Flashcards
NEURAL & HORMONAL EXPLANATIONS FOR AGGRESSION
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- 1NEURAL & HORMONAL EXPLANATIONS FOR AGGRESSIONNeurotransmitters are chemicals that allow impulses in the brain to be transmitted from one part of the brain to another. Two neurotransmitters are believed to play an important role in aggression; low levels of serotonin and high levels of dopamine.
Serotonin is believed to reduce aggression by inhibiting responses to emotional stimuli that might otherwise have led to an aggressive response. Low levels of serotonin in the brain, particularly in the pre-frontal cortex has been linked with higher chances of impulsive behaviour, aggression and even suicide as the inhibiting effect is lessened. - 2Part 2High levels of Dopamine are also believed to cause aggression in individuals. Support for this theory comes from the use of Amphetamine drugs which have shown to increase aggression levels in normal people. For patients suffering schizophrenia, anti-psychotics which reduce dopamine levels have been found to also reduce aggressive behaviour exhibited by patients, supporting this theory.
Other research suggests a different role for Dopamine’s link with aggression; it is known that Dopamine is produced as a response to rewarding stimuli (nice food, sex and recreational drugs) and Couppis et al found evidence to suggest that some individuals may intentionally seek out aggressive encounters because of the dopamine release they are rewarded with that the aggressive encounters provide. - 3Part 3Hormones are chemicals that control and regulate bodily functions. Testosterone is the male sex hormone and has been consistently linked with aggression. When testosterone levels peak around the start of puberty, there is a peak in aggression levels in boys suggesting a correlational link.Cortisol is believed to have a mediating effect on hormones such as testosterone as higher levels increases anxiety and inhibits testosterone levels and thus aggression.
- 4RESEARCH/EVALUATION (AO2/AO3)Support for serotonin is shown from a study by Raleigh et al. Researchers fed vervet monkeys on diets that either increased or decreased levels of serotonin. For monkeys that ate diets which increased their serotonin levels; they exhibited less aggressive behaviour. Monkeys fed on diets that decreased serotonin levels; they exhibited more aggressive behaviour, providing support for the serotonin theory.
Similarly, other studies have found that animals that are found to be docile and bred for domestication purposes have increases in serotonin over the following generations again supporting the theory that high levels of serotonin somehow inhibits aggression. - 5part 2Ferrari et al provides support for the influence of both serotonin and dopamine. Researches allowed rats to fight everyday over a period of 10 days at exactly the same time. On the 11th day, the animal did not fight and researchers measured the levels of serotonin and dopamine in the rat’s body. They found that elevated levels of dopamine were present and reduced levels of serotonin even though they animal had not fought. This suggests how experience had changed the animal’s brain chemistry by altering serotonin and dopamine levels, supporting the role of these neurotransmitters in aggression.
- 6part 3However animal research in itself has been argued to be unethical and morally wrong and such a study raises ethical concerns due to potential suffering inflicted. Also with animal studies, we cannot be certain that any findings can be generalised to humans due to the vastly different biology and anatomy between species.
- 7Part 4Lindman et al found that young males who behaved aggressively when drunk had higher testosterone levels than those who did not act aggressively. In contrast, Kreuz & Rose found no difference in testosterone levels when comparing prisoners who had prison records for fighting and non-fighting. In this study however, those with higher levels of violent crimes in their adolescents did have significantly higher levels of testosterone than those with no such history. Researchers believed that when individuals are placed in social environments that put them at risk of developing anti-social behaviours (aggression); testosterone may be an important additional factor that places individuals at risk of violent behaviour.
- 8part 5McBurnett et al studied young children over a period of 4 years and found those with low cortisol levels were 3 times more likely to be aggressive sooner than those with higher cortisol levels. This suggests a possible link between cortisol and aggression. However, studies regarding testosterone and cortisol are correlational and we cannot be certain of cause and effect as to whether it’s the hormones causing the changes in behaviour or vice versa.
- 9IDAResearch into how neural factors may cause aggression could be argued to be reductionist as they ignore the role of cognitive and psychological factors. Evidently not everyone with such neural or hormonal imbalances have been found to always be aggressive and most research has been based primarily on correlational data which may be unreliable and over simplifying the role of hormones and neurotransmitters.
Such theories are deterministic in assuming people will always act aggressively should they have such imbalances as they ignore the role of free will people have and ability of conscious thought that allows them to override such impulses and control their own behaviour. - 10part 2Most research into neural/hormonal aggression has been based on male participants and this means generalisation to women is not always possible. Also the lack of research with women in this area also highlights the limitation of such theories as similar findings should be evident in women but very few comparison studies have been done suggesting gender bias. Gender differences have also found women to be less prone to violence. However, no research has been done to find any links with levels of cortisol, serotonin or dopamine.
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- AS Level Psychology (Aggression) Flashcards on NEURAL & HORMONAL EXPLANATIONS FOR AGGRESSION, created by Talentless Academic on 11/03/2015.
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