IB Psychology HL - BLOA - Explain Effects of 2 Hormones on Human Behaviour

chemical messengers

secreted by glands (endocrine system)

transported in the blood stream by distal blood cells

can affect both physiology and psychology

both are chemical messengers that carry a signal from one cell to another

but hormones travel through the blood stream

while neurotransmitters traverse synaptic gaps

hormone secreted by the hypothalamus

stimulated by the pituitary gland

triggers contractions in the uterus during childbirth

increases trust and generosity in healthy individuals

associated with stress reduction

Positive effect: Guastella et al. (2008)

Negative effect: Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2009)

causes social attachment in mammal mothers towards offspring

health benefits due to stress reduction (e.g. counters high blood pressure)

as humans are social animals, trust among members of the species is crucial for survival, defense, and well-being

49 healthy male participants were given a shot of either:

- oxytocin

- placebo

Participants were shown 36 happy, angry, or neutral faces

Participants returned the next day to make judges of whether they remembered the image or not when shown a mixture of the previous images + 72 new images

participants given oxytocin = more likely to remember previously seen happy faces compared to other expressions

but oxytocin doesn’t influence judgements for new faces

giving oxytocin to male humans enhances encoding of positive memories

makes positive memories more memorable

humans have a strong social tendency to compare

tendency to be happier when their conditions are more favorable than their peers

jealousy and schadenfreude are recurring social emotions that are a symptom of comparison

speculated that oxytocin has a moderating effect on the intensity of those emotions

56 participants were given a nasal dose of either:

- oxytocin

- placebo

They played a game of chance with a confederate, and the outcome had 3 conditions:

- jealousy (confederate won more money)

- schadenfreude (confederate lost more money)

- control (won/lost equal amounts of money)

Participants were asked to rate their mood at the end

oxytocin group experienced more intense emotions (higher jealousy and schadenfreude ratings)

findings contradicted initial claim

oxytocin also involved in increasing envy and schadenfreude

not just positive pro-social behaviours

fight or flight response

is released from the adrenal gland

increases alertness

prepares body for action

may be responsible for the creation of emotion

increases flow of oxygen and blood to the brain

increases heart rate and blood pressure

transfers key resources (e.g. oxygen, glucose) away from internal organs towards extremities of the body

associated with creating emotions

mostly associated with negative emotions (e.g. fear)

for extreme sports lovers the release of adrenaline in such situations can be associated with positive feelings

adjusts bodily priorities according to the situation

being able to think and move quickly is more important for surviving a stressful situation compared to functions like digestion

burst of focus is useful for appraising situations

participants were informed they would receive a vitamin injection for vision experiments

group 1-3 received adrenaline, group 4 (control) received a placebo saline solution

group 1 was told the effects of an adrenaline solution (described as side effects to the vitamin solution)

- group 2 wasn’t given any info

- group 3 was told headaches, numbness, and/or itches were possible side effects

groups were further split into 2 contexts:

- euphoria: a confederate encouraged participants to join in games

- anger: a confederate gives an outburst of anger due to personal questions on a questionnaire

participants were asked to assess their moods when they were finished

groups 2-3 generally showed more euphoric behaviour and reported more happiness

the anger context didn’t elicit the corresponding pattern, but researchers theorized that participants were uncomfortable with revealing such details

based on observational data of the anger context, group 1 was less angry than groups 2-3 (as group 1 had an explanation for their physiological arousal)

adrenaline helps in the construction of the emotional experience

in a real-life situation the surge of adrenaline would assist in appraising a situation to establish a proper emotional response

define hormone

distinguish hormone from neurotransmitter

what does oxytocin/adrenaline do? why do they have that effect?

outline background info/evolutionary explanations

oxytocin studies: Guastella et al. (2008) – positive effects, Shamay-Tsoory et al. (2009) – negative effects

adrenaline study: Schachter and Singer (1962)