Classic study: Raine et al Flashcards
3.1.6 The role of hormones (e.g. testosterone) to explain human behaviour such as aggression.
What was the aim of Raine et als study?
To investigate whether murderers who please NGRI have brain impairments that lead to them being violent.
What was Raine et als independent variable?
Murderer or non-murderer.
What was Raine et als group design?
Matched pair design
What was Raine et al’s sample?
41 murderers and 41 non-murderers
Murderers: 39 men 2 women
23 had brain damage
What was Raine et als dependent variable?
Activity in specific brain areas (glucose metabolism)
What was Raine et als procedure?
No medication before the study.
Each ppt underwent a PET scan of their brain and completed a continuous performance task for 32 minutes.
The scan took 10 images of the brain.
What were the findings of Raine et al’s stud
Lower activity:
- Pre-frontal cortex
- Left amygdala
Greater activity:
- Right amygdala
- Right thalamus
What was Raine et al’s conclusion?
Murderers that plead to NGRI had different brain activity to the nonviolent offenders. The researchers concluded that dysfunctions of a single area cannot explain violent behaviour and that it is a network.
Evaluate the validity of Raine et al.
PET scan= misleading
The technique scanned the brain into 10 slices across the canthomeatal line from the outer eye to the mid ear however this varies so it can be difficult to locate
= lower internal validity
What is the application of Raine et al?
Treatment: Anger management
Violent offenders should be scanned to discover whether they have less activity in parts of their brains linked to aggression so they can be given proper treatment.
Evaluate the generalisability of Raine et al.
Large sample of 82
NGRI criminals aren’t representative of typical murderers.
= Not generalisable to usual criminals, only to a minority population.
Evaluate the reliability of Raine et al.
PET is a reliable imaging technique that produces objective and replicable results that can be tested many times.
=Good reliability
Evaluate the ethics of Raine et al.
PET is an invasive procedure
Ppts must be injected with a radioactive tracer that can cause harm to the participant. The controls would not have undergone this procedure if not involved increasing the risk of the research.
