer 19

P - Research has high reliability
E - All studies have found a link between cortisol and testosterone and aggression
E - Therefore giving scientific credibility to findings
P - Reductionist
E - Theories of human aggression are separated into the role of hormones and brain structure
E - Research should take a more holistic view that acknowledges the complexity of human behaviour