biological factors Flashcards
(18 cards)
what questions is baumgartner useful for
- biological appraoch to personal relationships
- hormones
oxytocin
- hormone that acts as a neurotransmitter
- produced in hypothalamus and released in pituitary gland
- bonding trust emotion regulation ‘cuddle horome’
aim of baumgartner
investigating the role of oxytocin in trust after betrayal
method/procedure
- they were either administered oxytocin or a placebo
-they played a trust game
- player 1 can keep 10 dollars, or share it and it becomes 30
-player 2 gets the chance to get 15 each or get 30
- participants were asked to play with trustees and a computuer
- they were told their descicions resulted in poor investment and they had to dechiper the nest steps
participants baumgartner
49ppl placed in fMRI
results baumgartner
- placebo were more likey to decrease trust after itd been broken
- oxytocin were more likey to carry on the same
- oxtocin reduced response in amyglanda and caudate nucleus wich have oxytocin receptors and responsibly for learning and trust
- the oxytocin was said to have reduced fear and our reliance on positive feedback thus the decrease in action in these areas
- the additonal oxytocin spray has facilitated trust and lowered defence mechanisms
- these reults didnt apply for the computer
conclusion of baumgartner
In conclusion, the study by Baumgartner and his team highlights the significant role of oxytocin in maintaining trust.
The findings suggest that oxytocin reduces fear responses and promotes trust by influencing brain activity in the amygdala and caudate nucleus, which are associated with emotional processing and reward learning.
strentghs baumgartner
- High level of experimental control (use of placebo) allowing for a cause and effect relationship to be established.
- Causal relationship established between oxytocin and trust.
- Objective data from fMRI increases reliability and replicabilit
weaknesses baumgartner
- Low ecological validity (fMRI is an artificial environment).
- Nasal spray delivery doesn’t mimic natural oxytocin release.
- Reductionist: Ignores sociocultural influences on trust and forgiveness.
serotonin 5-ht
dopamine
dopamine
- reward centre
- found and produced by adrenal glands
- exitement, motovation, pleasure
- increases when thinking of someone special
aim of fisher
investivate the specific neural mechamisms associated with love
participants fisher
10 females
7 males
in love for approximately 7 months
procedure fisher
- lab experiment; using fmri
1. Semi-structured interview to establish duration and intensity of romantic feelings
2. Completed the passionate love scale that used Likert scale to measure traits associated with love
3. Scanned as they looked at a photograph of beloved ones for 30s
4. Completed a filler task
5. Scanned as they looked at a neutral photo (random) for 30s as a control
6. Repeated 6 times
results fisher
Increase in activity in areas of the brain with dopamine neurons
The more passionate the people were the more active their brain is
strengths fisher
- fmri scanning is objective and reduces bias
- controlled experiment using pictures of partners and pictures of neutral
- high internal validity by isolating love
- aligns with research of the brain and the role of dopamine
weaknesses fisher
- low genrelizability with a small sample
- low ecological validity
- correlational, no cause and effect, thus bidirectional ambiguity
fishers theroy of neurotransmitters in love
- there is a specific attraction system associated with dopamine areas; known as a biochemical cocktail:
- dopamine feel good so increases
- noradrenaline controlls emotion so provides exitement
- serotonin stress and nausea wich reduces
- testosterone tho not a neurotransmitter
he argues that this chockatil is associated with love
conclusion fisher
according to fisher; love is not an emotion but a motivation system. dopamine is intense motivation to win a partner
