Aggression Flashcards
What is proactive aggresion?
a planned method of getting what you want
What is reactive aggression?
angry, impulsive behaviour that is often accompanied with physiological arousal
What does the limbic system do?
controls a range of emotional behaviours including aggression
What structure of the limbic system is associated with aggression?
the amygdala
What is the role of the amygdala?
responsible for quickly evaluating the emotional importance of sensory info and prompting appropriate repsonses including aggression
What are the links with aggression and the amygdala?
tumour, damage or atypical development makes aggressive behaviour more likely
What did Pardini et al find supporting the amygdala in aggression?
smaller amygdala = higher levels of aggression and violence
What did Ervin et al find on the amygdala in aggression?
electrical stimulation of a patient’s amygdala lead to facial grimicing and anger
What is the issue with Ervin’s patient study on the amygdala?
it was an atypical patient with epilepsy = cannot generalise
What was kluver and Bucy’s study on the amygdala in aggression?
destroying the amygdala in aggressive monkeys = less aggressive behaviour
tells us little about human aggression
What other structure of the brain is responsible for aggression?
the orbitofrontal cortex - OFC
What is the role of the OFC?
regulates the emotional responses driven by the amygdala
What can damage to the OFC lead to?
impulsivity and loss of control
What was Coccaro et al’s study for the role of the OFC in aggression?
patients with psych disorders that feature aggression = activity in the OFC was reduced
What was Raine et al’s study for the role of the OFC in aggression?
brain activity in 41 murderers using PET scans = atypical functioning of the OFC and amygdala
What are the 2 neural explainations of aggression?
serotonin
limbic system
What is serotonin?
neurotransmitter involved in the communication of impulses between neurons
What effect does serotonin have on the amygdala?
inhibits the firing of the amydala
What levels of serotonin are associated with aggression, impulsivity and loss of control?
low levels
What was found on the waste product of serotonin in aggression?
levels of waste product from serotonin from violent impulsive offenders were significantly lower and they also suffered from sleep irregularities
What did Raleigh find on the influence of tryptophan diets in monkeys?
Tryptophan increases serotonin levels = monkeys with a diet with high tryptophan were less aggressive
What is the prac application to manipulating tryptophan in diets?
can raise serotonin levels in highly aggressive prisoners and unpredictable psych patients
however there are ethical issues with this
What is the issue with saying serotonin influences aggression?
complex = neural and hormonal also involved
high levels of serotonin also found to increase aggression = little significance has been found on the relationship with serotonin and aggression
What hormone influences aggression?
testosterone