Fresh Ideas for Teaching Aggression in Year 2 A -Level...

Fresh Ideas for Teaching Aggression in Year 2 A-Level Psychology

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Session Overview

• Overview• Possible Exam Questions• Possible Essay Questions• Examiner Commentary

The Specification

• Aggression in 2016• Outlining and Evaluating Twin Studies• An Aggressive Experiment• Situation vs. Dispositional Aggression

Ideas for Teaching Aggression

The Specification


The Specification

The Specification

Specification - Aggression

15.1 Neural And Hormonal Mechanisms

Neural and hormonal mechanisms in aggression, including the roles of the limbic system, serotonin and testosterone. Genetic factors in aggression, including the MAOA gene.

15.2 Ethological Explanations

The ethological explanation of aggression, including reference to innate releasing mechanisms and fixed action patterns. Evolutionary explanations of human aggression.

15.3 Social Psychological Explanations

Social psychological explanations of human aggression, including the frustration-aggression hypothesis, social learning theory as applied to human aggression, and de-individuation.

15.4 Institutional Aggression

Institutional aggression in the context of prisons: dispositional and situational explanations.

15.5 Media InfluencesMedia influences on aggression, including the effects of computer games. The role of desensitisation, disinhibition and cognitive priming.

Possible Exam Questions

A-Level SAM 1 A-Level SAM 2 A-Level SAM 334. Briefly outline and evaluate the findings of one research study into genetic factors in aggression. [4 marks]

29. Discuss the role of genetic factors in aggression. [16 marks]

29. Outline and evaluate the role of neural and/or hormonal mechanisms in aggression. [8 marks]

33. Using your knowledge of evolutionary explanations of aggression, account for these high levels of aggression in young males. [4 marks]

26. What are innate releasing mechanisms? [2 marks]

35. Describe and evaluate the social learning theory of human aggression. [16 marks]

32. Briefly explain one limitation of the situational explanation for institutional aggression. [2 marks]

31. Briefly outline the possible role of cognitive priming in the effects of computer games on aggression. [2 marks]

27. Discuss media influences on aggression. [8 marks]

Possible Exam Questions

A-Level SAM 2 A-Level SAM 330. Complete Table 4 by calculating the median for the two groups. Why did the psychologist use the median as a measure of central tendency rather than the mean? [4 marks]

28.1 Explain one advantage of using a repeated measures design in this study. [2 marks]The psychologist obtained the following results: For two of the prisoners the number of aggressive

acts increased For eight of the prisoners the number of aggressive

acts decreased For two of the prisoners the number of aggressive

acts stayed the same The psychologist decides to use a sign test to see if

his data are significant.

28.2 What is the calculated value of the sign test statistic ‘S’? Explain your answer. [2 marks]

28.3 Using the table of critical values of ‘S’ above, state whether the findings of the study are significant at p < 0.05. Explain your answer. [2 marks]

Possible Essay Questions

17 Potential Essay Questionsfrom Exam Pro & Textbooks.

Examiner Commentary

Examiner commentary provides some insight into the following fiveessays: Q1. Discuss genetic factors involved in aggressive behaviour. (Total 16 marks)

Q2. Discuss evolutionary explanations of human aggression. (Total 16 marks)

Q3. Discuss the role of neural and / or hormonal mechanisms in aggression. (Total16 marks).

Q4. Outline and evaluate one social psychological theory of aggression. (Total 16marks)

Q5. Discuss explanations of institutional aggression. (Total 16 marks)

Genetic Factors

Discuss genetic factors involved in aggressive behaviour. (Total 16marks)

Genetic approaches often implicate neurotransmitters…answers that focus ONLY on neurotransmitters cannot earn marks in this question part.

However, If a general link between e.g. neurotransmitters and genetics is made, it need not be detailed for the full range of marks to be available.

MZ / DZ twin studies were popular, but often the rationale was confused and sometimes inaccurate.

Knowledge Evaluation

Genetic Factors

Discuss evolutionary explanations of human aggression. (Total 16marks)

Mid-range answers failed to sustain a focus on aggression.

They also referred to research studies on jealousy and infidelity but WITHOUT drawing out any relevance to issues of aggression.

Evaluation of the evolutionary approach was often generic.

Knowledge Evaluation

(e.g. ‘the evolutionary approach is reductionist because it does not take account of genetic factors’).

Genetic Factors

Discuss the role of neural and/ or hormonal mechanisms inaggression. (Total 16 marks). Only a minority of students actually

earned reasonable AO1 marks.

Candidates presented answers on genetics that were not relevant to the question.

Knowledge

There needed to be some elaboration, for example the origins and general role of testosterone, or an outline of the structures that make up the limbic system and their involvement in behaviour.

Typical answers consisted simply of naming a hormone or part of the brain.

Genetic Factors

Outline and evaluate onesocial psychological theory ofaggression. (Total 16 marks)

Bandura’s Bobo dolls routinely used in support of SLT but many student fail to access higher bands for AO3.

Detailed methodological evaluation of Bandura’s study is not explicit and not made relevant to the question.

Evaluation

The question is: how do these points affect the degree of support for SLT?

There was often anecdotal reference to criminal cases such as James Bulger.

Genetic Factors

Discuss explanations of institutional aggression. (Total 16marks)

Evaluation

Zimbardo’s prison study was popular, but there was a common problem of linking it explicitly to institutional aggression via situational factors, or deindividuation.

Top Tips

Knowledge

Focus on knowledge of genetics explanations and neural mechanisms. Neural mechanisms must be

elaborated (e.g. how does a specific brain region affect behaviour)

Link evolutionary theories/explanations to aggression Apply knowledge to question

(e.g. sexual jelousy and aggressive behaviour)

Evaluation

Develop knowledge and evaluation using twin studies

Avoid writing detailed summaries of famous studies (e.g. Zimbardo, Bandura) Methodological criticisms

of research must be linked to the question/theory.

The Specification

Any Questions?


The Specification

The Specification



Activity 1: Aggression in 2016


The aim of this activity is to helpstudents understand why aggressionwas an adaptive behaviour for ourancestors and whether or not thisbehaviour is still relevant in 2016.

Mid-range answers failed to sustain a focus on aggression…referred to research WITHOUT drawing relevance to issues of aggression.


Students are provided with an evolutionary problem.

For each evolutionary problem the students need to: Explain the issue Outline why aggression

was adaptive Explain if aggression is

still adaptive in 2016

Evolutionary Problem: One issue that our male ancestors faced is that of parental uncertainty. It would have been impossible for our male ancestors to know whether of not their partner was bearing their child.

Why was aggressive behaviour adaptive in this context? Aggressive behaviour was therefore adaptive for two reasons: Firstly, to deter other males from attempting to mate with their partner and secondly, to threaten females and ensure that they remain faithful.

Is this aggressive behaviour still adaptive in 2016? Aggressive behaviour is no longer adaptive as technology enables men to ensure that they are the parent to any offspring.


Students are provided with 2 additional evolutionary problems, plus a space to consider their own.

Note: This activity will develop knowledge of evolutionary explanations, however, you should refer back to this handout when evaluating evolutionary explanations also.

Activity 2: Outlining & Evaluating Twin Studies

Activity 2: Outlining & EvaluatingTwin Studies.

The aim of this activity is to helpstudents understand and interprettwin studies, and evaluate theireffectiveness in support a geneticexplanation of aggression.

MZ / DZ twin studies were popular, but often the rationale was confused and sometimes inaccurate.

Activity 2: Outlining & Evaluating Twin Studies

Students need to understand that Twin Studies are only usefulwhen we compare the concordance rate of MZ and DZ twins. Ifound that this little table is very useful:

RESULT INTERPRETATION

MZ Concordance Rate Is 100% Behaviour is entirely genetic

MZ Concordance Rate Is Significantly Less Than 100%

Behaviour is partly the result the of environment

MZ Concordance Rate Is Similar To DZ Concordance Rate

Behaviour is partly attributed to the environment (nurture)

MZ Concordance Rate Is Significantly Higher Than DZ Concordance Rate

Behaviour is partly attributed to nature (genetics)

Activity 3: An Aggressive Experiment


The aim of this activity is to conduct an in-class replication ofDodd’s experiment and provide an opportunity to embed RMs.

Don’t tell the students the purpose of the activity, just provide them with the following question


Once students have answered the question, they can read about Dodd’s experiment on the handout.

The students should then conduct a content analysis on someone else’s response (make sure the responses are anonymous and randomly assigned).


You may wish to at this point collect the data from your students and plot a giant summary on the whiteboard, or simply let them compare in groups.


Finally, the students can plot a simple bar chart to show the results and decide whether or not the results of the in-class replication support/refute Dodd’s work.

Activity 4: Situational vs. Dispositional

Activity 4: Situational vs.Dispositional

The aim of this simple activity is forstudents to consider situational anddispositional explanations ofaggression and then consider howthese factors might apply toinstitutions aggression and research,e.g. Zimbardo.

Zimbardo’s prison study was popular, but there was a common problem of linking it explicitly to institutional aggression via situational factors, or deindividuation.

The Specification

Any Questions?



Aggression Study Notes

www.tutor2u.net/psychology/series/a-level-study-notes-aggression

Optional Topic Companion -Aggression

http://www.tutor2u.net/psychology/series/a-level-study-notes-aggression

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Fresh Ideas for Teaching Aggression in Year 2 A -Level...

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