Brain And Aggression Flashcards
(17 cards)
Brain
Source of conscious awareness+ decision making , 2 hemispheres joined by corpus callosum
Aggression
Intended behaviour cause physical and psychological injury
Maintain dop and avoid physical harm
Frontal lobe
Rational thinking, decision making and impulse control
Parietal lobe
Sensory input and motor movements
Temporal lobe
Auditory agility and memory acquisition
Occipital lobe
Processing vsiison
How are the brain hemispheres connected, and how do they control the body?
Connected by the corpus callosum; they work contralaterally (left controls right side, right controls left side).
Cerebral cortex
The highly developed grey matter covering the brain, divided into lobes with specific functions (localisation theory).
Role of amygdala
Decisions, emo reg, motivation
How assess and respons to threats and challenges
How does amygdala dysfunction link to aggression?
A: Overactivation = perceiving harmless stimuli as threats → aggression.
Underactivation = failure to recognise real threats → inappropriate responses.
Prefrontal cortex role
Govern social int, reg correct social behaviour
Delay gratification and control impulses
How does dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex link to aggression?
A: Linked to impulsivity, poor control, inability to learn from consequences → more likely to act aggressively on impulse.
What is the role of the hypothalamus?
A: Regulates hormones, bodily functions (sleep, eating, sex), and triggers the fight-or-flight response via the sympathetic nervous system + adrenal cortical system.
Q: How does hypothalamus dysfunction link to aggression?
A: Overactivation triggers fight-or-flight too easily → increased aggression (especially with high testosterone release).
What does Phineas Gage’s case show about the brain and aggression?
A: Frontal lobe damage (loss of impulse control, rational thinking) → increased aggression and personality change.
Strength
I: Research supports the role of brain structures in aggression.
J: Raine et al. (1997) used PET scans on 41 murderers and controls → found differences in prefrontal cortex and amygdala activity.
E: Suggests a biological basis for aggression (abnormal brain activity linked to violent behaviour).
Counterbalance: However, not all violent individuals show the same brain differences, so it may not be a universal explanation.
Weakness
: The role of the amygdala in aggression is unclear.
J: Pardini et al. (2014) found a negative correlation between aggression and amygdala volume → suggests size, not just activity, may be key.
E: This weakens the explanation as it may oversimplify aggression by focusing only on brain activity.
Counterbalance: Still valuable as it highlights the amygdala-prefrontal cortex interaction in regulating aggression.
