Biological Evaluation - Role of the Amygdala Flashcards
Evaluate supporting research evidence…
Katrina Gospic et al (2011) conducted an ultimatum game to measure aggressive behaviour using a proposer, responder, and sum of money, where responders participated while having an fMRI scan, where rejecting an offer was linked to heightened and quicker amygdala activity
Sedative given to participants seemed to reduce amygdala activity and aggression, providing evidence of an association between reactive aggression and increased amygdala activity
Evaluate support from longitudinal studies…
Dustin Pardini and colleagues (2014) found a sub-group of 56 men from a previous study that showed aggressive behaviour, where fMRIs used to measure amygdala volume found that high levels of aggression was associated to low amygdala volumes
Supports the role of the amygdala, while providing valuable evidence of the predictive validity of the explanation, showing how difference in amygdala volume may predict future aggressive behaviour
Evaluate how other brain areas are important…
Amygdala is part of a wider system of connected brain structures that influence things such as self-control and regulation
Adrian Raine and co-workers (1997) investigated murders with an overwhelming amount of reactive aggression, where the murderers had higher glucose metabolism in the amygdala and lower metabolism in the prefrontal cortex
Demonstrates the complexity of regulating aggressive criminal behaviour, and suggests that the use of dysfunctions of amygdala to explains such behaviour risks oversimplifying the nuerology of it all
Evaluate how effects of the amygdala are indirect…
Plays a role in regulating fear and anxiety responses, where damage affects the ability to process fear and anxiety, making aggressive behaviour more likely but not inevitable
Suggests dysfunction is not a direct cause but instead a risk factor, with the development of criminal behaviour being far more complex than the conventional amygdala dysfunction theory
