Concise, detailed essay plans covering the whole AQA A Level Psychology Aggression topic, created and used to achieve an A* in the 2024 Psychology A Level exam series.
AO1 Neural influences:
- The limbic system: a system of structures
beneath the cortex (comprised of the amygdala,
hippocampus and hypothalamus) associated with
emotional behaviour
- The amygdala is responsible for quickly
evaluating the importance of sensory info to elicit
an appropriate response
- The hippocampus is involved with forming long
term memories so allows an animal to compare a
current threat with a similar past experience – an
impaired hippocampus makes it difficult for the
nervous system to put a threat into context based
on previous experience so can cause the
amygdala to respond inappropriately
- Serotonin exerts a calming effect on neuronal
firing, including the amygdala, where low levels of
serotonin prevent this inhibitory effect from
occurring so aggression is more likely (serotonin
deficiency hypothesis)
Hormonal influences:
- Testosterone produces male sex characteristics
and is thought to be associated with the
prevalence of aggression, as Daly and Wilson for
example found there is an increase in male-on-
male violence when testosterone levels are at
their peak (21-35 years)
AO3 x 1 - Research support for serotonin – Bouvy and Liem
- They found the use of SSRIs, which increase
serotonin levels in the brain, have been found to
reduce displays of aggression
- Therefore supports the neural influence of
serotonin, and implies a deficit leads to
aggression
AO3 x 2 - Support for testosterone in context of violent
crime – Dabbs
- Prisoners who had committed violent crimes were
found to have higher testosterone levels than
those who had committed petty crimes like theft,
where the high T prisoners also violated more
rules in the prison
- Shows the influence of testosterone on violent
behaviour
AO3 x 3 - Correlation rather than causation
- Testosterone studies for example never
conclusively prove a certain relationship between
aggression and testosterone, meaning it could be
, coincidental rather than cause and effect
AO3 x 4 - Neural and hormonal influences ignore social
factors
- E.g. upbringing, education, substance abuse etc.
are likely to influence aggression, which are
ignored by biological influences, making it
biologically reductionist
Essay: Genetic factors in aggression
AO1 - Genetic factors: the theory that aggression is
caused by a person’s inherited genetic make-up –
assumes aggression has been inherited due to it’s
evolutionary advantage
- Twin studies: if there is a degree of similarity of
aggression in MZ twins, a genetic factor is implied
as 100% of genes are shared
- Adoption studies: helps to untangle genetic and
environmental contributors to aggressive
behaviour – a study in Denmark found a
significant amount of male adoptees with a
criminally convicted father also had criminal
convictions themselves – genetic implied
- Miles and Carey: did a meta-analysis of 24 twin
and adoption studies and found genetic influences
could account for 50% of aggressive variance
- MAOA (monoamine oxidase A):
- The role of MAOA: regulates the metabolism of
serotonin in the brain – Brunner et al found
aggressive males in a Dutch family all had
abnormally low MAOA levels
- The warrior gene: MAOA-L is more frequent in
populations with a history of warfare (up to 2/3 of
a population may have the MAOA-L variation)
while only 1/3 of people in Western populations
have MAOA-L
AO3 x 1 - Scientific methodology to identify factors
- For example, DNA analysis has been performed on
people to identify the MAOA-L gene, meaning this
process is highly objective and can be performed
by blind researchers to increase the reliability
- Links are therefore high in validity
AO3 x 2 - Support from twin studies – Christiansen
- Found a 35% concordance rate for aggression in
MZ twins but only 13% in DZ twins, therefore
proving genes are influential to a considerable
extent
- Though concordance is not 100% meaning other
factors must also contribute
AO3 x 3 - The diathesis stress model – Rhee and Waldman
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller izzyoc1310. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £5.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
