raine et al essay plan

• Raine et al AO1


  AIM: study brain activity in NGRI killers by using PET scans - hypotheses = NGRI killers will show abnormal activity in brain areas associated with violence eg PFC, amygdala, hippocampus

  METHOD: 2 groups - control and experimental, 41ppts in each - 39male, 2 female, 6 schizophrenic, similar average age, independent groups design (despite ppts being matched by age and gender), opportunity sample, all 2 weeks medication free

  PROCEDURE: each ppt injected with the radioactive PET tracer, then completed a continuous performance task for 32 minutes, PET scan conducted

  RESULTS: NGRIs had lower activity in corpus collosum, left amygdala and left temporal lobe, has higher activity in right amygdala, right temporal lobe and right thalamus

  CONCLUSION: is a link between brain structure and aggression, murderers have impaired function in brain areas identified previously as involved in violence, dysfunction of a single brain area can't explain violence on its own
• Raine et al AO3 strength

  validity - high degree of control - ppts matched across experimental and control group eg ages, mental health (schizophrenia), drug free = extraneous variables controlled = high internal validity

  CA: argued that social and situational variables eg contrived setting, emotions may have affected findings = difficult to establish cause and effect so hard to say whether brain abnormalities directly caused aggression

  SW: although ecological validity could be argued as low, the controlled procedure in lab experiment gives high objectivity and internal validity = strength
• Raine et al AO3 weakness

  generalisability - sample consisted only of NGRI killers = can't be generalised to aggression in other type so offenders of the aggression in the wider population

  CA: large sample used (in consideration of normal samples using PET scans and NGRIs) = representative of NGRI killers and target population

  SW: however further research would be needed to look at aggression in the general population due to the lack of generalisability and representation in the sample used