hormones Flashcards
(34 cards)
1
Q
hormones
A
chemical messengers of the body
2
Q
why are hormones different to neurotransmitters
A
- they travel in the bloodstream
- travel at a slower rate
3
Q
what do hormones affect
A
- metabolism
- mood.
- role in reproduction
- role in sexual function
4
Q
endocrine system
A
- responsible for making hormones
5
Q
what is endocrine system made up of
A
- thyroid
- pituitary glands
- testes
- ovaries
6
Q
how do hormones work
A
- binding to receptor proteins in target cells and changing cell function
7
Q
how can hormone secretion be triggered
A
- by other hormones
- activity at the neuronal level
- environment
8
Q
A
9
Q
how could aggression be caused
A
- hormones
- adrenaline
- ACTH
- Cortisol
10
Q
adrenaline
A
- released from adrenal glands
- prepared body for fight or flight
11
Q
ACTH
A
- produced by pituitary gland
- stimulates production and release of cortisol from cortex of adrenal gland
12
Q
cortisol
A
- produced in adrenal glands
- responsible for waking us up
- manages stress levels
13
Q
what does cortisol appear to inhibit
A
- aggression
14
Q
what evidence is there to show that cortisol inhibits aggression
A
- Low levels of cortisol in violent school children
15
Q
A
16
Q
why would people with lower cortisol levels be more aggressive
A
- their ANS is under aroused
- aggressive behavior is an attempt to create stressful situations
- provoke cortisol release
- to stimulate ANS
17
Q
Barzman et al
A
- found the amount of saliva found 30 mins after waking up correlated with number of aggressive incidents recorded by the nurses
- levels of cortisol and testosterone after waking up correlated with the amount of aggression in the first aggressive incident noted that day
18
Q
Barzman et al sample
A
- children in a psychiatric hospital
- boys aged 7-9
19
Q
why are men seen to be more aggressive than women
A
more testosterone
20
Q
proof for testosterone and aggression raine et al
A
- 5% of males to be characterized by a pattern of anti social behavior
- these men are said to commit 50-70% violent crime
21
Q
dabbs et al testosterone evaluation
A
- measured levels of testosterone in saliva of 89 male prisoners involved in violent and non violent crime
- levels of testosterone is higher in those who were involved in violent crime
22
Q
Dabbs et al criticism
A
- relies on correlational data
- doesn’t establish wether testosterone levels cause violence
23
Q
why can we research animals when looking at the limbic system
A
- in both humans and animals it controls emotions and memories so research can be generalized as this part of the brain works in similar ways
24
Q
Harlow - aggression in males evidence
A
- young male rhesus monkeys
- engage in more rough and tumble play than their sisters
25
how can female aggressive behavior be enhanced by testosterone - evidence - Dabbs and Hargrove
- measured testosterone of saliva of 87 females
- maximum security prison
- found degree of criminal violence positively correlated with testosterone levels
26
why is research on the relationship between testosterone and aggression difficult
- only reliable measurement of brain testosterone is a lumbar puncture
- this can’t be done for research purposes
27
lumbar puncture
- a needle is inserted into lower part of the spine
- evidence of conditions affecting brain, spinal cord or other areas of CNS
28
strengths hormones and aggression
- evidence
- applications
29
evidence - hormones and aggression
- well controlled
- use scientific methods
- adds credibility
- different finding support each other
- consistent results = more reliable
30
strengths - applications
- if aggression is chemically controlled we could create a drug which influences hormonal mechanism
- reducing aggression
31
example of aggression reducing hormone - Maletsky
- found testosterone lowering drug
- reduces sexually aggressive behavior in some offenders
32
hormones and aggression - weaknesses
- correlational research mainly used
33
weakness - correlational research
- only reliable test is lumbar puncture
- links between hormones and aggression but it’s unclear whether there are other variables involved
- which variable causes what
34
example of a weakness of correlational research - cortisol and aggression
- cortisol is a stress hormone
- related to aggression
- unknown whether there’s another variable causing both stress and aggression
- circular argument due to correlations
- which causes which ?
