Hormones Flashcards
Hormones
chemicals messengers transmit information around the body.
Androgens
Androgens are the set of male hormones produced by the testes.
Testosterone is an androgen associated with aggression.
This hormone (androgen) has been linked to aggression in two ways:
- Directly, higher levels of testosterone in the blood it makes people feel more aggressive
- Antenatal and Prenatal exposure to testosterone (before and straight after birth) can affect the way the brain develops. These brain changes are associated with having a more “male brain” (Baron-Cohen) and more aggressive.
+Supporting studies: Dabbs et al. (1987, 1995)
found testosterone levels were higher in those who had been convicted of a violent crime. Those with high testosterone levels were rated higher by other prisoners for being “tough”.
+Supporting studies: Edwards
Castrated male rats show little or no aggressive behaviour in various settings. When testosterone was replace with injection they revert back to aggressive also exposed female prenatal rats to testosterone and they became more aggressive later as adult rats.
+Scientific
objective measure of testosterone
-Reciprocal or basal
difficult to tell with the human research whether testosterone causes aggression or aggression causes testosterone. (e.g. Dabbs)
-Reductionist
This theory reduces complex behaviour with many influences to one simple cause. This theory would be better considered alongside environmental and learning factors.
-Deterministic
This theory fails to take into account the free will and choice of a person. For example there are cases of people with high testosterone who aren’t violent.
-Use of animal research
lots of research with rats. Not the same as humans and a complex human emotion like aggression is difficult to compare to the social behaviour of a rat.
