Using one or more examples, explain functions of two hormones in human behaviour.
Hormones: Chemical messengers that are secreted by glands, can have a widespread effect on physiology and psychology in humans
Endocrine system: the system of glands that releases hormones into the bloodstream
Endocrine system: the system of glands that releases hormones into the bloodstream
Adrenaline
Location: adrenal glands, above both kidneys
Function:
Location: adrenal glands, above both kidneys
Function:
- known for "flight or fight" response (prepares the body for action to help deal with threat, either by fighting it or by running away from it)
- increase the flow of oxygen and blood to the brain (by increasing the activity of the heart and dilating blood vessels)
- increases alertness
- increase heart rate and blood pressure
- dilated pupils
Schachter and Singer (1962)
Aim: To test two factor theory of emotion
Hypothesis:
Procedure:
Aim: To test two factor theory of emotion
Hypothesis:
- the labeling of arousal will depend on the situation if there is no other explanation
- if a reason for arousal is known, the participant will not look for another reason
- no arousal will result no emotion
Procedure:
- at the start, participants had an injection of adrenaline (which should cause shaky hands, pounding heart etc.)
- researcher pretended that they were investigating "side effects of 'suproxin'" (pretend vitamin, the use of deception)
Experiment Groups
1. Adrenaline informed 2. Adrenaline misinformed 3, Adrenaline ignorant 4. Control |
Details
1. Participants were informed of the real effects of adrenaline 2. Participants were misinformed of the effect of adrenaline (there would be itching, numb feet, headaches) 3. participants were told that there would be no side effect 4. participants were injected with placebo |
- participants were put in a waiting room with a confederate, one at a time for 20 mins to fill in a questionnaire
- the confederate would act in two different ways
Conditions
Euphoric (Happy) Angry |
Description
Confederate was friendly, play with paper and other office equipment Confederate moaned about the injection. Appeared angry, ripped up the questionnaire and left |
- researcher makes observational measures of emotional response through mirror
- participants are also asked to self report their happiness and anger
(listed from most emotional to the least)
Euphoric
misinformed ignorant placebo informed |
Angry
ignorant placebo informed |
Euphoric/angry ignorant:
had no explanation of why their bodies felt as they did (attribution to the confederate)
Euphoric/angry informed:
had explanation, understood why their bodies felt as they did (attribution to the drug)
Control:
Double blind (the confederate did not know what condition the participants was in)
11 participants expressed suspicion, hence data was taken out
Evaluation:
Methodology
had no explanation of why their bodies felt as they did (attribution to the confederate)
Euphoric/angry informed:
had explanation, understood why their bodies felt as they did (attribution to the drug)
Control:
Double blind (the confederate did not know what condition the participants was in)
11 participants expressed suspicion, hence data was taken out
Evaluation:
Methodology
Strengths
|
Limitations
|
Ethics
Strengths
|
Limitations
|