The Role of Hormones Flashcards
What are hormones?
Chemical that carries message (slower than neurotransmitters)through the blood stream.
What is the role of hormones?
Hormones have different roles in the body, they affect mood e.g. make us more aggressive, growth and metabolism.
What is testosterone?
Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group.
Where is testosterone secreted?
Secreted primarily by the testes of males and, to a lesser extent, the ovaries of females.
Small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands.
What is testosterone linked to?
Testosterone is linked to muscle development and aggression. Testosterone is produced in spurts, so the testosterone levels can rise suddenly and have an effect within minutes.
What is it thought testosterone may influence?
It is thought that testosterone may influence areas of the brain that control behavioural reactions, such as the amygdala and the hypothalamus.
What other hormones that are thought to be involved in aggression does testosterone influence?
Testosterone also influences the levels of other hormones which are thought to be involved in aggression, such as vasopressin.
What is vasopressin?
Vasopressin is thought to either enhance or suppress aggressive behaviour.
Where is cortisol produced? What is its main job?
Cortisol is a hormone produced in the adrenal glands, its main job is managing stress levels.
What does cortisol seem to do to aggression?
Cortisol seems to inhibit aggression, therefore if levels of cortisol are low, aggression increases
How can levels of cortisol and testosterone be measured?
Levels of both testosterone and cortisol can be measured using the results of blood tests or saliva samples.
What are the strengths/supporting evidence for the role of hormones?
Dabbs et al
Barzmann et al
Scientifically credible
What are the weaknesses/ refuting evidence for the role of hormones?
Simpson - environmental factors
Reductionism
Psychology as a science
Why is Dabbs et al supporting evidence for the role of hormones?
Dabbs et aI. (1987) measured testosterone in the saliva of 89 male prisoners, some involved in violent crime and some in non-violent crime. They found 10 of the 11 prisoners involved in violent crime had high levels of testosterone.
Why is Barzmann et al supporting evidence for the role of hormones?
Barzman et aI. (2013) looked at hormones in the saliva of 7 to 9 year old boys in a psychiatric hospital. They took saliva samples from 17 boys and looked for testosterone and cortisol. They also obtained ratings of the aggression of the children twice a day from the nurses’ observations. They found that the amount of cortisol in the saliva just after waking correlated with the number of aggressive incidents observed by the nurses.
