Aggression

Question 1

What is the limbic system?

Answer 1

A central area of the brain which has many functions including the processing of emotion. One theory behind aggression is that the limbic system is malfunctioning and as it is in charge of emotions, it can lead to an increase in aggression

Question 2

What is the amygdala?

Answer 2

The brain’s quick response to stimuli. E.g responding to being hit in the face

Question 3

What is the hippocampus?

Answer 3

Part of the brain primarily responsible for memory. Allows an animal to compare the conditions of a current threat with similar past experiences. For example, if an animal had previously been attacked by another animal, the next time they encounter that animal ,they are likely to respond with aggression or fear

Question 4

Raine (1997)- Limbic system

Answer 4

• Scanned the brains of 41 murderers using PET scanning
• Found reduced activity in the pre frontal cortex of the murderers compared to controls
• This abnormal limbic system functioning could have led to their aggressive behaviour

Question 5

Explain the role of testosterone in aggression

Answer 5

• The limbic system should regulate testosterone but if it is malfunctioning, this can lead to too much testosterone and aggression
• Testosterone levels peak in young men and decline in adult hood
• Te chromosomal differences between males and females influence the difference in levels of testosterone. Levels are up to 10 times higher in men than women

Question 6

Dabbs et al (1995)- Testosterone

Answer 6

• Measured testosterone from saliva of 692 male prisoners
• Those with higher testosterone were more likely to have committed crimes involving sex and violence and more likely to have broken prison rules

Question 7

Explain the role of serotonin in aggression (neural mechanism)

Answer 7

• Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter
• Low levels of serotonin leads to aggression
• it is thought that when serotonin levels are low, communication is weakened between the pre frontal cortex and the amygdala
• Normal levels of serotonin are linked with reduced firing of neurons and this is associated with a greater degree of behavioural self control
• if a person has too little serotonin, they are unable to control their rage as easily

Question 8

Mann (1990)- Serotonin

Answer 8

• Serotonin levels were artificially depleted using dexenfluramine in 35 healthy volunteers
• Found increased self report feelings of aggression in the men

Question 9

What is the MAOA gene?

Answer 9

The gene responsible for the activity of the MAOA enzyme

Question 10

Explain the role of the MAOA gene in aggression

Answer 10

• A dysfunction in the operation of these gene may lead to abnormal activity of the MAOA enzyme which affects levels of serotonin in the brain
• One variant of the MAOA gene (warrior gene( leads to low MAOA activity in the brain and this has been associated with various forms of aggression

Question 11

Brunner (1993)- Genes

Answer 11

• Found a family in Holland which had very high rates of extreme violence in many of the males
• Those males who were violent had abnormally low levels of the MAOA enzyme
• This supports the idea that abnormal levels of MAOA leads to low levels of serotonin and aggressive behaviour

Question 12

What is concordance rate?

Answer 12

The percentage given to the person’s likelihood of developing a characteristic based on the presence o it in their family

Question 13

Why are twin studies used?

Answer 13

MZ twins share 100% genes where as DZ share 50%. It is presumed that all twins share a similar environment so therefore the influence of genetic factors can be assessed with the IV as the degree of genetic similarity

Question 14

McGuffin and Gottesman (1995)- twin study

Answer 14

Found the concordance rate for MZ twins was 85% compared to 72% for DZ

Question 15

What are adoption studies?

Answer 15

Studies of genetically related individuals who have been spared and allows researchers to overcome the problem of genetic and environmental influences becoming mixed up

Question 16

Hutchings and Mednick 1975 adoption study

Answer 16

• Carried out a study of over 14000 adoptions in Denmark
• Found that a significant number of adopted boys with criminal convictions had biological parents with convictions for criminal violence
• Supports that we may inherit a genetic vulnerability for aggression

Question 17

Caspi et al (2002)

Answer 17

• Involved 500 male children
• Researchers discovered a variant of the gene associated with high levels of MAOA and a varient associated with low levels
• Those with the MAOA-L variant were significantly more likely to grow up to exhibit anti social behaviour but only if they had been maltreated as children
• Children with the MAOA H variant who were maltreated and those with the MAOA L variant who were not maltreated did not display antisocial behaviour

Question 18

General evaluation points for the biological explanation

Answer 18

• Deterministic- assumes that anyone with a dysfunction of the MAOA gene will become aggressive and so it ignores the role of free will
• It is likely that there is an interaction between genes and the environment in making someone prone to aggression
• Research not manipulated- ethical.
• Combination of twin, adoption and case studies0 the flaws of one type of study can be compensated for by the strengths of the others

Question 19

What is institutional aggression

Answer 19

Aggressive behaviour that takes place within the social context of a prison or other formal organised setting
Much research into institutional aggression seeks to explain whether it is caused b situational or dispositional factors

Question 20

The importation model

Answer 20

• Put forward by Irwin and Cressey 1962
• Dispostional
• Explains that aggressino is the product of individual characteristics of inmates and not the prison environment

Question 21

Harer and Steffensmier 1998

Answer 21

• Studied 24,000 inmates across 58 prisons across the US
• Concluded that race, age, criminal history were the most important predictors of prison violence where as none of the situational factors were significant
• This suggests that the environment from which people come can influence aggression

Question 22

The deprivation model

Answer 22

• The model suggests that it is the conditions of the prison itself which causes aggression
• Sykes outlines the following 5 deprivations which would increase aggression (1985)
• Deprivation of food and services
• Deprivation of liberty
• Deprivation of autonomy
• Deprivation of heteroxsexual relationships
• Deprivation of security

Question 23

Zimbardo 1971

Answer 23

The stimulation of the prison experiment revealed the power of the situation. All participants conformed to their roles and many acted aggressively

Question 24

Mc Corkle 1995

Answer 24

Conduced a major study of 371 prisoner and found that over crowding, lack of privacy and lack of meaningful activity all significantly influence peer violence

Question 25

What is desensitisation?

Answer 25

- To become less sensitive - Once you have been exposed to something for a long prolongued period of time, you will end up becoming less shocked by it - E.g someone who spends hours playing violent video fames will be more likely to be less affected if they saw violence in the streets - Repeated exposure reduces normal levels of arousal making aggressive behaviour more likely - Repeated exposure to violent media promotes a belief that using aggression as a method of resolving conflict is socially acceptable

Question 26

Camagey 2007

Answer 26

Found that participants who had played a violent video game for 20 mins showed significantly less physiological arousal during a 10 minute film showing real life violence compared to participant who had played a non violent video game -This shows a link between exposure to violence and the person's sensitivity to violence

Question 27

What is cognitive priming?

Answer 27

-The idea that cues from the media may be stored as memories -These scripts are then available and are triggered when placed in a potentially aggression situation Eg someone who is exposed to an aggressive message from a TV programme may be promoted to act more aggressively

Question 28

What is disinhibition?

Answer 28

Most of the time people have disinhibitions about behaving aggressively. Seeing violence repeatedly in the media may mean it begins to seem acceptable and therefore more likely to make people disinhibited. This is especially true if they don't see the negative consequences of the aggression -When someone is disinhibited, they are acting free from the pressures of others

Question 29

Social learning

Answer 29

The idea that we can pick up our behaviour by observing the actions of others

Question 30

Self efficacy

Answer 30

The extent to which we believe our actions will achieve a desired action. A child's confidence in their ability to be aggressive grows as they learn that aggressino can bring rewards

Question 31

Phillips 1986

Answer 31

Found that there was a significant increase in the umber of homicides in the USA THE WEEK FOLLOWING SEVERAL HIGH PROFILE BOXING MATCHES

Question 32

What is de individuation?

Answer 32

A psychological state in which an individual loses their personal identity. This can make people act in ways which is in direct conflict with their own morals

Question 33

Losing your public self awareness

Answer 33

How much we care about what others think of our behaviour

Question 34

Losing your private self awareness

Answer 34

How much we pay attention to our own feelings and behaviour