Hormone Theory as an Explanation of Aggression Flashcards
Define hormone
Chemical messenger which transmits information around the body via the blood
What are hormones produced by?
Glands
What does a system of glands form?
The Endocrine System
Why are men naturally more aggressive than women?
Because they have higher levels of testosterone
What can antenatal exposure to testosterone shape?
Biology and the brain
What effect does testosterone have on the amygdala?
It lowers the activation threshold so essentially makes it more active
Define androgen
Chemical that develops/maintains male characteristics
Give 2 pieces of supporting evidence regarding the hormone explanation of aggression
Edwards - Injecting female rats with testosterone made them much more aggressive
Dabbs et al. - Obtained saliva out of 692 adult male prisoners and discovered there were higher levels of testosterone in rapists than burglars/thieves
Give 2 pieces of conflicting evidence regarding the hormone explanation of aggression (refer to supporting evidence)
Edwards - Cannot compare rats to humans
Dabbs et al - Androcentric and only focuses on violent offenders (not generalisable)
Give a different theory that can explain aggression and relate to hormones
Brain - Testosterone makes the amygdala more active
Is the hormone explanation of aggression useful?
Yes because it explains why men have high levels of aggression, however doesn’t explain why females can have high levels of aggression (reductionist)
Is the hormone explanation of aggression testable?
Yes because it has been tested on humans (e.g. Hawke castrated sex offenders), however there are ethical objections to this
