EVALUATION OF AGGRESSION Flashcards
evaluation of low serotonin
- serotonin levels are known to be affected by upbringing and not just by genes
- deterministic
- individual differences in way people respond to changes in serotonin
- different types of aggression
Evaluation of high testosterone
- some argue that that testosterone does not raise aggression directly but raises competitiveness and assertiveness
- different types of aggression
- are aggression levels are actually higher in men than women?
- deterministic
Evaluation of genetic explanations
- highly deterministic
- useful in prevention strategies
- practical applications - to breed dogs
Evaluation of evolutionary approach
Most research concerns correlational data
Similar behaviour can be observed cross culturally
Animal research cannot be 100% generalised to human behaviour
The evolution of behaviour is particularly hard to test as there is no fossil record for behaviour
Evaluation of ethological explanation
The theory can be supported by the fact that aggression is seen in nearly all species and cross culturally
Generalising from animal studies to humans is problematic
Not all humans are aggressive and there is a great variation in what sign stimulus can be for different people
The study of animals is unethical
Evaluation of evolutionary explanation
Some research has found that females are involved in physical aggression towards their male partners
Cannot explain aggression in homosexual relationships because they’re not reproductive
Many men in today’s society are step fathers and so are raising another mans child
Deterministic
Evaluation of social learning theory
Lots of supporting evidence
Explain individual differences between levels of aggression
Cannot fully explain who will or will not end up being aggressive
Environmental deterministic
Evaluation of frustration aggression hypothesis
Issues defining frustration - very subjective
Individual differences - some people will not react aggressively to some frustrations when some do
Not all aggression is caused by frustration - pre meditated
Evaluation of deindividuation
- practical applications - CCTV to ensure there is never a loss of public self awareness
- difficult to determine when people are de individuate and when people are simply conforming to social roles
- able to predict where aggression occurs
- environmental determinism
Evaluation of importation model
- suggests who might be aggressive
- doesn’t say how to prevent it
Evaluation of deprivation model
- less deterministic
- environment is constant so why isn’t violence?
Evaluate media and aggression
Difficult to determine cause and effect
Doesn’t look at long term effects of research means it lacks ecological validity
Implications - reduce desensitisation, disinhibition and cognitive priming for impressionable children
