Hormonal explanation of aggression Flashcards
What is the role of testosterone?
Lowers the activation threshold of the amygdala which increases aggression
What is the role of cortisol?
Stress hormone - less cortisol equals increased aggression
What is the role of serotonin?
Regulates mood - low serotonin equals increased aggression
What is the role of adrenaline?
Responds to flight or fight - increased adrenaline equals increased aggression
Who supports this?
Beeman - castrated mice and aggression decreased then injected testosterone into them and aggression increased again - credible
OTOH - cannot be generalised to humans
Who conflicts this?
Mazur - non aggressive games increase testosterone levels so hormones link more to dominance than they do aggression - lowers credibility
Other theories?
Brain areas - supported by Raine who found that NGRI murderers had increased activity in their right amygdalas
Usefulness?
Anger management classes can be assigned to individuals with high testosterone
Is this testable?
Yes - can be empirically tested with blood tests
