LS1 - Neural Mechanisms In Aggression Flashcards
The Limbic System
Includes amygdala, hypothalamus and hippocampus, which are used in reactive aggression, it plays a key role in how an organisms responds to a threat.
Reactive Aggression
Aggression in response to a threat.
Hypothalamus
Regulates the autonomic nervous system which regulates responses to emotional circumstance, therefore damage can cause distorted aggressive responses.
Amygdala
Attacks emotional significance to sensory information.
Serotonin
Slows and calms neural activity, it works on the frontal brain areas e.g. amygdala that controls fear/anger. Therefore low levels can cause uncontrolled aggressive responses.
Neural Mechanisms
Structures such as neurone but also substances i.e. neurotransmitters that regulate aggression
Strengths (+)
Removing Areas Of Limbic System Study
Imaging Techniques
Removing Areas Of Limbic System Study (+)
Kevin And Busy - Removed main areas of the limbic system and found an absence of emotional reactions to environmental stimuli, they also didn’t understand group hierarchies
Imaging Techniques (+)
e.g. MRI allow us to investigate aggression and neural structures, the volume of the amygdala in violent criminals is significantly smaller than smaller people.
Weaknesses (-)
Studies Use Animals
Lacks Population Validity
Depleting Serotonin Study
Studies Use Animals (-)
There’s a lack of generalisation because studies use animals and therefore is it really the same, it’s impossible to know mate.
Lacks Population Validity (-)
Prison study sample was very small and confined to males so does the limbic system even extend to females.
Depleting Serotonin Study (-)
Used a drug that depleted serotonin and used a questionnaire questioning aggression, this rose for males but not females.
