Dr. Vance, a neuropsychologist, is working with an individual, Marcus, who exhibits impulsive aggressive outbursts. Dr. Vance used functional neuroimaging (fMRI) to measure Marcus's neural activation during various simulated social scenarios, calculating a 'Neural Risk Index' from 1 to 10 for each scenario. A higher index indicates high amygdala activation relative to prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation, representing a greater neurological vulnerability to impulsive aggression. Marcus also kept a log of his real-life encounters with these scenarios over a three-week period. The results are shown in Table 3.
| Social Scenario | Neural Risk Index (1–10) | Occurrences in 3 weeks | Combined Risk Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perceived social rejection | 8 | 3 | 24 |
| Unresolved verbal conflict | 7 | 5 | 35 |
| Minor daily frustrations | 3 | 15 | 45 |
| Crowded/noisy environments | 5 | 8 | 40 |
| Total | 144 |
Describe how Dr. Vance could use this data and knowledge of brain structure (specifically the amygdala and prefrontal cortex) to advise Marcus on how to reduce his aggressive outbursts.
88 exam-style questions on Edexcel A Level Psychology Content, covering Central nervous system and neurotransmitters, Effect of recreational drugs on transmission, Brain structure and aggression, Evolution and natural selection, Freud's psychodynamic explanation of aggression, Role of hormones in aggression, Individual differences, and Developmental psychology. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.