GENETIC FACTORS IN AGGRESSION EVAL Flashcards
what is there to support the MAOA gene?
research
who conducted research to support the MAOA gene?
mertins et al
what did mertins et al do?
studied men with high or low activity variants in money distribution game
what were mertins et al’s findings?
high activity variant were more cooperative than the low activity variant
what do mertins et al’s findings support?
support the relationship between MAOA and agg
how can you criticise mertins et al’s research?
non-genetic factors can also play a role e.g. conformity/NSI, know others have cooperated means more likely to do so
what 3 evaluation points can you use for genetic factors influencing aggression?
+ research support for MAOA
- complex link for MAOA
- problems with twin studies
what is there a complex link between?
the relationship between the MAOA gene, serotonin and aggression
what did Virkunnen et al find about serotonin that contradicts MAOA gene?
said that lower levels of serotonin leads to agg, but MAOA says that higher levels of serotonin in synapse leads to agg
what is it more accurate to say when explaining the complex link between MAOA gene and serotonin?
that serotonin levels are disrupted
what does the complex link between the MAOA gene and serotonin do?
reduce the credibility of the explanation because we don’t know if high serotonin or low serotonin leads to agg
what is there a problem with in genetic factors of agg?
twin studies
what is the problem with twin studies?
they lack validity
why do twin studies lack validity?
because MZ twins have the same environment and are treated similarly by parents, however DZ have different life experiences and are not treated exactly the same
what is the shared environment called in twin studies?
equal environment assumption
