Biological Approach - Hormones and Behaviour - Hormones

Question 1

Hormone

Answer 1

• A chemical messenger synthesised in endocrine glands
  and released in the blood stream, where they are
  carried to all parts of the body
• Regulate long-term changes in the body

Question 2

Testosterone

Answer 2

• Mainly produced in the testes in men (95%) or in adrenal glands (5%)
• Produced in ovaries in women (50%) or in adrenal
  glands (50%)
• Physiological effect
  
  • muscle mass
  • bone structure
  • hair growth
• Behavioural effect
  
  • aggression

Question 3

Aggression

Answer 3

• The intention to dominate or harm others

Question 4

Klinesmith et al. (2006)

Answer 4

Aim:
- Investigate whether the presence of a gun increases aggressiveness and/or testosterone levels

Pps:

• 30 male college students
• Half randomly assigned to gun/experimental condition, other hald to toy/control condition

Procedure
- Pps told they would participate in an experiment on taste perception
- Experimental group
- presented with a machine gun
- told to dissassemble and then reassemble it acording
to the directions provided
- Control group
- presented with a complicated children’s game
- told dissassemble and reassamble
- Saliva samples collected
- time 1: before handling the gun/toy
- time 2: after handling the gun/toy
- Pps then presented with a glass of water in which a
drop of hot sauce had been added
- told it was prepared by the previous pp and asked to
rate intensity
- Then asked to prepare a glass of water with hot sauce
for the next pp
- change in weight measued to see how much hot
sauce was added by the pp

Results:
- Experimental group showed more of an increase in
testosterone from time 1 to time 2 than the control group
- Experimental group added more hot sauce to the water
than control group
- Amount of hot sauce placed in the cup positively
correlated with changes in testosterone level