Biological Explanations Of Aggression

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Biological Explanations Of Aggression

One explanation for aggression from the biological perspective is the role of neurotransmitters. These include Serotonin, Dopamine and Testosterone. They all have different levels for different levels of aggression.  Another explanation is genetic factors. Whether aggression is inherited.

With neurotransmitters, Serotonin is associated with controlling aggression. Low levels lead to aggressive and impulsive behaviour. One study which investigates this is where 32 healthy participants were given either given a drug which lowers Serotonin or vice versa. The results found that the ones with lower levels were aggressive. The study’s results were recorded with a self report questionnaire. This study supports the idea that Serotonin has a role in aggression. The study itself is also valid in terms of population validity. The participants were all healthy so a strong comparison can easily be made. However the sample is quite small, so this reduces validity. Also it is based on results from a self report questionnaire so social desirability bias may play a part.
The study however is further supported by Raleigh study on Serotonin levels in monkeys. He split them into two groups and gave one group a drug which increased levels of Serotonin and vice versa. He found that like in the previous study the ones with the low levels of Serotonin had increased aggression. This further supports the role of neurotransmitters specifically Serotonin in aggression. However, this study also lacks population validity as it is tested on monkeys not humans. Also it is performed in a lab so lacks ecological validity.

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Dopamine is another neurotransmitter, but this time high levels are associated with aggression. A study which supports this is one carried out on participants using antipsychotics. They were given the antipsychotics which lowered dopamine levels. It was found that aggression correlated with the dopamine levels and also decreased. This shows that dopamine also has a role in the levels of aggression and can regulate aggression by itself without the support of other neurotransmitters. A problem with this study however is that patients that would need to take antipsychotics would have mental problems anyway. This means that this study can’t be ...

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