Genetics influence human behaviour because for example Monoamine oxidase A, also called the “ Warrior gene “. It is an enzyme that affects and breaks neurotransmitters down, Serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. Identified in 1993, it was the first gene to be associated with antisocial and violent behaviour. It is known that a low level of MAOA is connected to more violent behavior.
MAOA-L gene and brain function (Meyer-Lindenberg et al. 2006) is a study that provides material to prove that MAOA affects the way we react to certain situation. The study compared the brain functions of healthy participants, that they put in two groups. The first group were people that had high level of the MAOA gene, while the other group had the variant that has a low level of the gene that is connected to aggressive and antisocial behaviour. In the study both the groups were showed angry and fearful faces in an MRI machine, resulting in the group with a low level of the MAOA gene having notably increased activity in their amygdala and significantly reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex. MAOA-L carriers are prone to be more aggressive and have more impulsive reactions, also they’re prone to be more antisocial. They have the inability to regulate emotion and impulsive actions which proves us that human behaviour can be influenced by genetics.
Another way that human behaviour can be influenced is by environmental influences like proven in the Bandura study from 1963. The aim of the study was to show that children, if they were witnesses to aggressive display, where an adult was involved, the children would get influenced and copy the aggressive behaviour when they had an opportunity given. They tested 36 boys and 36 girls between the age of 37 to 69 months. The laboratory experiment included one male adult role model and one female adult role model. It has major groups, the control group, the group exposed to the aggressive model and the group exposed to a passive model. Children that were witnessing the adult models were divided by their gender and the gender of the adult.
In the beginning of this study the children were brought to a room and the adult joined them in the game that the children were playing in the experimental room, that was set up with games and activities that appeal to nursery school children. Every room included a inflatable Bobo doll that is the actual main part of this experiment. One of the condition was that the model ignored the inflatable doll and behaved in a well mannered way. The other conditions was that the adult,referred as model, acted aggressive towards bobo the inflatable doll. For example they “ raised the bobo doll and pummeled it on the head with a mallet.” They let both groups of children alone with the model for 10 mins, after that the experimenter entered and brought the children to new room that they told the children was another room with games.
In the second part of the study the children were exposed to mild aggression arousal by showing the kids rather attractive toys, then after the child has started playing the experimenter told them that he has reserved the toys for other children.
Then in third and last part of this study the children were taken to another new room in which the children were told they can play with any toy in that room. The room included a variation of non-aggressive and aggressive toys, meaning for example non-aggressive toys included a tea set, aggressive toys included a dart gun and a Bobo doll for example. The children stayed in the room for about 20 mins in which the children’s behaviour was analysed by judges through a one-way mirror.The results stated that, children that were exposed to the aggressive model had more aggressive reactions compared to the children that were exposed to the non-aggressive model, Boys showed more aggressive behaviour than girls and other findings.
This study is supporting the claim that behaviour is influenced by environmental influences, like going through a violent childhood. Furthermore genetics have a more significant influence on behaviour because it its further researched.
Genetics influence behaviour to the extend of aggression and antisocial behaviour.The MAOA gene plays a big role since it is associated with the type of behaviour.