What mistakes do students make with Aggression?

Saying testosterone causes aggression when the evidence is correlational, and ignoring that the causal arrow can run backwards because winning a contest raises testosterone. Calling serotonin the aggression chemical. It is inhibitory, so it is low serotonin that is associated with violence. Treating the MAOA gene as a direct gene for aggression and leaving out Caspi's finding that maltreatment was needed for the MAOA-L variant's effect to appear.

What are the exam tips for Aggression in Psychology AQA A-Level?

If the stem gives someone a violent family history, use it: name heritability or the MAOA gene, then state that an environmental trigger such as maltreatment is required. When evaluating biological explanations, ensure you move beyond description; use diathesis-stress, animal extrapolation and determinism to build a robust discussion. Name the researcher, the sample and the finding: Brunner studied 14 men in one Dutch family with a complete MAOA deficiency.

AQA · A-Level · Psychology

Course version: 7182-2025 · Exams from 2027

Neural and hormonal mechanisms in aggression, including the roles of the…

Full specification wording

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

Aggression is explained by neural and hormonal mechanisms.

Checked against the AQA 7182-2025 specification (opens in a new tab) on 23 September 2026.

Point 1 of 5
4 key terms

Study notes

From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.

The idea

What earns the marks

Limbic system: the amygdala evaluates sensory threat and, with the hypothalamus, drives reactive aggression, while the orbitofrontal cortex normally inhibits it; Gospic's fMRI Ultimatum Game evidence.
Serotonin: normal levels maintain inhibitory control at the orbitofrontal cortex; low levels remove this brake so impulses go undamped, evidenced by Virkkunen's lower 5-HIAA in impulsive violent offenders.
Testosterone: an androgen linked to aggression in males, shown by Dolan's correlation in offender patients and by animal castration and reinstatement studies.
Evaluation: Caspi's gene-environment interaction, where the MAOA-L variant predicted antisocial behaviour only alongside childhood maltreatment.

Common mistakes and how to put them right

Saying testosterone causes aggression when the evidence is correlational, and ignoring that the causal arrow can run backwards because winning a contest raises testosterone.
Calling serotonin the aggression chemical.
Put it right: It is inhibitory, so it is low serotonin that is associated with violence.
Treating the MAOA gene as a direct gene for aggression and leaving out Caspi's finding that maltreatment was needed for the MAOA-L variant's effect to appear.
Naming brain structures without saying what each does, or muddling the limbic system with the frontal cortex that restrains it.

Exam tips

If the stem gives someone a violent family history, use it: name heritability or the MAOA gene, then state that an environmental trigger such as maltreatment is required.
When evaluating biological explanations, ensure you move beyond description; use diathesis-stress, animal extrapolation and determinism to build a robust discussion.
Name the researcher, the sample and the finding: Brunner studied 14 men in one Dutch family with a complete MAOA deficiency.

Try the lesson

The start of the Aggression: Neural and hormonal mechanisms in aggression, including the roles of the limbic system, serotonin and testosterone. Genetic factors in aggression, including the MAOA gene. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.

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According to neural explanations of aggression, what is the typical function of serotonin in the brain?

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Listen

Aggression is explained by neural and hormonal mechanisms. The limbic system, chiefly the amygdala, appraises threat and drives reactive responses: Gospic found unfair offers in the Ultimatum Game produced a fast amygdala reaction. Serotonin is inhibitory, maintaining the orbitofrontal brake, so low levels mean impulsive violence; Virkkunen found lower 5-HIAA in violent offenders. Testosterone correlates with aggression in Dolan's offender patients, though levels also rise after winning. Genetic factors include the MAOA gene. Brunner's Dutch family of 14 men shared a complete MAOA deficiency, and Caspi showed the MAOA-L variant predicted antisocial behaviour only in the maltreated. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Limbic system: the amygdala evaluates sensory threat and, with the hypothalamus, drives reactive aggression, while the orbitofrontal cortex normally inhibits it; Gospic's fMRI Ultimatum Game evidence. Serotonin: normal levels maintain inhibitory control at the orbitofrontal cortex; low levels remove this brake so impulses go undamped, evidenced by Virkkunen's lower 5-HIAA in impulsive violent offenders. Testosterone: an androgen linked to aggression in males, shown by Dolan's correlation in offender patients and by animal castration and reinstatement studies. Genetic factors: twin and adoption studies give a substantial heritability estimate; the MAOA gene codes for the enzyme that breaks down serotonin, and a complete MAOA deficiency ran through 14 men in Brunner's Dutch family. Exam tip: If the stem gives someone a violent family history, use it: name heritability or the MAOA gene, then state that an environmental trigger such as maltreatment is required.

See it

A top-down flowchart. A node for sensory threat leads to the amygdala appraising threat, which leads to the hypothalamus driving reactive aggression. A separate node states the orbitofrontal cortex normally inhibits, and this points to the hypothalamus node. Serotonin is inhibitory points to the orbitofrontal cortex node. Low serotonin removes the brake points to the hypothalamus node. Testosterone linked to aggression also points to the hypothalamus node. The MAOA gene codes for the enzyme breaking down serotonin points to the serotonin node. The MAOA-L variant plus maltreatment predicts antisocial behaviour points to the MAOA gene node. — Shows how the amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, serotonin, testosterone and the MAOA gene are linked in explaining aggression.

Key words

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Serotonin

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MAOA gene

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Testosterone

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Limbic system

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See every definition

Serotonin: An inhibitory neurotransmitter that maintains the orbitofrontal brake, so low levels mean impulsive violence.
MAOA gene: Codes for the enzyme that breaks down serotonin; a complete deficiency ran through 14 men in Brunner's Dutch family.
Testosterone: An androgen linked to aggression in males, correlating with aggression in Dolan's offender patients, though levels also rise after winning.
Limbic system: Chiefly the amygdala, it appraises threat and drives reactive responses, as Gospic found with unfair offers in the Ultimatum Game.

Label the diagram

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The diagram again, with 3 boxes numbered instead of named. A top-down flowchart. A node for sensory threat leads to the amygdala appraising threat, which leads to the hypothalamus driving reactive aggression. A separate node states the orbitofrontal cortex normally inhibits, and this points to the hypothalamus node. Serotonin is inhibitory points to the orbitofrontal cortex node. Low serotonin removes the brake points to the hypothalamus node. Testosterone linked to aggression also points to the hypothalamus node. The MAOA gene codes for the enzyme breaking down serotonin points to the serotonin node. The MAOA-L variant plus maltreatment predicts antisocial behaviour points to the MAOA gene node.

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3Box 3

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Study notes

The idea

What earns the marks

Common mistakes and how to put them right

Exam tips

Try the lesson

Have a go first

Listen

See it

Key words

Label the diagram

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

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