Aggression Evaluation

• used lab research using specifically bred animals - problems of generalising across species - selectively damaging precise brain areas carried out on cats and rodents as human brains are more complex
• basic structures of the brain are the same between species, so experiments are worthwhile
• supports human case studies like Phineas Gage and Blaire et al
• Phineas Gage was a railroad worker who suffered a massive brain injury after an iron rod was driven through his head. single case study and may not be representative
• Raine et al (1997) found that the hippocampus is involved in the formation of declarative memories, he looked at 41 convicted murderers. he found:

  • lower activity in prefrontal cortex
  • differenced in limbic systems
  • used brain scanning techniques