Role of Hormones in Human Behaviour

Question 1

Why is hormones and aggression developmental psychology?

Answer 1

Testosterone is high as a teen (more aggressive)
Testosterone dips as a father (so you are more caring and soft to the baby)

Question 2

What is the application of testosterone in development psychology for aggression?

Answer 2

You can understand the effects of hormones to control aggression:
If aggression is chemically controlled it should be possible to make a drug that influences hormonal mechanisms to reduce aggressive behaviours

Question 3

Study about testosterone lowering drug

Answer 3

Maletzky et al 2006 found a testosterone lowering drug (depo-provera) that reduced levels of sexually aggressive behaviour in some offenders

Question 4

What does the dual hormone hypothesis suggest?

Answer 4

Role of hormones in aggression is more complex than just testosterone (1 hormone)

Question 5

What do hormones have a crucial role in?

Answer 5

Fight or flight response to perceived stressors (e.g. increased heart rate to run or fight)

Question 6

What are hormones?

Answer 6

Biochemical messengers transported around the body (slow but widespread effects)

Question 7

Weakness of hormones for developmental psychology?

Answer 7

It is difficult to determine testosterone levels

Question 8

Two types psychologists must distinguish between testosterone levels

Answer 8

Baseline and fluctuating

Question 9

What is Baseline testosterone

Answer 9

Baseline testosterone is the usual level and stable across long periods but fluctuates from one social encounter to another

Question 10

Study about baseline testosterone

Answer 10

Carre et al 2001 argues baseline testosterone plays a less important role in human aggression but is often the measure used in human research

Question 11

Conclusion about baseline study due to Carre et al (2001) findings

Answer 11

Means baseline measure may not provide a valid indicator of testosterone levels in relation to aggression

Question 12

The role of testosterone in aggression was investigated in animal study Giammanco et al 2005. How?

Answer 12

Showed that experimental increases in testosterone are related to more aggressive behaviour in males of several species
Then showed decreases in testosterone as a result castration linked to reductions in aggression

Question 13

Strength of hormones in developmental psychology?

Answer 13

Dabbs and Hargrove 1997 found a positive correlation between aggression/criminal violence and testosterone levels for female inmates of a max security prison
Testosterone also correlated with the extent of women’s aggressive dominance within the prison

Question 14

Counter argument of strength

Answer 14

Correlational (can’t establish cause and effects)
[Research support for testosterone effects in females]

Question 15

Summarise the dual hormone hypothesis?

Answer 15

Cortisol secreted by adrenal glands to protect the body against effects of stress
[Combined activity of testosterone and cortisol may be a better predictor of aggression than either alone]

Question 16

What did career and mehta (2011) find with dual hormone hypothesis

Answer 16

Career and Mehta (2011) claim high levels of testosterone lead to aggressive behaviour only when levels of cortisol are low (high cortisol blocks testosterone’s influence on aggression)

Question 17

What did pompa et al find with dual hormone hypothesis

Answer 17

Popma et al studied adolescent males and found this in relation to direct physical aggression

Question 18

How do hormones impact female aggression? Dabbs and Hargrove (1997)

Answer 18

Dabbs and Hargrove 1997 found evidence for an aggression testosterone in females

Question 19

How do hormones impact female aggression? Dabbs and Hargrove COUNTERARGUMENT

Answer 19

HOWEVER, Eisenegger et al 2011 found women given a dose of testosterone behaved more generously and socially in a lab negotiating game

Question 20

Findings for hormones impact on female aggression

Answer 20

Aggression- testosterone link in females is more complex than in males suggesting non Biological factors (gender roles) may be important

Question 21

Aswell as animal studies, role of testosterone was investigated in a maximum security hospital. Outline the study?

Answer 21

Dolan et al 2001 found a positive correlation between testosterone levels and aggressive behaviour in a sample of 60 male offenders in UK max security hospitals