Biological Explanation

Question 1

Which areas of the brain have been linked to aggression

Answer 1

• the limbic system

Question 2

What is the limbic system and the theory on why it affects aggression

Answer 2

• central area of the brain
• helps to co-ordinate behaviour especially emotion and motivation
• key emotions are aggression and fear
• the theory is the the system had malfunctioned and is in charge of our emotions which can sometimes lead to an increase in aggression

Question 3

What are the two areas of the brain made up of for the limbic system

Answer 3

• amygdala

- hippocampus

Question 4

What is the amygdala

Answer 4

• almond shaped part in our brain
• gives us anger
• fast immediate response when in a situation
• very primitively part of the brain

Question 5

What is the hippocampus

Answer 5

• memory, learn suitable response based on past experiences
  A responsible for memory
• damage to this part can affect our normal response to aggressive stimuli

Question 6

Key study for the limbic system that supports the Theory

Answer 6

• raine
• scanned 41 murderers brains
• pet scans
• found: reduced activity in pre-frontal cortex of the murderers compared to the control group
• abnormal limbic system function could have led to aggressive behaviour

Question 7

Main evidence against limbic system

Answer 7

• damage to pre frontal cortex can be linked to aggression implies that in a case of a brain injury the patient has little control over their aggression
• the persons free will is diminished and the person may not be held responsible for their behaviour

Question 8

What is serotonin

Answer 8

• a neurotransmitter which is linked to the inhibition of emotional reactions to stimuli by inhibiting the amygdala
• important in mood regulati n

Question 9

Serotonin- explanation for aggression

Answer 9

• lower levels of serotonin are associated with irritability and aggression
• because re-uptake of serotonin is too high
• higher levels of serotonin appear to have a calming affect
• explains why people are more aggressive when they are hungry, tired and stressed
• when serotonin levels are low- reduces communication between pre-frontal cortex and amygdala

Question 10

Evaluating neural influences on aggression

Positive

Key study for serotonin

Answer 10

• lots of evidence from animal studies
• Lenard
• testing a link between low serotonin and aggressive behaviour
• -49 monkeys living on a island
• lowest levels- more likely to be injured/die young
• higher levels- more affectionate, groomed other mo keys
• results- serotonin suppresses aggressive behaviour
• quasi experiment- serotonin levels weren’t manipulated

Question 11

Evaluating neural influences on aggression

Negatives

Answer 11

• lots of evidence saying serotonin is linked, lacking when it says it causes it
• animals studies show a strong link, doesn’t mean the link is the cause
• cannot be generalised to humans because we are more complex

Question 12

What is testosterone

Answer 12

• a hormone which is significantly more plentiful in men then women
• found in testes and ovaries
• increased levels have been linked to aggressive behaviour in animals and humans
• the levels decline as men get older
• also explain why men and women in sports who take this enhancer are seen to be more aggressive
• responsible for the development of male characteristics

Question 13

Why is testosterone linked to aggression

Answer 13

• men are statistically more likely to engage in violence
• they become more aggressive when they hit puberty
• it has been argued that this indicates testosterone is related to aggression

Question 14

Key study for testosterone

Evaluation supporting the theory

Answer 14

• Dabbs
• 692 male prisoners
• measured testosterone levels from saliva
• recorded types of crime committed and whether they broke prison rules
• findings- higher testosterone more likely to have committed crimes involving sex and violence and they were more likely to have broken prison rules

Question 15

Evaluating testosterone

Negatives

Answer 15

• evidence doesn’t always suggest that testosterone has a direct link to aggressive behaviour
• problem with establishing cause and effect- this data Dabbs- is only correlational
• there are many types of aggression, and as yet we are not sure about the role that testosterone may play in in these different forms of aggression
• socially sensitive- feed stereotypes that depict men as aggressive and women as passive
• used as a particular excuse for men to be aggressive
• deterministic- may minimise the the responsibility that we have over our own actions

Question 16

What are concordance rates

Answer 16

• this is the percentage given to a persons likelihood of developing a characteristic based on the prevalence of it in their family

Question 17

Main points of genetic factors

Family studies…

Answer 17

• family studies are done

- cannot know how much is inherited or how much is due to the environmental factors

Question 18

Why do we use twin and adoption studies

Answer 18

• to separate nature and nurture

- genes and environment

Question 19

Why are twin studies useful

Answer 19

• can compare concordance rates of MZ and DZ twins
• if both MZ twins inherite aggression and show aggressive behaviour more likely to be nature because both of them have it which shows it more to do with genes then environment
• natural design- one of the best types to do

Question 20

Key study supporting twin studies

Answer 20

• gottesman
• found a concordance rate for MZ (85%) was higher than dz (72%) when it came to aggression and anti- social behaviour
• supports the theory that genes contribute to aggressive behaviour - concordance rate for dz twins was over 50% so shows that the environment has something to do with aggressive behaviour

Question 21

Why do we use adoption studies

Answer 21

• to solve the issue of twin studies by comparing the aggression rates of children who have been reared apart from their parents
• involved comparing the rates of aggression of adoptees with their biological parents

Question 22

What is MAOA

Answer 22

• an enzyme involved in processing neurotransmitters, including serotonin in the brain
• regulates metabolism of serotonin in the brain
• low levels of serotonin are associated with impulsive and aggressive behaviour

Question 23

Outline the Brunner Dutch family study

MAOA

Answer 23

• family in Holland
• several male family members showed patterns of behaviour involving impulsive aggression including violent crimes
• identified a fault in the MAOA gene of the individuals showing impulsive behaviour

Question 24

Limitations of the Brunner study

Answer 24

• case study, small sample size- small population validity because only done in Netherlands
• same family- same upbringing

Question 25

Explain the difference between MAOA-H and MAOA-L

Answer 25

H is high levels of MAOA | L is low levels of MAOA

Question 26

Strengths of genetic factors in aggression

Answer 26

- can explain gender differences - MAOA gene can explain uneven rates of violence for males/females - may be consequence of the differential genetic vulnerability that males and females have to the genes

Question 27

Weaknesses of genetic explanation

Answer 27

- difficult to measure again - many of the studies have relied on self report which isn't very reliable as people lie and answer what they think people what them to do - ignores social and environmental factors which play a part too - highly deterministic view- no choice over our aggressive behaviour - if genes do have this affect we still have a choice on whether we want to act aggressively or not - socially sensitive