Brain and Behaviour
What part of the brain regulates our impulsive actions?
Prefrontal cortex
What are the two types of processing called?
System one and system two (also sometimes called type one and type two)
What part of the brain is the "emotional centre?"
The amygdala
What two areas of the brain are most studied in criminology?
The amygdala and the prefrontal cortex.
What is the name of the task used in Bechara et al.'s study on vmPFC lesion patients?
Iowa Gambling Task
What gland in the endocrine system releases stress hormones during the fight/flight response?
Adrenal gland (the pituitary is a gland, but it only sends the signal to the adrenal gland)
What are two behaviours associated with testosterone?
Aggression/violence, social dominance, social status, attraction, competition
What are two brain imaging technologies used frequently in criminology?
MRI and fMRI (PET also acceptable answer).
What machine is used to locate the area of brain damage of veterans so researchers can compare groups?
MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging)
What three tests did Feinstein et al. conduct on SM to measure her fear?
Haunted house, pet store and observing scary clips
How did Radke et al. manipulate testosterone levels?
With injections.
What specific type of aggression has been the focus of explanations in this unit?
Reactive, impulsive aggression. This means reacting to a threat and the reaction is done with little thought. It's different to other displays of aggression, like premeditated aggression.
What specific part of the brain was damaged in the group with the most aggressive behaviour in Grafman et al.'s report from the Vietnam Head Injury Study?
(Ventromedial) prefrontal cortex.
What are four characteristics of system one processing?
fast, nonconscious (unconscious), automatic, intuitive, based on experiences, based on emotion
Why does SM have damaged amygdalae?
From a rare genetic condition.
Who is arguably the most famous criminologist today? He is author of "The anatomy of violence," which looks at the biological origins of crime.
Adrian Raine
What result in Grafman et al's study suggests that it's not just brain damage that influences aggression?
"Disruption to family activities" was another predictor of aggression, rather than only the size of the lesion.
What characteristic of system two processing were the vmPFC patients NOT demonstrating in the gambling game in Bechara et al.'s study?
An ability to process information (and make decisions) based on consequences - they were unable to learn from their mistakes.
Describe the process of releasing stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline) in response to perceiving a threat. There are four specific glands and parts of the brain you must mention (A, H, P, A)
The amygala perceives the threat, sends a signal to the hypothalamus, which signals the pituitary gland, which signals the adrenal gland and stress hormones are released.
Why can we not use Radke et al.'s study to explain the actions of a serial killer who murders innocent victims?
Radke et al.'s experiment measures testosterone's activity in the brain in response to social threat - the angry face - and when we're motivated to deal with that threat. In the serial killer scenario, if someone is innocent they're unlikely to be a threat to the killer - in other words, the murder is unprovoked.
Why does Sara ma'am think ALL students should learn about criminology?
Because we all have the responsibility to act in ways that will improve society, so if you can learn how to reduce violence when you get older (e.g. by being good parents and voting for politicians who want to improve prison systems) we can all make the future a better place to live in.