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| Question | Answer |
| Amygdala | a brain structure thought to be involved in aggression |
| Limbic system | area of brain involved in emotion |
| hormones | chemicals produced by the human body that sends signals to organs around the body via the bloodstream. |
| Testosterone | - Male hormone - secreted by adrenal glands/testes - needed to produce: sperm/ develop male reproductive system/ produce male features - woman have very low levels of testosterone |
| Role model | The person we observe & learn from. This can be anyone we watch from sporting heros to parents. |
| Identification | IS when we adapt behaviors, attitudes & beliefs from a role model. We become like them and believe we can do what they do. More likely to model a person who is popular, similar age and gender. Feeling of similarity with role model that leads to the imitation of their behavior- we believe we can be like them. |
| Vicarious learning | when we learn from the fortune or misfortune of others |
| observational learning | Process of learning from watching others |
| modelling | observing, identifying with & copying the behavior of a role model. |
| Nature | what we are born with |
| Nurture | what we learn from the way we were raised. |
| King (1961) | described a case of a woman whose amygdala was electrically simulated during an operation, she became threatening and verbally aggressive until electrical current was turned off. |
| Charles Whitman ( 1966) | killed 13 people from observational tower at Texas university, after killing mother and wife. left behind a note asking doctors to examine his brain as was convinced that something was making him aggressive. He was found to have brain tumor pressing agains his amygdala. |
| difficulties in researching human brain | - similar to animal brains but not same - unethical to damage brain to see if causes aggression, also risky - no direct proof that limbic system and amygdala have link to aggressive behavior |
| Evaluating the link between biology & aggression STRENGHTHS | - Case study of Charles Whitman & case described by King are evidence for its link with aggression in humans - Animal studies that have involved damage or removal to amygdala offer evidence for link with aggression. |
| Evaluating the link between biology & aggression WEAKNESSES | -Animals are different to humans - Studying human brain is hard & risky, no way in of making sure areas of brain are linked to aggression. - Case studies unreliable, the reason for an individuals aggression may be unique to that person - aggression could be equally explained by the way children copy media |
| Aggression in animals | Psychologists have castrated male animals and have found that as their testosterone levels decreased their level of aggression decreased. |
| Aggression in humans | Psychologists have taken blood from humans to see their levels of testosterone & compare to how aggressive they feel. Correlation studies have found that generally people with more testosterone have reported more aggressive. However it is not certain |
| Evaluating role of testosterone on aggression STRENGHTS | - In animal, clear cause and effect relationship between aggression and testosterone levels - Human studies have shown relationship between aggression and testosterone levels in correlation studies. |
| Evaluating role of testosterone on aggression Weaknesses | - Not all humans with high testosterone levels are aggressive. Testosterone creates drive, but this need not to a violent one. - correlation studies just look for relationships & not direct evidence. - animal studies may not apply to humans - If testosterone is the cause of aggression why are some woman more violent than men, And why aren't all men are aggressive. - This explanation of aggression completely ignores the huge impact of upbringing and social circumstances on our behaviour. |
| Bandura (1961) | Albert Bandura found that children were more likely to copy an adult attacking a large inflatable doll (bobo doll) if the adult was awarded for it. Bandura's study seems to support the theory that children can learn aggression. |
| Evaluating social learning theory as an explanation of aggression STRENGHTS | -Bandura's (1961) study supports social learning theory because he found that children copy aggression - Many school shootings have been linked to TV & video game violence. |
| Evaluating social learning theory as an explanation of aggression WEAKNESSES | - Could be that aggressive children watch aggressive TV & video games ( naturally aggressive) - Many children watch aggression but don't copy it. - watching violent TV can lower aggression, because it acts like a natural release for aggression. - Difficult to study observational learning because modeling may take place a long time after it has been observed or may never be taken. |
| Ramirez et al (2001) Culture & Aggression | Martin Ramirez & colleagues wanted to investigate: - Whether aggression varied between cultures - different levels of aggression between males & females |
| Ramirez et al PROCEDURE | Procedure - Study included 400 psychology students who volunteered. - 1/2 of the students studied at a university in Japan. - ½ studied in Spain - All students were asked to complete a questionnaire that measured different types of aggression, including: • Verbal aggression • Physical aggression • Anger • Hostility |
| Ramirez et al (2001) FINDINGS/ RESULTS | • Japanese students showed more physical aggression than Spanish students • Spanish students showed more verbal aggression • Males showed more physical and verbal aggression and hostility than females in both cultures • Males and females in both cultures showed same levels of anger. |
| Ramirez et al (2001) CONCLUSION | Despite culture stereotypes studies found that Japanese males and females were more physically aggressive than Spanish students. The finding that Spanish students are more verbally aggressive is consistent with the stereotype of Spaniards being expressive of their emotions. Study supports previous theories that males are more aggressive than females. This may be because of the way males were raised, as masculine, or because of hormonal differences between the sexes. |
| Ramirez et al (2001) STRENGTHS | -Questions produce quantitative data so cannot be interpreted differently by researchers. -All students were volunteers, fully aware that results were going to be published. Therefore ethical. |
| Ramirez et al (2001) WEAKNESSES | -Some questionnaires are critisized because answers can be interpreted in such a way that they meet the expectations of the researcher( although this is not the case for the ramirez study) Open ended questions would be an examples of these. - All participants were psychology students and may have tried to guess the aim of the study or answer questions in a socially desirable way ( bias response) - Students may have answered questions accordign how they think they would act, but in real life situation they may be unlikely to behave that way. |
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