PSYCH 13 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Prefrontal Cortex, Frontal Lobe, Parental Investment
Document Summary
Evolutionary psychology: aggression is an evolved behaviour that had adaptive functions. Males aggress to achieve and maintain status. Males typically more aggressive in species where reproductive availability of females is less than of males. Need to complete with rivals for status and access to females. Higher parental investment leads to less risky forms of aggression. Indirect/relational aggression may be more effective way to. Less aggression towards related others: infanticide 70-100 times more likely from step parents. Early emergence of sex differences: boys more aggressive than girls from age 2, difference stable up to 11 years and overall levels of aggression decline with age. But trend in research supports heritability of human aggressiveness to at least some degree. Strong positive correlation between testosterone levels and aggression, weaker in humans. Numerous studies report positive association between testosterone and physical aggression, violence and trait aggression. The role of serotonin: the neurotransmitter serotonin appears to restrain impulsive acts of aggression.
