Biological approach: Aggression

Question 1

what are the 4 biological explanations for aggression

Answer 1

evolution, brain structures, biochemistry, genetics

Question 2

GENES (MAOA gene and SRY gene):
aggression

Answer 2

as your body includes the brain (which is the organ of behaviour), some genes build brains that are more likely to produce aggression. such as if you have the MAOA-L gene (a low activity variant of the MAOA gene) then you will naturally be more aggressive. because of the SRY gene, it influences aggression by activating testes development and it triggers testosterone production in the womb (and during puberty). the hormone ‘testosterone’ is associated with aggression

Question 3

BRAIN STRUCTURES (limbic system): aggression

Answer 3

the limbic system interacts with the prefrontal cortex to regulate behaviour. an important structure is the amygdala which has role of assessing and responding to environmental threats. evidence suggests that the sensitivity of the amygdala is an important predictor of aggressive behaviour in humans. ie, the more sensitive the amygdala, the more aggressive the person

Question 4

EVOLUTION ( survival of the fittest): aggression

Answer 4

any behaviour that is programmed in our genes must have had, at some point in our evolutionary history, an adaptive advantage. aggression, therefore, must have been a desirable trait that was selected for

Question 5

BIOCHEMISTRY (testosterone, serotonin, dopamine and cortisol):
aggression

Answer 5

too much or too little of a particular neurotransmitter or hormone can have an impact on behaviour. Biological phycologists would contend that aggression could be caused by a surplus of some chemical and/or deficit of others.

low levels of serotonin=more aggressive
high levels of dopamine=more aggressive
high levels of testosterone=more aggressive
low levels of cortisol=more aggressive

Question 6

Name 2 strengths of the biological approaches explanation of aggression

Answer 6

1. there is research support for biological explanations of aggression

There is research to support the assumption that the limbic system/ amygdala plays a key role in aggressive behaviour. Gospic scanned the brains of participants when playing the ‘ultimatum game’ in a controlled laboratory setting. They found that when responders rejected unfair offers - which is an aggressive reaction to social provocation - the scans revealed a fast and heightened response by the participants amygdala. This suggests a link between a person’s amygdala and aggression levels

2. There is research to support

There was evidence to support the role of the MAOA gene in aggression. Brunneret studied 28 male members of a large Dutch family who were repeatedly involved in impulsively aggressive violent criminal behaviours such as rape, attempted murder and physical assault. they found that these men had the MAOA-L gene (the low activity variant of the MAOA gene). this suggests that this gene plays a key role in aggression

Question 7

name one limitation of the biological approaches explanation of aggression

Answer 7

It is an incomplete explanation

Biological factors contributing to aggressive behaviour do not operate on their own but interact with each other such as brain structures and neurotransmitters. The biological approach is an incomplete explanation because it is not consider other explanations. Eg, Frazetto studied adult males and found a correlation between the MAOA-L gene and high levels of aggression