Neural/hormonal mechanisms - Tesosterone

Question 1

What is testosterone?

Answer 1

A males sex hormone (Androgen) that controls the development of male sex characteristics.

Testosterone levels 8x higher in males than females.

Question 2

What is the reason for observed sex differences in aggression?

Answer 2

High levels of testosterone in males linked to higher aggression levels.

Question 3

What does high levels of testosterone in the OFC cause.

Answer 3

Reduced activity in ofc.

The OFC is less able to regulate aggressive impulses coming from the limbic system.

Resulting in less self-control/aggressive responses to stimuli.

Question 4

What can high levels of testosterone do to the amygdala ?

Answer 4

Increases activity resulting in more aggressive impulses.

Question 5

What can high levels of testosterone do to serotonin?

Answer 5

Reduce the activity of serotonin limiting its ability to calm aggressive impulses.

Question 6

What is an evaluation of testosterone?

Answer 6

Wagner (1980)
Research support.
Measured aggression in female and male mice.

(How often they bit target).

Question 7

What was found ?

Answer 7

Males bit more often than females but the sex difference disappeared after castration.

Sex difference came back when male mice injected with testosterone.

Injections to females also increased bite frequency.

Question 8

What does this suggest?

Answer 8

The level of the testosterone hormone affects aggression in the body.

Question 9

Issue with Wagner’s mice study

Answer 9

Conducted on mice so may not be generalisable to humans.

So low ecological/external validity.

(Study is reliable however)