BLOA - explain effects of 2 hormones on human behaviour Flashcards
1
Q
hormone
A
- chemical messengers
- secreted by glands (endocrine system)
- transported in the blood stream by distal blood cells
- can affect both physiology and psychology
2
Q
difference between hormone and neurotransmitter
A
- both are chemical messengers that carry a signal from one cell to another
- but hormones travel through the blood stream
- while neurotransmitters traverse synaptic gaps
3
Q
oxytocin
A
- hormone secreted by the hypothalamus
- stimulated by the pituitary gland
- triggers contractions in the uterus during childbirth
- increases trust and generosity in healthy individuals
- associated with stress reduction
Positive effect: Guastella et al. (2008)
Negative effect: Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2009)
4
Q
evolutionary explanation for oxytocin
A
- causes social attachment in mammal mothers towards offspring
- health benefits due to stress reduction (e.g. counters high blood pressure)
- as humans are social animals, trust among members of the species is crucial for survival, defense, and well-being
5
Q
Guastella et al. (2008) - Process
A
- 49 healthy male participants were given a shot of either:
- oxytocin
- placebo - Participants were shown 36 happy, angry, or neutral faces
- Participants returned the next day to make judges of whether they remembered the image or not when shown a mixture of the previous images + 72 new images
6
Q
Guastella et al. (2008) - Results
A
- participants given oxytocin = more likely to remember previously seen happy faces compared to other expressions
- but oxytocin doesn’t influence judgements for new faces
7
Q
Guastella et al. (2008) - Conclusion
A
- giving oxytocin to male humans enhances encoding of positive memories
- makes positive memories more memorable
8
Q
Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2009) - Claim
A
- humans have a strong social tendency to compare
- tendency to be happier when their conditions are more favorable than their peers
- jealousy and schadenfreude are recurring social emotions that are a symptom of comparison
- speculated that oxytocin has a moderating effect on the intensity of those emotions
9
Q
Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2009) - Method
A
- 56 participants were given a nasal dose of either:
- oxytocin
- placebo - They played a game of chance with a confederate, and the outcome had 3 conditions:
- jealousy (confederate won more money)
- schadenfreude (confederate lost more money)
- control (won/lost equal amounts of money) - Participants were asked to rate their mood at the end
10
Q
Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2009) - Findings
A
oxytocin group experienced more intense emotions (higher jealousy and schadenfreude ratings)
11
Q
Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2009) - Conclusion
A
- findings contradicted initial claim
- oxytocin also involved in increasing envy and schadenfreude
- not just positive pro-social behaviours
12
Q
adrenaline
A
- fight or flight response
- is released from the adrenal gland
- increases alertness
- prepares body for action
- may be responsible for the creation of emotion
- increases flow of oxygen and blood to the brain
- increases heart rate and blood pressure
- transfers key resources (e.g. oxygen, glucose) away from internal organs towards extremities of the body
- associated with creating emotions
- mostly associated with negative emotions (e.g. fear)
- for extreme sports lovers the release of adrenaline in such situations can be associated with positive feelings
13
Q
evolutionary explanation of adrenaline
A
- adjusts bodily priorities according to the situation
- being able to think and move quickly is more important for surviving a stressful situation compared to functions like digestion
- burst of focus is useful for appraising situations
14
Q
Schachter and Singer (1962) - Process
A
- participants were informed they would receive a vitamin injection for vision experiments
- group 1-3 received adrenaline, group 4 (control) received a placebo saline solution
- group 1 was told the effects of an adrenaline solution (described as side effects to the vitamin solution)
- group 2 wasn’t given any info
- group 3 was told headaches, numbness, and/or itches were possible side effects
- group 1 was told the effects of an adrenaline solution (described as side effects to the vitamin solution)
- groups were further split into 2 contexts:
- euphoria: a confederate encouraged participants to join in games
- anger: a confederate gives an outburst of anger due to personal questions on a questionnaire - participants were asked to assess their moods when they were finished
15
Q
Schachter and Singer (1962) - Findings
A
- groups 2-3 generally showed more euphoric behaviour and reported more happiness
- the anger context didn’t elicit the corresponding pattern, but researchers theorized that participants were uncomfortable with revealing such details
- based on observational data of the anger context, group 1 was less angry than groups 2-3 (as group 1 had an explanation for their physiological arousal)
