Genetics
What is one gene linked to violence and aggression?
The Warrior (MAOA) gene - MAOA-L
What does the PFC do?
Any of the following:
- regulates behaviour
- planning and decision making
- acts as the "brakes" on our impulsive behaviour
What hormones affects aggression?
Testosterone
What is neuroplasticity?
The brain's ability to change as a result of experience.
How does neuroplasticity show a limitation in the nature debate?
It shows that our brain is affected by nurture.
What is a "nativist?"
Someone who is on the nature side of the nature vs nurture debate.
They believe all behaviour is from nature.
What does the amygdala do?
Activates the flight or fight response
Allows us to make moral decisions and feel empathy
Emotional centre - anger and fear in particular
What animals did Berthold study on?
Chickens (roosters)
What is epigenetics?
Environment affecting genes
Animal studies, case studies and studies on children have limitations based on generalisability. What is "generalisability?"
For instance, you can condition a pigeon to turn in a circle, but does that mean you can condition something to commit murder? Thus, the results of Skinner's pigeon studies might not be generalisable to humans and human behaviours.
What are two pieces of evidence that tell us the MAOA-L gene is linked with violence
Finnish prison study: all extremely violent criminals had the MAOA-L and one other gene. You're x13 more likely to commit crime if you have it.
Dunedin study showed MAOA-L + a bad childhood increases antisocial behaviour
What is one animal study that tells us the amygdala plays a role in aggression?
Rat lasers: when they hooked up the rat's brain to the laser and turned it off and on, the researchers could control its aggression
Possible answers:
- testosterone
- oxytocin
- melatonin
- estrogen
- adrenaline
- cortisol
What are three ways the nature argument has changed over time?
We used to think genetics caused bad brains but now we know about neuroplasticity.
We used to think testosterone caused aggression but now we know it's more to do with status
How does epigenetics highlight a limitation of the nurture debate?
It shows that our genes are affected by nurture.
What is MAOA?
An enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters in the synapse
What were the results of the Vietnam head injury study?
Veterans with damage to their vmPFC were more aggressive.
This shows that one function of our PFC is to regulate our violent and impulsive actions.
People have thought for a long time that testosterone causes aggression. New research suggests that it only affects aggression if the aggression helps to maintain ....what?
Social status
How does the Dunedin study demonstrate epigenetics?
It shows antisocial behaviour is influenced by the MAOA-L gene AND maltreatment as a child.
What is the most common critique of behaviourism?
It focuses too much on to little
In other words, they only focus on conditioning as the single explanation of behaviour, when we know it's more complicated than that.
Why does the MAOA-L gene increase aggression?
Possible answers:
- it reduces activity in the PFC and increases activity in the amygdala
- it affects neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine
Serial killer: high activity in PFC, low activity or smaller amygdala
Impulsive killer: low activity in PFC, high activity in amygdala
Testosterone increases activity in what part of the brain?
What study showed this?
Amygdala
Goetz (2014) Radke 2017 (fMRI)
R&B: rats in enriched environments grew bigger frontal lobes than those in deprived.
Romanian orphans: 8.6% smaller brains than healthy children
Maguire: London taxi drivers have different hippocampi to bus drivers
Draganski: juggling changes the brain.
McCrory: ACEs affects the amygdala
Mr Dixon taught his first ever class as an English teacher in the Library. True or False?
False. I was a History teacher and I taught my first ever class in the Hare memorial room, Mr Lidstone's old classroom.