Aggression

• Female rats injected with testosterone


  • More aggressive behaviours eg mouse killing
• Positive correlation between testosterone levels


  Aggression
• High activity in amygdala when responders reject offers

  Benzodiazepine drug reduces arousal in nervous system, halved rejections, less aggression, less activity of amygdala
• Serotonin at normal levels in OFC

  More self-control
• Paroxetine drug (serotonin booster) given


  Less shocks
• 50% Mz


  Physical aggression
• 19% Dz


  Physical aggression
• 41% of genetics accounts for aggression
• MAOA-L variant and low levels of MAOA enzyme

  Abnormal serotonin, less self control
• MAOA gene


  Warrior gene
• High levels of adult aggression


  Those who experienced extreme trauma before 15- sexual/physical abuse
• Ethological


  Innate mechanisms within us, fixed action pattern
• Wolves

  • Ritualistic aggression, appeasement rituals: Display their necks to surrentder - adaptive - hierarchy - survival
• Sticklebacks

  • Attacked wooden models of all shapes if they had a red spot on its underbelly, didn't attack if no red spot even if it looked similar/shape, red spot = stimulus triggering IRM which triggers FAP, FAPs didn't change acorss encounters and always ran its course - ballistic
• MAOA

  28 males family - aggression - hereditary/ genetic factors at play - innate?
• Chimpanzee war

  • Appeasement rituals did not inhibit same-species violence, systematic slaughtering
• Killings

  More frequent in south over north - difference in culture of honour
• White south males when provoked

  More likely to become aggressive
• Evolutionary

  Stimulus - innate releasing mechanism (built-in physiological process/structure, eg network of neurons in the brain) - fixed action pattern (specific sequence of behaviours)
• Fixed action pattern

  Can be more flexible - modal action pattern - length of action within the sequence varies in lenght between individuals
• Sexual jealousy


  • Identify several functions/reasons for sexual jealousy, eg anti-cuckoldry methods, saving resources, adaptive behaviour - more reproductivelty successful
• Male retention strategies

  • Direct guarding - male vigilance about partners whereabouts, Negative inducements - threats/consequences for infidelity
• Women whose partners used male retention strategies

  2x more likely to suffer physical violence at their hands, 73% need medical attention, 53% feared for their lives
• Characteristics associated with bullying


  Attractive to the opposite sex, male dominance and acquistion, ward off potential rivals
• Bullying interventions


  • Reviewed from a perspectve that bullying is maladaptive and therefore can be unlearnt
• Female with offspring

  Less aggressive - decrease risk to survival of herself and her child, more verbal aggression
• !Kung San


  Look down on aggression/ discouraged, those who do use aggression: status and reputation within the community are diminished