Agression Flashcards
What is one strength of the limbic system as a neural explanation?(Delgado)
There is evidence to support the role of the neural mechanisms in aggression.
E: Delgado stimulated the hypothalamus (a part of the limbic system in the brain) of monkeys with mild electric currents and found that they attacked other monkeys. Similar results have been discovered in cats.
C: This supports the neural explanation because it shows Therefore, this supports the neural explanation because it shows that when the limbic system is stimulated it does result in aggressive behaviour in monkeys and cats. (counter argument is that it questions the integrity - unethical - it goes against protection of harm)
What is another strength of neural mechanisms as an explanation of aggression? (deterministic)
weakness of the role of neural mechanisms in aggression is that the research could be deemed deterministic
Explain:
On the one hand, this is a strength of the explanation because it could be used to establish cause and effect relationship, meaning that the theory is more deterministic and can be used to develop practical applications for treating aggression.
On the other hand, this means that the research will imply that aggression is caused by people’s brain chemistry or physical brain structure, which is something that is out of our control and implies that aggression is not something that is within our free will.
Conclusion: This could be seen as potentially socially sensitive as it may end up with criminals being absolved of their crimes if they are seen as less responsible for their crimes due to their brain structure or neurochemistry. This is socially sensitive as it may upset or offend…
What is institutional aggression and what is the two explanations?
intuitional aggression is aggression found in formally organised settings (such as institutes) , this could be due to either dispositional factors (characteristics of an individual) or situational factors(due to the setting of the environment)
What is dispositional factor?
The dispositional explanation uses a model to explain aggression. This is called the importation model
The Importation Model explains that aggression occurs within institutions because of characteristics that prisoners bring (imports) inside with them. The model suggests the prisoner was aggressive prior to being put into prison and they have imported this aggressive trait into prison, it is NOT to do with the prison environment.
This aggression they experience outside of prison can be caused by a number of things, such as biological reasons e.g. neural mechanisms or genetics
or social psychological reasons such as deindividuation
and then when arrested they are as aggressive inside of prison as they were outside
What is one strength of the dispositional explanation?
: There is evidence to support the dispositional explanation of institutional aggression.
Explain:
Kane and Janus (1981) found that there were a number of variables which positively correlated with being violent in prison, including: greater periods of unemployment, lower levels of education, being young and being non-white.
Conclusion: How does this support the link between violence outside the prison and violence within the prison?
Therefore, this adds to the validity of the dispositional explanation of aggression and supports the importation model as it shows that when you have dispositional traits, such as a low level of education outside of prison, then it causes aggression in prison; it is the person who is aggressive, regardless of whether they are inside of outside of prison.
What is another strength of dispositional explanation
vidence for the popcorn model – Lahm (2008)
Lahm looked at the incidences of inmate-on-inmate violence experienced by 1,054 inmates across 30 prisons and found that the main predictor of violence was the age of the inmate. However, she also found that the level of overcrowding also played a part. This suggests that aggression in prisons is a result of both dispositional (importing their age) and situational (deprivation of privacy and/or security) factors
What is situational explanation?
The Deprivation Model
This model suggest that it is the prison environment which causes aggression.
This model suggests that it is a loss of key needs which is the main cause of aggression.
Sykes (1958) thought that institutional aggression originates from within the institution, not outside it.
Sykes describes five deprivations that arise from ‘the indignities and degradations suffered by becoming an inmate’ which may ultimately lead to aggressive behaviour.
What is the strength of situational explanation?
= Johnston (1991) found that prison overcrowding leads to increased aggression.
When there are more people in prison, there is more competition for resources so people join gangs in order to get more resources leading to group aggression.
Conclusion: Which deprivation factor does this study support and why?
Therefore, this adds to the validity of the situational explanations for aggression and the deprivation model as it shows that when there’s overcrowding and a lack of resources in prison (a deprivation of goods and services), it leads to aggression in prisoners.
What is another strength of situational explanation?
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