PSYCH 104 Lecture Notes - Lecture 25: Executive Functions, Psy, Elizabeth Gershoff
Document Summary
There has been an explosion of interest in the past decade concerning the role of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Neurotransmitters such as serotonin act as chemical messengers in the nervous system, transmitting information. Serotonin appears to work like a braking mechanism to restrain impulsive acts of aggression. Low levels of serotonin in the nervous systems are associated with high levels of aggression. Drugs that boost serotonin"s activity can dampen aggressiveness. Brain and executive functioning the frontal lobe of the brain is another research topic on the biological of human aggression. Researchers using a variety of techniques have found evidence linking abnormalities in frontal lobe structures with tendencies toward aggressive and violent behaviour. When watching situations in which someone intentionally inflicted pain on another person, healthy teenagers showed brain activity associated with empathy. Is aggression learned? the importance of experience is clear: aggressive behaviour is strongly affected by learning. Rewards obtained by aggression today increase its use tomorrow.
