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AQA Psychology Aggression revision notes
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PAPER 3 REACTIVE WHAT IS IT?
AGGRESSION Identified 3 areas of the brain responsible for reactive aggression
AMYGDALA The amygdala
The hypothalamus
HYPOTHALAMUS
The hippocampus
HIPPOCAMPUS Reactive aggression is the response to a threat
EMOTIONAL
SIGNIFICANCE
PREFRONTAL AMYGDALA
CORTEX- Responsible for attaching emotional significance to sensory information
Limbic system= hierarchical with signals being passed down from the lower
EMPATHY,
systems to higher systems in the prefrontal cortex (where feelings are
EMOTIONAL monitored/interpreted triggering an emotional response
REGULATION Damage to the prefrontal cortex= higher levels of aggression
SOCIAL
BEHAVIOUR
RAINE 1997 PREFRONTAL CORTEX
Functions: empathy, intuition, morality, emotion regulation
PREFRONTAL
Crucial for regulating social behaviour + aggressive responses
CORTEX DAMAGE - Damage would reduce the inhibition of the amygdala resulting in higher
AGGRESSION levels of aggression
HYPOTHALAMUS= manages hormones
HIPPOCAMPUS= responsible for memory
RAINE 1997
Wanted to investigate the brains of murderers
Method: gave 41 murderers a PET scan and compared them with a group
of similar non-murderers
PET SCAN- most invasive brain scan, have to carry out a mental task
RESULTS: some differences e.g. activity in the prefrontal cortex of
murderers was lower/impaired than in the non-murderers
CONCLUSION: when the prefrontal cortex is not working normally it can
lead to people committing violent crimes
DRUG
A way to decrease levels of aggression
ADHD is linked to aggression- so if we look at drugs that can control that
condition (ADHD)- it can control aggression
Weakness- a short term solution
Since it stimulates activity in the brain it reduces aggressive behaviour cause
by ADHD (prefrontal cortex)
,PAPER 3
A03 POINTS
CHARLES WHITMAN (1966)
climbed up the clock tower at the university of Texas and shot 12
people
after he was killed, a post-mortem revealed he had a tumour
pressing on the part of his brain that causes aggressive behaviour
(the limbic system)
STRENGTHS
supports the limbic theory
WEAKNESSES
1966- low temporal validity- outdated- lower internal validity
Texas- American study- individualistic culture- culture bias=
cannot generalise to other cultures (collectivist)
Previous history of aggression- environmental factors, biological
factors
A03 POINTS
The role of the limbic system is not clear cut
The limbic system is made up of many components, to say
aggression is caused by a part of it is an oversimplification +
reductionist view point as it is not clear which parts are involved-
(can’t assume cause and effect)
Correlational research is only an indication of the link
Some people with limbic system abnormalities do not demonstrate
aggressive behaviour so causation cannot presumed
PHINEAS GAGE (1848)
Within months his personality had changed dramatically- he
became extravagant and antisocial, foul mouth liar with bad
manners – frequently got into fights and assaults
Memory was intact + was capable of learning new things
Could no longer hold a job or plan his future
Never showed any impairment of movement or speech
The rod that went through his brain damaged his prefrontal cortex
, PAPER 3
HAPPY HORMONE SERETONIN
SERETONIN Communicates impulses between neurons
LOW LEVELS- Responsible for slowing and dampening neural activity
AGGRESSION Normal levels are associated with greater behaviour
SHORT TERM control
TESTOSTERONE (DENSEN 2012) decreased levels reduces self-control
ANDROCENTRIC leading to impulsive behaviour
MASCULINE
HIGH LEVELS- STUDIES
AGGRESSION Evidence: MANN (1990)- when levels of serotonin were
artificially reduced by a drug participants response to a
hostility and aggression questionnaire were increased
Evidence: CASES (1995)- when participants are given
serotonin it causes a calming effect and a lowering of
aggressive responses
= drugs are a short term solution
= questionnaire- demand characteristics, social desirability
bias
= researcher bias
TESTOSTERONE
It is an androgen responsible for masculine features-
hence more androcentric studies
Research shows that lowering testosterone levels reduces
aggression
Prisoners who had committed unprovoked violent crimes
had higher levels of testosterone than those who had
committed non-violent crimes (DOLAN ET AL 2007)
= prisoners- cannot generalise
Teens with higher levels of testosterone were more prone
to delinquency and hard drug use + provocations
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