Biological Factors

Question 1

Andre and Bonta (1998)

Answer 1

- offered 4 general definitions: 
Prohibited by law
Violation of moral/religious code
Violation of society's norm 
Causes harm to the victim

Question 2

Emil Coccaro (2007)

Answer 2

• investigated the effects of the amygdala on aggression by studying people with intermittent explosive disorder (IED)

Question 3

Gao and Adrian Raine et al (2010)

Answer 3

• studied fear conditioning which is dependent on amygdala functioning in a large group of 3 year olds.

Question 4

Feinstein et al (2012)

Answer 4

• investigated the rare case of a woman named SM who had lesions to both amygdala. This caused her to be unable to experience fear.

Question 5

Holin (1992)

Answer 5

• Hereditary predisposition can influence impulsivity and violent tendencies. For example, 10% of violent offenders have the MAOA or “Warrior Gene” which has been long associated with aggression.

Question 6

Farrington (2002)

Answer 6

• investigated 3 generations of relatives and found that the most influential figure was the father (if he had been arrested it was likely that the son would be too).

Question 7

Derntl et al (2009)

Answer 7

used MRI scans to investigate the effect
of testosterone on amygdala activity in healthy male
participants.