ethological explanations of aggression

• The ethological explanation is an evolutionary explanation because it sees aggression as having evolved through natural selection because it is adaptive. This means that it is genetically determined and an innate behaviour
• The ethological explanation of aggression is an evolutionary explanation that attempts to understand aggression in humans by looking at aggression in other species, when they’re in their natural habitat.
• The ethological explanation of aggression suggests that aggressive behaviour is ritualistic and helps animals gain or maintain access to reproductive partners, protect their territory and gain or maintain access to resources, such as food.
• The ethological explanation of aggression suggests aggressive behaviour is ritualistic and is used to threaten other members of their species without actually harming them.
• The ethological explanation of aggression suggests aggression is a fixed action pattern. A fixed action pattern is an innate, fixed set of behaviours that occurs in response to specific sign stimuli.
• The innate releasing mechanism is the specific set of neurons that produces a fixed action pattern. They send signals to parts of the brain involved in motor control, like the motor cortex
• Supporting evidence for ethological explanation. Tinbergen’s study of sticklebacks found that whenever male sticklebacks see a big red circle, they display the same fixed set of aggressive behaviours. This is positive as it supports the ethological explanation suggestion that aggression is a fixed action pattern triggered by sign stimuli.
• Aggression isn't always ritualistic. Goodall found chimpanzees will fight and kill chimpanzees from neighbouring groups. This is problematic as it shows that aggression isn't always adaptive, meaning it is unlikely to have occurred due to natural selection.
• Cultural differences in aggression. Nisbett 1996 investigated aggression in males from the Northern and Southern states by observing reactions to insults given by a confederate and found Southern males responded more aggressively. This is problematic as the ethological explanation cannot account for cultural differences in aggression.
• Based entirely on animal studies. Tinbergen studied aggression in stickleback fish, however, aggression in humans is a much more complicated process than in fish. This is problematic as results cannot be accurately generalised to humans meaning the explanation lacks validity.