Steven Crane Compiled Section Handouts. Human Behavioral Biology 2012

Example exam questions
How does the pattern of amygdala activation change in persons suffering from major depression? (2 pt)

1. 
   According to what you learned in Bio150 about aggression, which of the following could be an explanation for increased aggression (circle all that apply, 5 pts total, 0.5 pt for each):
   

1. 
   Tumor in amygdala
   
2. 
   Lesion in amygdala
   
3. 
   Lesion in INAH3
   
4. 
   Increased basal metabolic activity in frontal cortex
   
5. 
   Lesion in septum
   
6. 
   Enlarged anterior commissure
   
7. 
   Stroke damage to frontal cortex
   
8. 
   Increased dopamine release in nucleus accumbens
   
9. 
   Decreased sensitivity of testosterone receptors in amygdala
   
10. 
    Increased basal metabolic activity in anterior cingulate
    

2. 
   You conduct the appropriate tests for the explanations given above, but fail to find anything wrong with the brain structure, brain chemistry, or endocrine parameters in this patient. You decide that he could have a pre- existing genetic tendency and that perhaps a modulatory environmental effect could have increased his aggression.
   

Which of the following are environmental factors that could increase aggression by having a modulatory effect on a pre-existing genetic tendency (circle all that apply, 0.5 pts each, 3 pts total):

1. 
   Living in a rural area
   
2. 
   Being an alpha male and having just lost a fight to the #2 male
   
3. 
   Having a particular version of the MAO enzyme
   
4. 
   Drinking large quantities of alcohol
   
5. 
   Increased sensitivity of testosterone receptors in amygdala
   
6. 
   Being subjected to child abuse
   

3. 
   After more extensive physical and psychological tests and background checks, you conclude that this patient is 100% fine. No pre-existing genetic tendencies towards aggression, no environmental factors, no biological basis. Despite killing 34 people, no criminal charges are pressed against him. Given what you learned about aggression in class, why might the man have killed 34 people? (1 pt)
   

Things to know for aggression

• 
  Some features of human aggression and affiliation that are unique to us, some that are less so than people used to think.
  
• 
  What the amygdala and frontal cortex have to do with these behaviors (in a fair amount of detail).
  
• 
  The role of the anterior cingulate in pro-social behaviors.
  
• 
  Just a little bit about serotonin and aggression.
  
• 
  What alcohol does or doesn’t have to do with aggression.
  
• 
  Some of the most common releasers of aggression.
  
• 
  Testosterone, estrogen, progesterone and aggression (in detail).
  
• 
  Some major theories about the broad nature of aggression.
  
• 
  Teaching of context, not how to be aggressive.
  
• 
  What Kohlberg’s work is about and whether it actually predicts brave, moral behavior.
  
• 
  A bit about whether prenatal androgen exposure masculinizes aggression in human females.
  
• 
  Examples of gene/environment interactions regarding aggression.
  
• 
  Some ecological and anthropological predictors of levels of aggression in different cultures.
  
• 
  How do evolutionary principles regarding individual selection, kin selection and reciprocal altruism increase levels of aggression?
  
• 
  How do the same factors decrease levels?
  
• 
  Pseudokinship, pseudospeciation, aggression and affiliation.
  
• 
  What circumstances in game theory play favor the emergence of cooperation
  

Aggression III