neural and hormonal influences

Question 1

what does serotonin do in relation to aggression

Answer 1

low levels are associated with more aggression, as low levels of serotonin removes the inhibited effect, and results in the individual having less control over impulses and urges, from the amygdala

Question 2

the hippocampus role is

Answer 2

to remind you of previous threats that have been stored in long term memory, it allows you to compare previous experiences to evaluate the threat you are under

Question 3

the limbic system role is

Answer 3

is to coordinate behaviours that satisfy emotional and motivational urges, such as aggression and fear.
-has two key structures, the amygdala and hippocampus

Question 4

what is the amygdala role is

Answer 4

to quickly evaluate the environment and prompting an appropriate response
- if stimulate the amygdala it makes animals aggressive (cats) however if it was to be removed it makes animals calm (humans)

Question 5

Testosterone

Answer 5

• regulates social behaviour and Is linked emotion and decision making
• 8X higher in males than females
• they are not sure how, but when testosterone levels are high, the activity in the orbital frontal cortex is lower leading to more aggression, (correlation not causation)
• correlation between high levels of testosterone and low levels of serotonin in aggressive individuals

Question 6

what role the orbital frontal cortex

Answer 6

to help with decision making

Question 7

what is the supporting evaluation for aggression

Answer 7

-lindberg, who measure serotonin levels in males of 16 convicted murders, 22 who tried to commit suicide and 39 ‘healthy’ people. found that the lowest levels of serotonin were in the murders and people who tried to commit suicide. however, it is only correlational not casual. There was beta bias, could effect female in different ways
-wagner, of if mice were aggressive they were castrated, testosterone levels decreased and so did aggression. If mice were timid they were injected with testosterone and aggression increased. However it was on animals and sp should it be generalised to humans?
there are application, male dogs get castrated to reduce aggression and sex drive.

Question 8

what is weakness of neural and hormonal influences on aggression

Answer 8

• biologically deterministic, ignores environmental and social factors etc
• due to it being biologically deterministic, people born with these abnormalities, find it harder to control the urges. Thus is the legal system fare??? etc…