role of hormones in aggression

Question 1

what are hormones

Answer 1

chemical messengers that work over time, take time to relay messages and travel via the circulatory system in blood

Question 2

where are hormones made

Answer 2

the endocrine system

Question 3

what do hormones control

Answer 3

• tissue function
• reproduction
• metabolic rate
• sleep cycle
• growth
• stress and mood

Question 4

what is the purpose of testosterone

Answer 4

develops male characteristics
causes physical changes during development and at puberty and also increases aggressive tendencies and spatial ability
affects the brain during antenatal (during pregnancy) and neonatal (immediately after birth) development

Question 5

strengths of the role of hormones in aggression

Answer 5

• DABBS measured levels of testosterone in 89 male prisoners and found 10/11 of those who had committed violent crimes had high levels of testosterone and those with low levels had 9/11 chance of committing the non violent crime
• ADELSON had their aggression control centre electrically stimulated and showed a hormonal stress response measured by hormones in the blood, raising stress hormones went with raised stimulation. concluded they had found a feedback loop. could explain why stress can lead to aggression and aggression can lead to stress
• ANIMAL STUDIES have a large number of controls which means it can be replicated. aggressive behaviour can be observed in a controlled way
• castrating mice ensures lower levels of testosterone which means studies have internal validity
• studies on humans show a strong correlation between testosterone and aggression. these studies are supported by animal studies and so have good predictive validity

Question 6

weaknesses of the role of hormones in aggression

Answer 6

• testosterone is an effect of dominance not the cause of it
• conducted on animals which decreases the generalisability
• cannot ethically be carried out on humans as there are limited cases of convicted sex offenders being castrated which supports the findings from animals research but cannot be regarded as representative
• investigating it as a cause is reductionist as other hormones and neurotransmitters are also known to affect aggression. e.g. the stress hormone cortisol can also lead to aggression

Question 7

evidence FOR the role of hormones in aggression (testosterone levels are higher in boys and they tend to be more aggressive)

Answer 7

• D’ANDRADE = boys have high exposure to testosterone than girls and show more aggressive behaviour
• MAZUR = testosterone levels increase during early teens at the same time boys show aggression and inter male fighting

Question 8

evidence AGAINST the role of hormones in aggression

testosterone levels are higher in boys and they tend to be more aggressive

Answer 8

• MAZUR AND BOOTH = levels of testosterone vary in the lifetime of an individual and affected by the environment. e.g. married men have lower testosterone than divorced men

Question 9

evidence FOR the role of hormones in aggression

castration will reduce aggression as reduces amount of testosterone

Answer 9

• HAWKE = castration of male sex offenders led to decrease in aggression
• MODELICA = heino compared behaviour of normal maltreats to rats that had been castrated. found that castrated rodents showed no aggressive behaviour but if injected with testosterone showed same levels of aggression as normal rats

Question 10

evidence AGAINST the role of hormones in aggression

castration will reduce aggression as reduces amount of testosterone

Answer 10

• studies have found that rats castrated after puberty shows no difference in aggression levels

Question 11

evidence FOR the role of hormones in aggression

females become more aggressive when given testosterone

Answer 11

• EDWARD injected female rats with testosterone while in the womb and they acted more aggressively as adults compared to normal female rats

Question 12

evidence FOR the role of hormones in aggression

high levels of testosterone lead to high levels of aggressive behaviour

Answer 12

• PRISON STUDY = male prisoners who had committed violent crimes have been found to have higher testosterone levels than other prisoners

Question 13

evidence AGAINST the role of hormones in aggression

high levels of testosterone lead to high levels of aggressive behaviour

Answer 13

• aggression cause increase in testosterone - research has found that levels of testosterone increase after aggression. suggests behaviour causes the increase in testosterone and not the other way round