BLOA - explain effects of 2 hormones on human behaviour

Question 1

hormone

Answer 1

• chemical messengers
• secreted by glands (endocrine system)
• transported in the blood stream by distal blood cells
• can affect both physiology and psychology

Question 2

difference between hormone and neurotransmitter

Answer 2

• 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

Question 3

oxytocin

Answer 3

• 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)

Question 4

evolutionary explanation for oxytocin

Answer 4

• 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

Question 5

Guastella et al. (2008) - Process

Answer 5

1. 49 healthy male participants were given a shot of either:
   - oxytocin
   - placebo
2. Participants were shown 36 happy, angry, or neutral faces
3. 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

Question 6

Guastella et al. (2008) - Results

Answer 6

• participants given oxytocin = more likely to remember previously seen happy faces compared to other expressions
• but oxytocin doesn’t influence judgements for new faces

Question 7

Guastella et al. (2008) - Conclusion

Answer 7

• giving oxytocin to male humans enhances encoding of positive memories
• makes positive memories more memorable

Question 8

Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2009) - Claim

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2009) - Method

Answer 9

1. 56 participants were given a nasal dose of either:
   - oxytocin
   - placebo
2. 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)
3. Participants were asked to rate their mood at the end

Question 10

Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2009) - Findings

Answer 10

oxytocin group experienced more intense emotions (higher jealousy and schadenfreude ratings)

Question 11

Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2009) - Conclusion

Answer 11

• findings contradicted initial claim
• oxytocin also involved in increasing envy and schadenfreude
• not just positive pro-social behaviours

Question 12

adrenaline

Answer 12

• 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

Question 13

evolutionary explanation of adrenaline

Answer 13

• 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

Question 14

Schachter and Singer (1962) - Process

Answer 14

1. participants were informed they would receive a vitamin injection for vision experiments
2. group 1-3 received adrenaline, group 4 (control) received a placebo saline solution
3. • 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
4. 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
5. participants were asked to assess their moods when they were finished

Question 15

Schachter and Singer (1962) - Findings

Answer 15

• 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)

Question 16

interpretation of Schachter and Singer (1962)

Answer 16

• adrenaline helps in the construction of the emotional experience
• in a real-life situation the surge of adrenaline would assist in appraising a situation to establish a proper emotional response

Question 17

what to write when asked “explain effects of two hormones of human behaviour”

Answer 17

• define hormone
• distinguish hormone from neurotransmitter
• what does oxytocin/adrenaline do? why do they have that effect?
• outline background info/evolutionary explanations
• oxytocin studies: Guastella et al. (2008) – positive effects, Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2009) – negative effects
• adrenaline study: Schachter and Singer (1962)