Biologicalš§ ā¢ Hormones + Studies Flashcards
How are hormones different to neurotransmitters?
They are different as they are carried by blood all around the body and take effect much slower than neurotransmitters, usually within minutes or hours
What bodily system are hormones included in?
the endocrine system
Label the diagram of the endocrine system.
How are hormones transported around the body?
through blood
How do hormones effect cells?
They bind to the cell to change its function
What part does the hypothalamus play in the endocrine system?
It has the job od keeping track of hormone production and regulating it
In what manner is testosterone produced and how doe sthat relate to its effect?
Testosterone is produced in spurts, so the testosterone levels can rise suddently and can have an effect within minutes
Why may some animals become aggressive only in certain seasons/ times of the year?
Because testosterone is related to dominance - in some animal species such as red deer, testosterone levels increase causing them do become more aggressive during the mating season in the spring
How can testosterone explain why males on average can be more aggressive than females?
Because males produce testosterone more than females do (although female ovaries do produce some testosterone) hence they are on average much more aggressive
Where are hormones produced?
Various glands around the body
Are hormones specific?
Yes, they purposefully only effect certain target organs that are complementary cells/ receptors to that hormone
Testosterone has a role in ____________ social behaviour through ____________ on areas on the brain in relation to ____________
Testosterone has a role in regulating social behaviour through influence on areas on the brain in relation to aggression
Where is testosterone produced?
The testes
Explain the study conducted by Wagner et al. (1979)
- Castrated mice to observe the effect of testosterone on levels of aggression
- Used frequency of male mice biting eachother to measure aggression
- Recorded frequency of biting in the mice before castration - high levels
- Castrated the mice, therefore removing their testes, and inhibiting production of testosterone - frequency of biting drastically decreased post castration - low levels
- Wagner then decided to increase validity of results to inject the mice with testosterone to see if that would effect aggression frequency
- Testosterone injections caused frequency of biting and therefore aggressive behaviour to rapidly increase again - back to high levels
- Study enforcing the theory that the presence of testosterone correlates to the levels of aggressive behaviour
- Although study conducted on mice - lower order of cognition than humans so not fullly representative/ generalisable
- Study anthropomorphic as conducted on mice, not humans so not fully representative/ generalisable
Explain the study conducted by Eisenegger et al. (2011)
- Study conducted to determine whether testosterone may enhance female aggressive behaviour like it does male
- Eisenegger administered women with a dose of testosterone
- Then got them to engage in a lab-based negotiation game
- He found that they didnāt relfect male behaviour and become more aggressive, but infact behaved more generously/ sociably
- This study infers that the testosterone-aggression link in females is more complex than in males - perhaps suggesting that non-biological factors such as social factors like societal gender roles may influence female behaviour
