Neural / Hormonal exp Flashcards
Serotonin
Regulates human behaviour
Inhibitory effect
Low levels of sero
High aggression - act on impulse
Dopamine
Increase dopamine = increase aggression
Why is dopamine questionable for aggression
Difficult to study in isolation - essential for many functions
May be consequence not causal
Not as strong of a link as serotonin
Limbic system
Disfunction of brain structures - innapropriate aggression responses
Amygdala - regulates emotional responses to stimuli
Amygdala / hypothalamus / hippocampus = decision making
Strengths of neural exp
Scientific research
Prac app - drug treatments
Nomothetic
Weaknesses of neural exp
Bio reductionism
Animal studies
Androcentrism
Testosterone
Increases neural activity in amygdala
Higher test = high agg
basal model
More testosterone = more competitive / dominant
Shown through aggression
Reciprocal model
Testosterone varies with dominance
A consequence of aggression not a cause
Cortisol
Primary function = stress response
Low levels = aggression - usually mediates aggression related hormones
Strengths of hormonal exp
Scientific research
Nomothetic
RW app - treatments
Weaknesses
Gendered biass
Bio reductionist
Confounding variables
Monoamine Oxidase A (MAOA)
Controls level of neurotransmitters
Low MAOA = fluctuations in serotonin = increase aggression
