Inhibitory Neurotransmitters - Crockett et Al - Serotonin on Prosocial Behaviour

Crockett investigated the effect of serotonin on prosocial behaviour. Serotonin is both inhibitory and excitatory, in that it helps us calm down and regulate our MOOD AND SLEEP CYCLES, however it is also an excitatory transmitter, because it helps us feel HAPPINESS, AROUSAL, AND LOVE
Prosocial behaviour is behaviour that aims to BENEFIT OTHER PEOPLE
A sample of 30 volunteers with the AVERAGE AGE BEING 26
Repeated measures design with TWO CONDITIONS

Condition 1 was given a dose of CITALOPRAM (City Lo Pram), or a selective serotonin REUPTAKE INHIBITOR - This BLOCKS THE REUPTAKE OF SEROTONIN, boosting it’s concentration and prolonging it’s effects - (Condition One is Excitatory)
Condition 2 was given a harmless placebo

This was a study that was COUNTERBALANCED WITH A DOUBLE BLIND APPROACH
After taking the drug, participants were given a series of MORAL DILEMMAS that involved choosing between two types of outcomes

AVERSIVE SCENARIOS WERE GIVEN IN BOTH PERSONAL AND NON PERSONAL SCENARIOS - IMPERSONAL SCENARIO TRAIN SCENARIO FROM GREENHOUSE ACADEMY, AND PERSONAL ALTERNATIVE WAS SOMETHING THEY WERE INVOLVED IN, LIKE PUSHING A MAN OFF OF A CLIFF TO STOP THE TRAIN
Results showed that participants who had the citalopram, showed that it didn’t affect them when the situation was impersonal
However, the PERSONAL VERSION was less likely to be chosen - Even if before the study you’d be opposed to an idea like this, after receiving the citalopram, you’d be further opposed
Researchers CONCLUDED THAT the citalopram reduces acceptability of PERSONAL HARM, promoting prosocial behaviour, and modulates reactions to the brain so that INFLICTING PERSONAL HARM ON SOMEONE ELSE IS UNACCEPTABLE
A limitation of this study is that the researchers realised citalopram gave participants slight nausea, meaning that they may have been able to determine if they were GIVEN THE CITALOPRAM OR NOT, but we can’t be sure to what extent this impacted the results