The structure of the brain and aggression (3)

Question 1

What is the temporal lobe?

Answer 1

The temporal lobe is involved in vision, memory, sensory input, language, emotion, and comprehension.
-The temporal lobe is involved in primary auditory perception, such as hearing, and holds the primary auditory cortex. The primary auditory cortex receives sensory information from the ears and secondary areas process the information into meaningful units such as speech and words

Question 2

What is the occipital lobe?

Answer 2

The occipital lobe is the visual processing area of the brain. It is associated with visuospatial processing, distance and depth perception, color determination, object and face recognition, and memory formation.
The occipital lobes are positioned at the posterior region of the cerebral cortex and are the main centers for visual processing

Question 3

Where is the occipital lobe?

Answer 3

Located at the back of the brain, the occipital lobes are responsible for visual perception.

Question 4

What happens when the occipital lobe is damaged?

Answer 4

Damage to them results in loss of visual capability, an inability to identify colors, and hallucinations. At times, patients experience severe vision loss or total blindness.2

Question 5

Where is the temporal lobe?

Answer 5

-The temporal lobe is located behind your ears and extends to both sides of the brain.

Question 6

Define Aggression

Answer 6

Aggression is behaviour that is intended to cause injury which may be psychological or physical

Question 7

What is serotonin

Answer 7

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter with widespread inhibitory effects that is associated with self-control. Decreased serotonin may lead to impulsive behaviour and may increase violent behaviour.

Question 8

What is dopamine

Answer 8

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that can inhibit and excite different areas of the brain. It is for regulating behaviour in promise of a reward. Lack of serotonin can increase dopamine which may lead to more aggression.

Question 9

What is a weakness of saying these factors in the brain cause aggression?

Answer 9

Most evidence linking the brain and aggression is correlational and hard to get a direct link without the possibility of external variables having a role.

Question 10

What are the 3 main biological influences on our behaviour?

Answer 10

1) The Central Nervous System (brain, spinal cord, neurones)- this is a system of communication within the body
2) Evolution + Natural Selection - our behaviour is determined in genes that we inherit from our parents
3) Hormones- chemical messages that transmit information around the body in the blood stream. This can lead to psychological characteristic

Question 11

What is aggression?

Answer 11

Feelings of anger resulting in hostile or violent behaviour; readiness to attack or confront

Question 12

What is the role of the Hippocampus?

Answer 12

The hippocampus in involved in synaptic functioning; and is in the medial temporal lobe

Question 13

What are the 4 Lobes?

Answer 13

Temporal
Parietal
Occipital
Prefrontal

• Lobes feature when studying the structure of the brain

Question 14

What is the Corpus Callosum important for?

Answer 14

Taking messages between the 2 hemispheres of the brain

Question 15

What is Evidence for the Link between the Prefrontal Cortex and Aggression?

Answer 15

• Lots of dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine connections are found in the prefrontal cortex. These neurotransmitters link to emotions; suggesting the prefrontal cortex has a role in emotions
• Becharer + van der Linden (2005) agreed from their findings that the prefrontal lobe regulates behaviour + defers rewards, being about planning; lesion (damage) might be wanting more immediate gratification, making someone impatient, so linking to aggression. The prefrontal lobe inhibits messages from the amygdala, which links to it having a planning role + damage there might lead to more negative emotions
• Raine et al found that people who had showed emotional impulsive violence differed in their prefrontal cortex compared with controls

Question 16

What is the Limbic System and how does it Link to Aggression?

Answer 16

• Limbic System: Hippocampus, Amygdala, Hypothalamus
• Has a role in Self Preservation; including response to emotions and the ‘Fight-or-Flight’ response, which arouses us when we’re in danger
• In animals, if the amygdala is stimulated (using an electric current), there is an aggressive response. If the amygdala is removed, the animal is passive

Question 17

What is the Link between the Prefrontal Cortex and Aggression?

Answer 17

• Raine et al. found the prefrontal cortex is involved in aggression
• Aggression is due to a lack of control from the prefrontal cortex: If the prefrontal cortex is damaged, or functions poorly / abnormally, then people can become very impulsive, impatient and aggressive
• Depression links to the orbifrontal, vetromedial and lateral prefrontal cortex.

Question 18

What is the Structure of the Pre-Frontal Cortex?

Answer 18

The prefrontal cortex is the outer layer of the brain, is in the prefrontal lobe, is found in both hemispheres and has a role in emotions

Question 19

What are some Strengths of using Brain Functioning as an Explanation for Aggression as a Human Behaviour?

Answer 19

• Human case studies such as Phineas Gage are often consistent with the findings of animal studies; suggesting findings from lesion studies also apply to humans.
• Blair et al (2001) found that patients with psychopathic personalities have similar neurocognitive function to patients with a damaged amygdala; supporting the idea that this structure is linked to aggression
• Raine et al used PET scans and found that a group of murderers showed lower activity in the prefrontal cortex, and differences in the functioning of the limbic system (compared with controls); supporting the idea that these regions are involved in aggression.
• Psychology as a Science: Animal Research can be carried out in a more scientific way that with Human Research, due to ethics. High control is possible when manipulating/controlling variables- This leads to better internal validity, and a stronger cause + effect relationship

Question 20

What is Evidence for the Link between the Limbic System and Aggression?

Answer 20

• Andy + Velamin (1978) stimulated the hypothalamus + basal ganglia (both in the limbic system) of cats; which lead to them having aggressive seizures.
• They also found that blocking catecholamines (epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine) increased aggression. This shows how neurotransmitters and brain structure link.
• Downer (1961) removed 1 amygdala from monkeys (ablation). Visual signals go to the amygdala- Visual signals that reaches the amygdala led to normal functioning, but when they went to the removed amygdala, this lead to more calm behaviour.
• Hermans et al (1994) showed that electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus leads to aggression.

Question 21

Who was Phineas Gage, and how does he Contribute to our Knowledge of Brain Structure and Aggression?

Answer 21

He had an accident in 1848, where a 3.1 pole went through his head from igniting compact explosive powder.

Scientists eventually established that up to 4 per cent of the cerebral cortex and about 11 per cent of the total white matter in the frontal lobe were destroyed.
(However, we mainly say he damaged his prefrontal lobe)

The wound physically healed in 10 weeks and he managed to live for another 11 years before he died.

In 1868 Harlow wrote a report on the ‘mental manifestations’ of Gage’s injuries. He described Gage as “fitful, irreverent, indulging at times in the grossest profanity…capricious and vacillating” and being “radically changed, so decidedly that his friends and acquaintances said he was ‘no longer Gage’.”

Question 22

What are some Weaknesses of using Brain Functioning as an Explanation of Aggression as a Human Behaviour?

Answer 22

• The findings of animal research might not be generalisable to humans; as the effects on behaviour might be different in humans and animals
• Case studies such as Phineas Gage are not representative of society; and so findings may not generalise to everyone
• Brain scans used to find brain issues lack ecological validity

Question 23

What is the Role of the Prefrontal Cortex?

Answer 23

The prefrontal cortex is involved with emotions and has high levels of synapses with dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine)

It regulates behaviour and governs social interaction. It allows people to plan their actions and delay gratification and rewards

Question 24

What’s the difference between ‘Whole Brainers’ and ‘Localisers’?

Answer 24

The whole brainers believed that the brain was linked. This means that they thought the all parts of the brain were in control of all emotions, instead of there being certain parts that are appointed to emotions. The localisers believed that certain parts of the brain controlled certain emotions.

Question 25

What is Vital Force Theory?

Answer 25

The Vital Force is an energy that enables all living things to self-heal or to preserve life by adapting to environmental changes. In the case of the human body, the Vital Force directs the different body systems to function as a harmonious whole, in much the same way a conductor directs the separate parts of an orchestra to produce a single, pleasing piece of music.