the role of hormones to explain aggression Flashcards
(17 cards)
what is a hormone?
chemical messengers that transmit information around the body
what functions do hormones play a role in?
primary functions such as mood, sleep, breathing, growth and development
how do hormones travel around the body?
they’re produced and excreted by glands from the endocrine system and are carried in the blood and operate all around the body
where is testosterone produced?
the testes
what characteristics is testosterone linked to?
puberty and aggression
how do hormones work?
they bind to receptor proteins in target cells and change the cells function
which gender has testosterone in greater amounts?
male (20x)
where do high levels of testosterone influence cell growth?
the amygdala
what have animal studies demonstrated about the increase of testosterone?
there’s more aggressive behaviour within the male species
what is the dual hypothesis by carre and Mehta (2011)?
high levels of testosterone lead to aggressive behaviour only when cortisol levels are low
or
when cortisol is high, testosterone’s influence on aggression is blocked
what Dabbs and Hargrove research adds credibility to the role of hormones to explain aggression?
(C.o.d.a)
1997 research where they measured testosterone levels in the saliva of 87 female inmates at a maximum security prison.
they found the degree of criminal violence used by these women was positively correlated with testosterone level and correlated with the extent of the woman’s aggressive dominance with the prison.
what Edwards research adds credibility to the role of hormones to explain aggression?
(C.o.d.a)
injected neonatal female rodents with testosterone which made them act more aggressively when given testosterone again as adults compared to the control group
why is there low generalisability in the research to the role of hormones to explain aggression?
(c.O.d.a)
much of the research is done with animals (small mammals) such as rodents. Most animals behaviour is determined by instinct whereas human behaviour is much more learnt from the environment
what is the opposition point about the correlation of aggression and hormones? (c.O.d.a)
it is only a correlational relationship therefore we dont know if theres a cause-and-effect or theres other factors involved. we can’t truly know if it’s the hormones that cause aggression or aggression that causes the increase in hormones
What is someone’s ‘baseline’ in testosterone?
their ‘usual’ level of testosterone and is relatively stable over time
what are the different explanations of aggression?
(c.o.D.a)
structure of the brain: damage to the pre-frontal cortex is implicated in aggressive behaviour
evolution: males have evolved to protect their young from predators- survival of the fittest
freud- aggression is due to an over-dominant ID and a prevention of catharsis
how can knowledge of the role of hormones to explain aggression be applied?
(c.o.d.A)
chemical castration- controlling sexual urges through reduction of testosterone and libido-sex offenders
early intervention could be used to target those who show signs of high levels of testosterone and bad/aggressive behaviour
