(4) The Ethological Explanation of Aggression

What is the ethnological explanation of aggression?

An evolutionary explanation that attempts to understand aggression in humans by looking at aggression in other species, when they’re in their natural habitat.

What is the purpose of aggression?

it is ritualistic (aggression without hurting other animals)

• Enables animals to gain access to resources

• To help animals find a mate

What is a fixed action pattern?

is an innate, fixed set of behaviours that occurs in response to specific sign stimuli

Aggression is an example of a fixed action pattern

What is an innate releasing mechanism?

They are specific neurons in our brains that produce fixed action patterns in response to specific sign stimuli( Motor, relay and sensory)

They work by sending signals to parts of the brain involved in motor control, like the motor cortex

A03: Tinbergen and the Stickleback

Tinbergen’s study of sticklebacks supports the ethological explanation of aggression

Tinbergen found that, whenever male sticklebacks see a big red circle, they display the same fixed set of aggressive behaviours

This supports the idea that aggression is a fixed action pattern triggered by sign stimuli

A03: lacks population validity

• We need to be cautious about generalising findings from animal research to human behaviour.

• Human aggression is the outcome of many interacting influences which are not relevant to animals (such as SLT, deindividuation, media influences), and much of the animal aggression influences, such as fighting for food and resources (and often territory) is not relevant to human behaviour today

The Ethological theory of aggression will therefore lack population validity.

AO3: Issue/Debate

• This explanation takes an interactionist approach on the nature/nature debate (strength)

• Biological (inherited genetics involving IRMs causing innate FAPs) are caused by the need for them in the animal’s environment (gaining territory, food, access to mates).

so the ethological explanation combines nature AND nurture.

Increases the validity of the explanation.