hormonal mechanisms on aggression : testosterone

What is testosterone and where is it found?

Testosterone is an androgen

Found in males and females

It’s only found in low levels of females

What is one of the main links between testosterone and aggression

One of the main links between testosterone and aggression is that when testosterone peaks in males during puberty it’s correlated with ani crease in aggressive behaviour

What is one mechanisms to do with testosterone and and brain

When there are high conc of tes. In the brain it reduces the activity in the frontal cortex

Important because frontal cortex has an important role in moderating aggressive impulses from the limbic system

What is another mechanisms in regards to how testosterone affects aggression to do with what another neurotransmitter

It reduces the activity of seretonin

Lower levels of seretonin lead to higher levels of agggression

What did DABBS fid in support of the role of testerosteone in terms of men

DABBS found men that have higher levels of testosterone tend to be more violent

What is a further study from DABBS suggesting a link between males and testosterone but what is a limitation of this study

A further study found a link between human males are at their most violent (21-35) and why they have their highest levels of testosterone

But the studies on testosterone often rly on correlation which are not causal relationships therefore we must be careful about making cause and effect statements

WHAT Did hugely offer a note of caution of in terms of the role of testosterone

What do they suggest play into aggression

What does this study show

HIGLEY et al offer a note of caution on overstating the role of testosterone in aggression as they found that testosterone might make a male feel more aggressive but that this was not strongly linked with actual aggression

They suggest social factors play a role in aggression like social norms influence whether feelings of aggression turn into behavioural aggression

This study is important as it shows aggression to not just be a cause of biological factors

What has there been a query about n terms of if testosterone is actually linked to aggression

What’s a study that suggests this

There have been queries about whether testosterone is linke to aggression or to dominant behaviour

Study suggests that aggression is a form of dominant behaviour

Suggests testeroene increases when there has been a threat to social standing and it drives competion witht others to try and win

So testosterone doesn’t increase aggression it increases competition

What study suggests when testosterone increases in monkeys and rats

Researchers reviwed studies on testoreone and aggression and found increases in aggression when testosterone increased during mating season in macaque monkeys and a reduction in aggression in rats when they were castrated

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What is an evaluation idea about reductionism with the hormonal explanation of aggression

It’s a biological explanation which uses biological reductionism

Misses important aspects like psychological or social levels of explanation

E.g the SLT is important in explaining how children learn aggression from adult role models which is ignored by biological explanations of aggression