Hormones and aggression

Question 1

Hormones

Answer 1

• Are chemical that are secreted into the bloodstream by glands in the endocrine system
• These chemicals can cause changes in our bodies from the way they develop to the way you respond to others
• As hormones are secreted into the blood, they take more time to take effect but their effect are also more long lasting than those of neurotransmitters
• They affect certain organs or cells and can affect behaviour and cause physical changes in the body

Question 2

Testosterone

Answer 2

• Has a crucial role in the body’s fight or flight response which can lead to an aggressive response towards a threat
• It is x10 more present in males compared to females
• Increase in testosterone are related to more aggressive behaviour in males of several species

Question 3

Cortisol

Answer 3

• Secreted and produced in the adrenal glands
• Its main job is managing stress levels as Cortisol seems to inhibit aggression
• High cortisol levels lead to less aggression

Question 4

Strength of hormones being explanation for aggression

Answer 4

• One strength is that studies on animals have made a link between aggression and testosterone
• Researchers had males rats castrated meaning they are unable to produce testosterone
• These castrated rats when compared to uncastrated rats show little to no aggression
• However once the castrated rats given a testosterone injection they again demonstrate typical aggressive behaviour
• Demonstrating a cause effect relationship between aggression and testosterone

Question 5

Weakness of hormones being explanation for aggression

Answer 5

• One weakness is that Hormonal explanation does not account for culture
• Wolfgang found that people from a region in Africa have very low levels of aggression as that behaviour was discouraged from childhood
• However, compared to people from Venezuela and Brazil are much more aggressive, as aggression was used to gain status in their society
• Therefore suggesting that hormones don’t have a great effect on aggression and that cultural difference lead to whether an individual is aggressive or not