Leon and Sarah are discussing a television documentary about violent offenders.
Leon says: 'I read about a violent criminal who had an underactive prefrontal cortex and an abnormal amygdala. It made me think that violent crime is just down to brain structure.'
Sarah replies: 'But surely it's more complicated than that. Not everyone with a brain abnormality becomes a criminal, and what about how people are brought up?'
Discuss neural mechanisms as an explanation for aggression. Refer to Leon and Sarah's conversation in your answer.
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.