Ac2.1 Flashcards
(17 cards)
Brain injuries and disease
Phineas gage had a brain injury that changed his personality a metal rod went through his head destroyed his left frontal lobe affected his personality and behavior
Charles Whitman committed mass murder was found with the brain tumour that pressed on his brain which controlled emotion and behavior
Evaluation brain injuries and disorder
Strengths
Prisoners more likely than non-prisoners to have a brain injury
Weakness
Could be other reasons why they committed crime
some people might obtain the brain injury after the crime is committed
Twin studies
Monozygotic share 100% DNA identical twins
Dizygotic share 50% DNA not identical twins
Concordance rates likelihood of two twins matching characteristics
Lange looked at concordance rates between MZ and dz2ms of both going to jail he found 10 out of 13 MZ twins and two out of 17 DZ twins
Twin studies effective
Supporting studies reliable evidence large-scale studies hire concordance rates for MZ twins
Not effective twin studies
Not all the twins were criminals concordance rates would be 100% if genetic
Can’t rule out effect of the environment
Share jeans with other people like parents twin studies don’t cover that
Concordance rates maybe due to them sharing the same environment
Adoption studies
Mendrick et el looked at 14, 000 adoptive boys looked at their criminal records of birth parents and child’s coming all records and adoptive parents criminal records significant correlation between number of criminal convictions of biological parents and that offspring concordance rates 20% biological parents had a criminal record14.7% adaptive parents how to criminal record no correlation between number of criminal convictions between adoptive parents and adoptive children
Adoption studies effective
Large sample size
Support genetic explanations
Overcome problem sport by twin studies where biologically identical twins of water and the same household genetics versus environment
Adoption studies of not effective
Age of when they were adopted could have more or less impact on child’s nurture
Concordance rates would be 100% of true
Las valid if both biological and adopted parents had criminal record
Consider reasons for adoption trauma can cause criminality
Xyy syndrome
Low IQ high testosterone levels tall increased muscle aggressive
Blood samples were taken from criminals to see if any abnormalities in their DNA to cause criminality not her registry illness
15 per thousand in prison have it one per thousand in general population have it
Xyy effective
Scientific theory evidence can be proven controlled environment
Large sample size
Control group compared to general population
Xyy ineffective
Would be 100% of people with xyy chromosomes in prison if correct
Labeling xyy has negative connotations leads to self-fulfilling prophecy
Doesn’t account for non aggressive crimes
Lombroso atavistic feature
Criminals difference to normal people evolutionary throwback like apes and savages
Hard measurement sketches and photos of 383 dead criminals and 3839 living criminals to locate physical differences and abnormalities
40% of criminal arts can be supported by the theory
Handle shaped ears prominent eyebrows high cheekbones large jaw sloping forehead long arm short legs face tattoos
Lombroso effective
First person to study criminality scientifically let’s many more studies after this so can be retested
Large sample size of a live criminals generalized to rest of population easily
Lombroso ineffective
No control group
All Italian might have seen features as from same culture
Gender bias then look at female criminals
60% of criminality is an accounted for
People might change their features due to age
Criminals have features non-criminals can have the features
Sheldon somatotype theory
Endomorph fat soft round bodies sociable relaxed
Ectomorph sin fragile self-conscious introverted
Mesomorph muscular aggressive adventurous more successful in violent crimes suited to risk taking
Examined 4,000 photos looked at body types use two groups call students and criminals got 200 people to judge the photos rate them between one and seven seven looked more like mesomorphs
Criminals had higher scores
Sheldon effective
Use control groups compare crim
Big sample size more reliable
On biased test 200 people looked at photos
Other studies support
Sheldon ineffective
Gender bias only used men
students might have similar body types
Body types change over time
Might get massimoth body type after being criminal
Social class can cause metamorph body type
Labeling theory
Used photos not real bodies
Not all mesomorphs are criminals
