hormones and aggression (pack 3) Flashcards
what researcher found a difference between girls and boys in aggression and testosterone
M….&…..J
Maccoby and Jacklin
dozens of lab and field experiments across cultures that boys are more aggressive than girls
men- violent offences
women- property offences
what is there a great deal of in teenage years with testosterone
inter-male fighting
What did Barzman et al look into to do with correlational research with humans
hormone ( cortisol) in saliva of 7-9 year olds in psych hospitals
measured testosterone and cortisol levels
what did Dabbs et al look into and find
testosterone levels in prisoners of non-violent and violent offenders
found were higher in violent offenders
what researcher beginning with O look into and find?
Olweus
boys who had higher levels of testosterone were more irritable and more likely to respond to being provoked
What researcher did a lab experiment with Rodents and what did he find?
Wagner
observed aggression levels of male mice
after castration aggression levels dropped and when injected w testosterone they rose back to pre-castration
what three things other than aggression is testosterone levels linked with
increased competitiveness to WIN
Enhance the thrill experienced with risk taking
aids male bonding and a motivation to protect own group and attack others
what other hormone is associated with aggression
cortisol
what is cortisol’s function
managing stress levels
where is cortisol produced
adrenal glands
what are 3 strengths of using hormones as an explanation of aggression?
scientific cred is high- theories are falsifiable and testosterone travelling through the blood stream is directly observable
AND measurable in a quantifiable way (DABBS)
reductionist controls and are measured with extraneous variables under tight control
supporting evidence- well controlled lab experiments and can be replicated easily such as DABBS
application- chemical castration and a reduction in sexual fantasies
3 weaknesses of hormones as an explanation of aggression
scientific cred lowered- constrained by ethics and practical issues, largely correlational research
reductionism- focus only on hormones, only provides a partial biological explanation of what causes aggression
over emphasis on the role of nature and overlooks social learning…BANDURA (alternative theory)