Paper3: Aggression Flashcards
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
What is the difference in hot- and cold-blooded aggression?
And the case studies assossiated with these
Hot (reactive aggression): a grey and impulsive behavior coupled with physiological arousal
- Case:Tony Martin shot 3 intruders, killed one (a 16 year old) following a spate of burglaries at his home. Initially, sentenced to life imprisonment.
Cold: a premeditated meditated way of getting what you want
- Rape and murder
- Case: the Moors Murders: Ian Brady and Myra Hindley
- Forensic psychology is primarily concerned with this type.
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
What are the brain regions associated with the limbic system?
Includes: Amygdala, hippocampus and thalamus/hypothalamus, OFC
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
What is a key role of the limbic circuit?
Maclean: limbic system in the mammalian brain is the centre of emotion and learning
Collection of structures in the centre of the brain.
FINSIH THIS
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
What is the limbic circuit also known as?
Papez circuit as Papez first identified the contents of the limbic system
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
What are three key regions of the limbic system involved in aggression?
OFC
amygdala
FINSIH this
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
What evidence is there for a role of serotonin in violent behaviour?
Animal studies:
What is the link between Kluver & Bucy’s (1937) research in animals and Kluver-Bucy syndrome
discovered the destruction of the amygdala in a monkey who was dominant in a social group caused it to lose its dominance in the group.
Kluver-Bucy Syndrome is a rare neuropsychiatric disorder due to lesions affecting bilateral temporal lobes, especially the hippocampus and amygdala; symptoms include placidity.
The animal in these images has received a bilateral lesion of the amygdala. The animal immediately reached for the grape in front of the rubber snake replica (A) but, after putting the grape in his mouth, began tactually exploring the rubber snake (B).
Normal animals would typically not approach the rubber snake and never tactually explore it.
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
What did Mark & Ervin (1970) report in a patient receiving stimulation to her amygdala?
Stimulation near the amygdala produces fear, anxiety, defensive, and sometimes violent behaviour.
found a woman receiving painless stimulation to her amygdala became enraged and smashed her guitar against the wall
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
Explain the research by Gospic et al. (2011), and how it sheds light on the role of the limbic system in aggression.
ppts played ‘The Ultimatum Game’.
Subject A is termed the Proposer, subject B is the Responder. Subject B was subjected to mild provocation.
The researchers used MRI to monitor brain activity while playing.
They found that when subject B rejected the offer there was increased response in the amygdala in those subjects.
They also found that when the ppts took Benzodiazepines, which are used to calm anxiety, it halved the number of rejections and decreased amygdala activity.
suggests an association between reactive aggression and the amygdala.
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
Explain the relationship between serotonin and aggression.
- Serotonin has widespread inhibitory effects on the brain - slowing down neuronal activity
- Aggression in humans and animals is associated with low levels of serotonin
- Normal levels in the OFC reduce the firing of neurons and allow for a greater degree of behavioural self control
- Decreased levels disturb this mechanism reducing self control and increasing impulsive behaviour including aggression)
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
- Neural Mechanisms of Aggression
