Neural explanations

Cards (33)

  • What do neural explanations refer to?

    Explanations in terms of (dys)function of the brain and nervous system
  • What is included in neural explanations?

    The activity of brain structures and neurotransmitters
  • What percentage of the general US population has had a brain injury?
    1. 5%
  • What percentage of individuals in US prisons have reported a brain injury?

    60%
  • Where is the prefrontal cortex located?

    Above the eyebrows at the very front of the brain
  • What did Raine (2004) find regarding murderers and psychopaths?

    They have reduced functioning in the prefrontal cortex
  • What is the role of the prefrontal cortex?

    Regulating emotion and controlling moral behaviour
  • What is associated with lowered activity in the prefrontal cortex?

    Impulsiveness and loss of control
  • What does the limbic system control?

    Emotions and motivations
  • How do criminal psychopaths process emotions?

    They have problems processing emotions and empathy
  • What is suggested about the limbic system in criminal psychopaths?

    A fault in their limbic system leads to lack of emotional reactions
  • What can lack of emotional reactions lead to in criminal psychopaths?

    Planned and organised offending behaviour
  • What did Raine (2009) find regarding psychopaths and the amygdala?

    Psychopaths had an 18% volume reduction in the amygdala
  • What reduction in grey matter of the PFC did Raine (2009) find in people with anti-social personality disorder?

    11%
  • What do case studies support regarding brain dysfunction?

    The link between brain dysfunction and offending/anti-social behaviour
  • Who was Charles Whitman and what did he do?

    He shot 16 people at a university campus
  • What was found in Charles Whitman's post mortem?

    He had a large tumour in the amygdala
  • Who was Phineas Gage?

    A railway worker who had catastrophic brain damage
  • What happened to Phineas Gage after his accident?

    He became a violent drunk despite recovering physically
  • What does the prefrontal area do according to Phineas Gage's case?

    It keeps behaviour in check and moderates impulses
  • What are mirror neurons?

    Neurons that fire in response to personal actions and actions of others
  • How do mirror neurons relate to interpreting emotions?

    They allow us to interpret emotion in others
  • How can mirror neurons affect criminality?

    If we do not experience someone else's emotion, we cannot empathise with them
  • What is suggested about criminal types and mirror neurons?

    They can 'switch off' these mirror neurons
  • What did Keysers et al. (2011) find regarding criminals and empathy?

    Criminals' mirror neurons activated only when asked to empathise
  • What does the activation of mirror neurons suggest about criminals?

    They may have a neural 'switch' for empathy
  • What is serotonin?

    A neurotransmitter that exerts a calming, inhibitory effect
  • What effect does low serotonin have on behaviour?

    It removes the inhibitory effect, leading to impulsive behaviour
  • What gene regulates the metabolism of serotonin?

    The MAOA gene
  • What does animal research suggest about serotonin and aggression?

    Lowering serotonin increases aggression, while raising it reduces aggression
  • What was found in aggressive dogs compared to a control group?
    Aggressive dogs had lower average serotonin levels
  • What is a limitation of the research on serotonin and aggression?

    Much of the research has been conducted using non-human animals
  • Why is the relevance of animal research on serotonin and aggression questioned?

    It measures aggression rather than offending behaviours