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.
Practise Edexcel A Level Psychology Content with exam-style questions for A Level Psychology. 1,059 questions covering Biological explanations of crime, Social explanations of crime, Cognitive and ethical interview techniques, Psychological formulation of offending, Cognitive-behavioural treatment for offenders, Biological treatment for offenders, Factors influencing eye-witness testimony, Factors influencing jury decision-making, Individual differences, and Developmental psychology, matched to the Edexcel A Level Psychology (9PS0) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
