Role of the amygdala

Question 1

What may cause criminal behaviour?

Answer 1

Differences in brain structure, structural or functional

Question 2

What area of the brain is thought to be different and what affect does it have?

Answer 2

Pre frontal cortex, disrupting regulation of aggression (amygdala is linked with pre frontal cortex)

Question 3

What does the amygdala do?

Answer 3

Our emotional responses to situations, respond to signals of distress, inhibits antisocial behaviour

Question 4

What would happen if the amygdala is dysfunctional?

Answer 4

Influences decision making (impulsive), aggressive behaviour, lack of guilt and remorse.

Question 5

What is the amygdala linked to?

Answer 5

Hippocampus (regulates emotions and long term memory), hypothalamus (regulates stress response) and prefrontal cortex

Question 6

What did Raines research find? (Can use as an evaluation point)

Answer 6

Lower glucose metabolism in the pre frontal and parietal lobe
Higher metabolism in the occipital
Reduced left activity and greater right in occipital

Question 7

What did Raine also recognise? (use as weakness)

Answer 7

Cause and effect cannot be established, violence not determined by biology alone

Question 8

Strength- what did gao et al find?

Answer 8

Those from his sample that had a criminal record at 23, showed no fear conditioning at 3 years old

Question 9

What did gao’s research suggest? (strength)

Answer 9

dysfunction means fear conditioning is disrupted. lack of considering consequences so anti-social and aggressive behaviours are displayed

Question 10

What is a weakness of amygdala dysfunction?

Answer 10

Unlikely to provide complete explanation, Cannot be directly led to criminal behaviour but occur in presence of environmental factors, biopsycholosocial factors are responsible such as poor diet and neglect and abuse in early lives