The Ethological Explanation Of Aggression Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in The Ethological Explanation Of Aggression Deck (20)
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1
Q

Why is aggression adaptive and beneficial to survival

A
  1. To reduce competition

2. Establish dominance

2
Q

Explain reducing competition

A

A defeated animal is really killed but instead forced into territory elsewhere, reducing competition pressure

3
Q

Explain establishing dominance

A

Hierarchies - e.g. A male chimpanzees dominance gives him special status, including mating rights over females

4
Q

What did pettit et al observe

A

How aggression in playgroups played an important role and how some children became dominant over others - this is adaptive because dominance over other brings benefits

5
Q

What did Lorenz observe

A

Most intractable-species aggression consisted mainly of ritualistic signalling and rarely became physical

6
Q

What does intra-species aggression usually end with

A

An appeasement display - indicates acceptance of defeat and inhibits aggression in the winner preventing damage to the loser

7
Q

Why is admitting defeat seen as adaptive

A

Because it means there is no death and doesn’t threaten the existence of a species

8
Q

What does IRM mean

A

An innate releasing mechanism

9
Q

What is an IRM

A

A built in physiological process or structure that acts as a filter to identify threatening stimuli in the environment

10
Q

What activates the IRM

A

And environmental stimulus triggers a fixed action pattern

11
Q

What does FAP mean

A

Fixed action pattern

12
Q

What is an FAP

A

Pattern of behaviour is triggered by an IRM

13
Q

What are FAP’s said to be

A

A relatively unchanging behavioural sequence found in every individual of the species and follows an inevitable course which cannot be altered before it is completed

14
Q

What did Tinbergen study?

A

Male stickleback and aggression

15
Q

What was Tinbergen’s procedure

A

Another male entering a stickleback’s territory in the mating season initiates a sequence of aggressive behaviours (an FAP)

16
Q

What acts as as a stimulus for male sticklebacks to be aggressive

A

The red of others underbelly

17
Q

What did Tinbergen present the sticklebacks with

A

A series of wooden models of different shapes

18
Q

What did Tinbergen find

A

If the model had a red underside the stickleback would aggressively display and attack it - but no read meant no aggression

19
Q

What else did Tinbergen find

A

The aggressive FAP did not change from one encounter to another - once is triggered it always run its course to completion without any further stimulus

20
Q

Name a strength of ethnological explanations

A

Supporting research evidence - shows the low-activity variant of the MAOA gene is closely associated with aggressive behaviour in humans, suggesting an innate basis - validity supported by evidence