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Psychology > P3: Aggression > Flashcards

P3: Aggression Flashcards

1
Q

What is the limbic system?

A

Structures in the brain thought to be closely involved in regulating emotional behaviour including aggression.

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2
Q

What is the limbic system made up of? HAT Hipp

A

Hypothalamus, Amygdala, Thalamus and the Hippocampus

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3
Q

What does the reactivity of the amygdala play an important part in?

A

In how mammals assess and respond to an environment, predicts aggressive behaviour. The more responsive the amygdala the more aggressive the person.

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4
Q

What does the Hypothalamus do?

A

Regulates body systems.

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5
Q

What does the Thalamus do?

A

Associated with regulation of aggression. Thought to be part of a relay system with the amygdala.

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6
Q

What does the Hippocampus do?

A

Knowledge of how to react in certain situations, helps us determine whether aggression is appropriate.

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7
Q

What was Gospic’s study and how can it be used as evidence for the limbic systems role in aggression?

A

Lab study to test aggression using the ultimatum game.
Two players, one offers to split money in a certain way to responder.
Responders were scanned using FMRI’s.
Found that when the responder rejected unfair offers the svans showed heightened response in the amygdala.
Association between aggression and amygdala.

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8
Q

Does the amygdala work in isolation?

A

No- seems to work with the orbiti-frontal cortex, part of the limbic system.

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9
Q

What is the Orbito-frontal cortex thought to be involved in?

A

In self control, impulse regulation and inhibition of aggresive behaviour.

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10
Q

What does Coccaro state about activity in the OFC in patients who suffer from aggressive psychiatric disorders>

A

Activity is reduced.

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11
Q

What is a limitation of the limbic explanation? -Other brain structures

A

Limbic systems function with the OFC, which is not part of the limbic system.
Is involved in impulse regulation and inhibition of aggressive behaviour.
Eg. Coccaro
Neural regulation of aggression is more complex.

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12
Q

What is serotonin?

A

A neurotransmitter with inhibitory effects throughout the brain. Key role in aggressive behaviour.

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13
Q

How is serotonin implicated in aggression?

A

It has widespread inhibitory effects in the brain. Normal levels in the OFC are linked with reduced firing neurons, which is associated with greater self control.

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14
Q

What can decreased serotonin mean?

A

It disrupts the normal mechanism. Can reduce self-control and lead to increased impulsive behaviour including aggression.

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15
Q

What can Virkkunen’s findings tell us about the role of serotonin in aggression?

A

Compared levels of serotonin breakdown product in the cerebrospinal fluid of violent impulsive and non-violent impulsive offenders. The levels were significantly lower in the impulsive offenders.

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16
Q

How do serotonin treatments such as drugs support serotonin’s implication in aggression?

A

Berman et al gave ppts either a placebo or paroxetine.
They then took part in a lab based game in which electric shocks of varying intensity were given and received in response to provocation.
Paroxetine ppts consistently gave fewer and less intense shocks than the placebo group, only when ppts had a history of violence,
Shows the link between serotonin in function and aggression.

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17
Q

How do serotonin treatments such as drugs support serotonin’s implication in aggression?

A

Berman et al gave ppts either a placebo or paroxetine.
They then took part in a lab based game in which electric shocks of varying intensity were given and received in response to provocation.
Paroxetine ppts consistently gave fewer and less intense shocks than the placebo group, only when ppts had a history of violence,
Shows the link between serotonin in function and aggression.

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18
Q

What is testosterone?

A

A hormone that is produced mainly in the male testes, associated with aggressiveness.

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19
Q

How is testosterone implicated in aggression?

A

Male aggression is seen to be higher than female.
When aggression peaks in puberty males appear to be most aggressive.
Testosterone also has a role in regulating social behaviour via it’s influence on certain areas in the brain implicated in aggression.

20
Q

What did Giammanco’s castration study find?

A

Removing the testes reduces aggression in the males of many species.
Giving injections of testosterone to the same animals restores aggressive behaviour.

21
Q

What did Dolan’s study on prison populations find?

A

Positive correlation between testosterone levels and aggressive behaviour in a sample of 60 offenders in UK max security holdings.
These men mostly had personality disorders and histories of impulsively violent behaviour.

22
Q

What is a limitation found for the link between testosterone and aggression found by Carre and Mehta?

A

Dual hormone hypothesis. High levels of testosterone lead to aggressive behaviour but only when levels of cortisol are low. When cortisol is high, testosterone’s influence on aggression is blocked. Cortisol plays a role in stress. Therefore the combined role may be a better explanation.

23
Q

How is the MAOA gene implicated in aggression?

A

Low-activity is closely associated with aggressive behaviour.

24
Q

What can a lack of MAOA mean?

A

An excess of neurotransmitters which cause people to respond excessively to stress. May lead to abnormal activity of the enzume, resulting in abnormal levels of the neurtransmitters.

25
Q

What did Brunner’s family study find about the MAOA gene?

A

Mutation in the MAOA gene in a Dutch family.
History of violence in the male members.
Defective gene was passed on to problem men via their mothers.
Non violent members didn’t have the gene deficit.

26
Q

What did Stuart find about men who were part of a batterer treatment programme?

A

Men with low acitivity MAOA gene were found to be the most violent.
Engaged in the highest levels of both physical and psychological aggression.

27
Q

What did Caspi’s longitudinal study tell us about NZ children and the MAOA gene?

A

Studied 1,037 NZ children for 26 years recording high or low activity.
Maltreated males who had the gene for low MAOA activity were over 3 times more likelt to commit violent crime.
Gene that generated high levels of MAOA appeared to act as a buffer against negative effects of abuse in childhood.

28
Q

What issues limit the MAOA explanation?

A

Ethics- Animal studies may not be accurate.
Biologically reductionist
Determinism
Nature vs Nurture

29
Q

What do twin studies suggest about whether aggression is genertically inherited from parents?

A

Suggest that heritability accounts for about 50% of the variances in aggressive behaviour. More of an association of aggressiveness between MS twins than DZ twins. Indicates a genetic contribution as identical twins share 100% of genes.

30
Q

What do adoption studies test about genetic inheritance of aggression?

A

If aggression if genetically determined the adopted child will show more similar levels of aggression to their biological parents than their adoptive parents. Adoption studies provide support for a genetoic basis being more significant then environmental influences.

31
Q

What did Mednick find in his adoption study on aggression?

A

Boys with no criminal parents = conviction rate of 14%
Adoptive parents were criminals= 15%
Biological parents were criminals= 20%
Both sets= 25%
Positive correlation between convictions for criminal violence among biological parents and convictions among adopted sons.
Biological characteristics increase likelihood of antisocial behaviour.

32
Q

What are opposing factors to the genetic inheritance explanation?

A

Epigenetics
Multiple genetic influences
Measuring aggression

33
Q

What did Coccaro found in her twin study on aggression?

A

Analysed data from 152 MZ twins and 118 DZ twins.
Genes account for more than 40% of differences in aggression.
Concordance for physical aggression
MZ- 50% DZ-19%
For verbal aggression
MZ- 28% DZ- 7%

34
Q

What are the factors of tv and media that can affect aggression?

A

Excessive TV viewing- regardless of whether the content is violent.
Violent film context- Viewing violent content

35
Q

What are the limitations of using media influences as an explanation of aggression?

A

Aggression is defined in various ways:
All violence is aggression but not all aggression in violence or criminal.
Findings of studies are hard to compare.

Research is plagued by unsupported conclusions.
Many studies are metholodically weak.
Studies lack external validity.

36
Q

What are the strengths of media influences as explanations of aggression?

A

Social Learning Theory
Eg. Bandura and the Bobo dolls
Enhances the validity

37
Q

What are the impacts of repeated exposure to violence?

A

Desensitisation
Disinhibition
Cognitive Priming

38
Q

What is desensitisation?

A

Reduced sensitivity to a stimulus.

This may make aggressive behaviour more likely.

39
Q

What is disinhibition?

A

A lack of restraint.

Results in socially unacceptable behaviours becoming more acceptable and likely.

40
Q

What is cognitive priming?

A

The way a person thinks is triggered by cues or ‘scripts’ which make us ready to respond in specific ways.

41
Q

What is support for desensitisation?

A

Krahe showed ppts violent (and non violent) films whilst measuring their physical arousal through skin conductance. Ppts who regularly watched violent films showed lower levels of arousal, they also gave louder bursts of white noise to a confederate without being provoked.

42
Q

What is a limitation of desensitisation?

A

It cannot explain some aggression.
Krahe failed to link media viewing, arousal and provoked aggression.
A more valid argument might be catharsis- releasing strong emotions.
Viewing violent media is a safety valve.

42
Q

What is support for disinhibition?

A

Berkowitz and Alioto found ppts who watched a film depicting aggression as vengeance gave more electric shocks of longer duration to a confederate. Media violence may disinhibit violence if it is portrayed as justified and acceptable.

43
Q

What is a strength of cognitive priming?

A

Real world application.
Bushman and Anderson- someone who habitually watched aggressive films stored aggressive scripts more readily.
Making them more likely to interpret cues as aggressive and resort to violent solutions without considering alternatives.

44
Q

What is a limitation of cognitive priming?

A

Confounding variables in research.
Playing violent video games primes behaviour more than non-violent ones.
Violent games tend to be more complex in their game play- this complexity is the confounding variable.

Psychology (12 decks)

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